The Creation (German: Die Schöpfung) is an oratorio written between 1796 and 1798 by Joseph Haydn, and considered by many to be his masterpiece. The oratorio depicts and celebrates the creation of the world as described in the biblical Book of Genesis. An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that Papa Haydn be merged into this article or section. ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Composition

Haydn was inspired to write a large oratorio during his visits to England in 1791-1792 and 1794-1795, when he heard oratorios of Handel performed by large forces. Israel in Egypt is believed to have been one of these. It is likely that Haydn wanted to try to achieve results of comparable weight, using the musical language of the mature classical style. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... 1791 (MDCCXCI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... HANDEL was the code-name for the UKs National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. ... Israel in Egypt. ...

The work on the oratorio lasted from October 1796 to April 1798. It was also quite obviously an act of faith for this deeply religious man, who appended the words "Praise to God" to the end of every completed composition. He later remarked that: "I was never so devout as when I was at work on The Creation; I fell on my knees each day and begged God to give me the strength to finish the work". Haydn composed much of the work at his residence in the Mariahilf suburb of Vienna, which is now the Haydnhaus. It was the longest time he had ever spent on a single composition. Explaining this, he wrote "I spent much time over it because I expect it to last for a long time". In fact, he worked on the project to the point of exhaustion, and indeed collapsed into a period of illness after he had conducted the premiere performance.

Haydn's original autograph score has been lost since 1803. A Viennese published score dated 1800 forms the basis of most performances today. The 'most authentic' Tonkünstler-Societat score of 1799, with notes in Haydn's hand can be found at the Vienna State Library. There are various other copyist scores such as the Estate, as well as hybrid editions prepared by scholars during the last two centuries. Vienna (German: Wien ; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ...

The Story of the Libretto

The text of The Creation has a long history. The three sources are Genesis, the Biblical book of Psalms, and John Milton's Genesis epic Paradise Lost. In 1795, when Haydn was leaving England, the impresario Johann Peter Salomon (1745-1815) who had arranged his concerts there handed him a new poem entitled The Creation of the World. This original had been offered to Handel, but the old master had not worked on it, as its wordiness meant that it would have been 4 hours in length when set to music. The libretto was probably passed on to Salomon by Thomas Linley Sr. (1733-1795), a Drury Lane oratorio concert director. Linley (sometimes called Lidley or Liddel) himself could have written this original English libretto, but scholarship by Edward Olleson, A. Peter Brown (who prepared a particularly fine "authentic" score) and H. C. Robbins Landon, tells us that the original writer remains anonymous. Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ... John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ... Title page of the first edition Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. ...

When Haydn returned to Vienna, he turned this libretto over to Baron van Swieten. The Baron led a multifaceted career as a diplomat, librarian in charge of the imperial library, amateur musician, and generous patron of music and the arts. If you have seen the movie Amadeus, you saw an elegant portrayal of van Swieten in his role as Court Commissioner of Education and Censorship under Emperor Joseph II, supporting the idea of Mozart composing operas in German rather than in Italian. He is largely responsible for recasting the English libretto of The Creation in a German translation (Die Schöpfung) that Haydn could use to compose. He also made suggestions to Haydn regarding the setting of individual numbers. The work was published bilingually (1800) and is still performed in both languages today. Haydn himself preferred for the English translation to be used when the work was performed for English-speaking audiences. Baron Gottfried van Swieten (1733- March 29, 1803) was a minor aristocrat of the Habsburg Monarchy during the eighteenth century. ... 1800 (MDCCC) was an common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Van Swieten was evidently not a fully fluent speaker of English, and the metrically-matched English version of the libretto has given rise to criticism and various attempts at improvement. Indeed, the English version is sufficiently awkward that the work is sometimes performed in German even in English-speaking countries. One passage describing the freshly-minted Adam’s forehead ended up, “The large and arched front sublime/of wisdom deep declares the seat”. The discussion below quotes the German text as representing van Swieten's best efforts, with fairly literal renderings of the German into English; for the full versions of both texts see the Links at the end of this article. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Premiere

The first performances in 1798 were sponsored by a group of noble citizens, who paid the composer handsomely for the right to stage the premiere (Salomon briefly threatened to sue, on grounds that the English libretto had been translated illegally). The performance was delayed until late April - the parts were not finished until Good Friday - but the completed work was rehearsed before a full audience on April 29.

The first public performance the next day was a private affair, but hundreds of people crowded into the street around the Schwarzenberg Palace to hear this eagerly anticipated work. Admission was by invitation only. Those invited included wealthy patrons of the arts, high government officials, prominent composers and musicians, and a sprinkling of the nobility of several countries; the common folk, who would have to wait for later occasions to hear the new work, so crowded the streets near the palace that some 30 special police were needed to keep order. Many of those lucky enough to be inside wrote glowing accounts of the piece. In a letter to the Neue teutsche Merkur, one audience member wrote: "Already three days have passed since that happy evening, and it still sounds in my ears and heart, and my breast is constricted by many emotions even thinking of it."

The first public performance at Vienna’s Burgtheater on 19 March 1799 was sold out far in advance, and Die Schöpfung was performed nearly forty more times in the city during Haydn’s lifetime. It had its London premiere the next year (in re-translated English, of course), at the Covent Garden Theatre. The last performance Haydn attended was on March 27 1808, just a year before he died: the aged and ill Haydn was carried in with great honour on an armchair. According to one account, the audience broke into spontaneous applause at the coming of "light" and "Papa" Haydn, in a typical gesture weakly pointed upwards and said: "Not from me - everything comes from up there!"

Remarkably, The Creation was also performed more than forty times outside Vienna during his lifetime: elsewhere in Austria and Germany, throughout England, and in Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Russia and the United States.

A typical performance lasts about one hour and 45 minutes.

Musical forces

The Creation is set for three vocal soloists (soprano, tenor, and bass), four-part chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), and a large late-Classical orchestra consisting of 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and the usual string sections of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. For the recitatives a harpsichord or fortepiano is also used. The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... The Flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Modern Oboe The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bb clarinet (left) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... A Fox Instruments bassoon. ... Drawing of a Contrabassoon The contrabassoon or double bassoon is a larger version of the bassoon sounding an octave lower. ... The horn is a brass instrument that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... Trumpeter redirects to here. ... A lip-reed aerophone with a predominantly cylindrical bore, the trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... A violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... A viola The viola (in French, alto; in German bratsche) is a stringed musical instrument played with a bow which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the higher violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the deeper cello (bass... A cello The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Recitative, a form of composition often used in operas, oratorios, cantatas and similar works, is described as a melodic speech set to music, or a descriptive narrative song in which the music follows the words. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ... Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, as it existed from its invention by Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. ...

There seems little doubt that Haydn wanted a big sound (by the standard of his day) for his work. Between the private premieres for nobles and the public premiere in 1799, Haydn added extra instrumental parts to the work. The forces for the public premiere numbered about 120 instrumentalists and 60 singers.

The three soloists represent angels who narrate and comment on the successive six days of creation: Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor), and Raphael (bass). In Part III, the role of Adam is usually sung by the same soloist as sings Raphael, and the roles of Gabriel and Eve are also taken by the same singer (this was the practice Haydn followed); however, some conductors prefer to cast each of the five roles with a different soloist.

The choral singers are employed in a series of monumental choruses, several of them celebrating the end of one particular day of creation.

The orchestra often plays alone, notably in the episodes of "tone-painting": the appearance of the sun, the creation of various beasts, and above all in the overture, the famous depiction of the Chaos before the creation.

Musical numbers

The Creation is written in three parts, whose musical numbers are given below. As in other oratorios, the larger musical numbers (arias and choruses) are often prefaced with a brief recitative; here, the recitative gives the actual words of Genesis, while the following number elaborates the bare Biblical narrative in verse. This article is about the musical term aria. ... Recitative, a form of composition often used in operas, oratorios, cantatas and similar works, is described as a melodic speech set to music, or a descriptive narrative song in which the music follows the words. ...

Part I

Part I celebrates the creation of the primal light, the Earth, the heavenly bodies, bodies of water, weather, and plant life.

No. 1. Die Vorstellung des Chaos (The Representation of Chaos)

One of the most famous numbers in the work, an overture in C minor in slow tempo, written in sonata form. Haydn depicts Chaos by withholding musical cadences from the ends of phrases. Sonata form is a musical form that has been widely used since the early classical period. ... Look up Cadence in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Cadence has the following meanings. ...

No. 2. Im Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde (In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth)

This movement relates the words of Genesis 1:1-4. It begins with a recitative for bass solo in C minor, followed by choral presentation of the creation of light. The latter is depicted first with a soft pizzicato note from the strings, followed by a great fortissimo on the word Licht (Light), modulating at that moment to C major. Pizzicato is a method of playing a bowed string instrument by plucking the strings with the fingers, rather than using the bow. ...

This moment created a sensation at the public premiere of the work in Vienna. According to a friend of the composer:

at that moment when light broke out for the first time, one would have said that rays darted from the composer's burning eyes. The enchantment of the electrified Viennese was so general that the orchestra could not proceed for some minutes.

Audiences today generally let the moment speak for itself.

Following the appearance of light is a brief tenor recitative on the words "and God saw the light, that it was good", leading into:

No. 3. Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Now vanished by the holy beams)

Aria for tenor with chorus in A major, portraying the defeat of Satan's host, from Paradise Lost. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Title page of the first edition Paradise Lost (1667) is an epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. ...

End of the first day.

No. 4. Und Gott machte das Firmament (And God made the firmament)

Long recitative for bass in C major. The bass part first gives the words of Genesis 1:6-7, then follows orchestral tone painting, describing the division of the waters from the land and the first storms.

No. 5. Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk (The marv'lous work beholds amazed/The glorious hierarchy of heav'n)

Soprano solo with chorus, in C major. The heavenly hosts praise God and the work of the second day.

End of the second day.

No. 6. Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser (And God said let the waters)

Brief recitative for bass (Genesis 1:9-10), leading into:

No. 7. Rollend in schaumenden Wellen (Rolling in foaming billows)

Aria in D minor for bass, narrating the creation of seas, mountains, rivers, and (a coda in D major) brooks. As John Mangum points out, the stylistic inspiration here appears to be the "revenge aria" of 18th century opera buffa, as for instance in "La vendetta", from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Comic opera. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ... QPAC poster for The Marriage of Figaro Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans:The Marriage of Figaro ), K. 492, is an opera buffa (comic opera) composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, Le...

No. 8. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor (And God said, Let all the earth bring forth grass)

Brief recitative for soprano (Genesis 1:11), leading into:

No. 9. Nun beut die Flur das frische Grün (Now robed in cool refreshing green)

Solo aria in B flat major for soprano, in siciliana rhythm, celebrating the creation of plants. The siciliana or siciliano is a musical form often included as a movement within larger pieces of music starting in the Baroque period. ...

No. 10. Und die himmlischen Heerscharen erkündigten (And the Heavenly host proclaimed the third day)

Brief recitative for tenor, leading into:

No. 11. Stimmt an die Saiten (Awake the harp)

Chorus celebrating the third day, with four-part fugue on the words "For the heavens and earth/He has clothed in stately dress". In music, a fugue is a type of piece written for counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ...

End of the third day.

No. 12. Und Gott sprach: Es sei'n Lichter an der Feste des Himmels (And God said : Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven)

Recitative for tenor, with portions of Genesis 1:14-16.

No. 13. In vollem Glanze steiget jetzt die Sonne (In splendour bright is rising now/the sun)

With tenor narration, the orchestra portrays a brilliant sunrise, then a languid moonrise. The tune of the sunrise is simply ten notes of the D major scale, variously harmonized; the moon rises in the subdominant key of G, also with a rising scale passage. The end of recitative briefly alludes to the new-created stars, then introduces: In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. ...

No. 14. Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes (The heavens are telling the glory of God)

The mightiest of the choruses of The Creation and a popular favorite. The words are mostly from Psalm 19: 1-3.

Haydn's century, following on the discoveries of Newton but preceding those of Darwin, was the heyday of the view that an orderly universe--particularly the mathematically-governed motion of the heavenly bodies--attests to divine wisdom. Haydn, a naturally curious man, may have had an amateur interest in astronomy, as while in England he took the trouble to visit William Herschel, ex-composer and discoverer of Uranus, in his observatory in Slough. Sir Isaac Newton, President of the Royal Society, (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727] was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, chemist, inventor, and natural philosopher who is generally regarded as one of the most influential scientists and mathematicians in history. ... In his lifetime Charles Darwin gained international fame as an influential scientist examining controversial topics: portrait by Julia Margaret Cameron. ... William Herschel Sir Wilhelm Friedrich Herschel, FRS (November 15, 1738 – August 25, 1822) was a German-born British astronomer and composer who became famous for discovering the planet Uranus. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 120 kPa Hydrogen 83% Helium 15% Methane 1. ... Slough (pronounced ) is a town and unitary authority (Borough of Slough) in the county of Berkshire in the south of England. ...

"Die Himmel erzählen" is not in the home key of Part I, C minor, but is instead in C major, showing the triumph of light over dark. It begins with alternation between celebratory choral passages and more meditative sequences from the three vocal soloists, followed by a choral fugue on the words "Und seiner hände Werk zeigt an das Firmament" ("and the firmament attests to the work of His hand."), then a final homophonic section. The unusual intensity of the ending may be result of Haydn's piling of coda upon coda, each occurring at a point where the music seems to be about to end. In music, a fugue is a type of piece written for counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ...

End of the fourth day.

Part II

Part II celebrates the creation of sea creatures, birds, animals, and lastly, man.

No. 14. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser in der Fülle hervor (And God said : Let the waters bring forth in plenty)

Recitative for soprano (Genesis 1:20), leading into:

No. 15. Auf starkem Fittige schwinget sich der Adler stolz (On mighty pens the eagle proudly soars aloft)

Plum aria for soprano in F major, celebrating the creation of birds. The species mentioned are the eagle, the lark, the dove and the nightingale. The lyrics include the conceit that, at the time just after the Creation, the nightingale's song was not melancholy. Genera Several, see below. ... Genera Mirafra Pinarocorys Heteromirafra Certhilauda Chersomanes Eremopterix Ammomanes Alaemon Ramphocoris Melanocorypha Calandrella Spizocorys Eremalauda Chersophilus Galerida Pseudalaemon Lullula Alauda Eremophila Larks are passerine birds of the predominantly Old World family Alaudidae. ... Pigeon redirects here; for other uses, see Pigeon (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Luscinia megarhynchos (Brehm, 1831) This article is about the bird. ...

No. 16. Und Gott schuf grosse Walfische (And God created great whales.)

For bass solo, in D minor. While labeled a recitative in the score, it is more appropriately described as a recitative (from Genesis 1:21-22) followed by a brief aria, the latter a verse paraphrase on the biblical words (Gen. 1:22) "Be fruitful and multiply." The somber accompaniment uses no violins, but only the lower strings, with divided violas and cellos. For discussion of how this section was composed, see Gottfried van Swieten. Baron Gottfried van Swieten (1733-1803) was a minor aristocrat of the Austrian Empire during the eighteenth century. ...

No. 17. Und die Engel rührten ihr' unsterblichen Harfen (And the angels struck their immortal harps.)

Brief recitative for bass, leading into:

No. 18. In holder Anmut stehn (In fairest raiment)

Haydn breaks the regularity of the pattern "Recitative-Elaboration for solo-Celebratory chorus" with a meditative work in A major for the trio of vocalists, contemplating the beauty and immensity of the newly created world. This leads without a break to:

No. 19. Der Herr ist groß in seiner Macht (The Lord is great in his might)

Chorus with all three soloists, in A major, celebrating the fifth day.

End of the fifth day

No. 20. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor lebende Geschöpfe (And God said : Let earth bring forth the living creature)

Recitative for bass (Genesis 1:24), leading into:

No. 21. Gleich öffnet sich der Erde Schoß (At once Earth opens her womb)

A movement of tone-painting with bass narration. Haydn's gentle sense of humor is indulged here as the newly-created creatures appear, each with musical illustration: lion, tiger, stag, horse, cattle, sheep, insects, and worms. As always in Haydn's oratorio tone-painting, the sung verbal explanation comes after the orchestral portrayal.

The transition from glamorous animals (the first four) to prosaic ones (the last four) is marked with an unprepared modulation from D flat to A major. The farm animals are portrayed (as in No. 8) with siciliana rhythm, which plainly had bucolic associations for Haydn. Basses who have a strong low D are often tempted to use it on the final note "Wurm", substituting for the D an octave higher written by Haydn. The siciliana or siciliano is a musical form often included as a movement within larger pieces of music starting in the Baroque period. ...

Sound clip: bass Kyle Ketelson, Creation excerpt #3, from http://www.kylek.net.

No. 22. Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Now shines heaven in the brightest glory)

Aria for bass in D major. The theme is

Doch war noch alles nicht vollbracht

Dem Ganzen fehlte das Geschöpf

Das Gottes Werke dankbar seh'n

Des Herren Güte preisen soll.

"Yet not all was complete,

The whole lacked a being

Who would behold God's work with thanks

And praise the Lord's goodness."

Thus the movement is preparatory to the creation of man.

The first part of the movement contains another bit of tone-painting, a fortissimo in octaves for bassoon and contrabassoon on the words "By heavy beasts the ground is trod." A Fox Instruments bassoon. ... Drawing of a Contrabassoon The contrabassoon or double bassoon is a larger version of the bassoon sounding an octave lower. ...

No. 23. Und Gott schuf den Menschen (And God created Man)

Tenor recitative (Genesis 1:27, 2:7), leading to:

No. 24. Mit Würd' und Hoheit angetan (In native worth and honor clad)

A prized aria for tenor, in C major, celebrating the creation of man, then woman. Often sung outside the context of The Creation. Although the aria relates a Biblical story, the virtues attributed to Adam (and not Eve) clearly reflect the values of the Enlightenment. ...

This was almost certainly the last music from The Creation that Haydn ever heard: it was sung for him several days before his death in 1809 as a gesture of respect by a French military officer, a member of Napoleon's invading army.

No. 25. Und Gott sah jedes Ding (And God saw every thing)

Brief recitative for bass (text amplifying Genesis 1:31), leading to:

No. 26. Vollendet ist das grosse Werk (The great work is complete)

A celebration for chorus alone, in B flat, of the sixth day.

No. 27. Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf (All look up to thee, O Lord)

Another meditation for the three angels (compare No. 18), in E flat major, on God's omnipotence and mercy, quoting Psalm 145:15-16. Leads directly to:

No. 28. Vollendet ist das große Werk (Fulfilled at last the great work)

This chorus begins with the same music and words as No. 26, and is in the same key of B flat. It quickly moves into large double fugue on the words "Alles lobe seinen Namen, denn er allein ist hoch erhaben" ("Let all praise his name, for he alone is sublime"). As appropriate to the finale of Part II, this repeat chorus is longer and ends more intensely than the first.

The pattern of the last three numbers of Part II, with two celebratory movements on the same theme flanking a slower meditative movement, echoes countless settings of the Latin Mass, where similar or identical choruses on "Hosanna in excelsis" ("Hosanna in the highest") flank a meditative section on "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini" ("Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.") Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it contains. ...

Part III

Part III takes place in the Garden of Eden, and narrates the happy first hours of Adam and Eve. The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew Gan Ēden, גַּן עֵדֶן) is described by the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man - Adam - and woman - Eve - lived after they were created by God. ... It has been suggested that portions of this article be split into a new article entitled Adam. ...

No. 29. Aus Rosenwolken bricht (In rosy mantle appears)

Orchestral prelude in slow tempo depicting dawn in the Garden of Eden, followed by recitative for tenor representing Uriel. Adam and Eve are seen walking hand in hand.

The key is E major, very remote from the flat-side keys that have dominated the work so far. Various commentators suggest that this was meant by Haydn to convey the remoteness of Earth from Heaven, or to contrast the sinfulness of people with the perfection of angels.

No. 30. Von deiner Güt, o Herr und Gott (By thy goodness, O bounteous Lord)

Adam and Eve offer a prayer of thanks in C major, accompanied by a chorus of angels.

This movement, the longest in The Creation, has three parts. In the first, marked adagio, Adam and Eve sing their prayer, with the chorus singing underneath them accompanied by soft timpani rolls. In the second section, the tempo picks up, and Adam, Eve, and the angels praise the newly created world. The final section is for chorus and orchestra alone, a celebration on the words "Wir preisen dich in Ewigkeit" ("We praise thee eternally"). In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ...

No. 31. Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfüllt (Our first duty we have now performed)

Recitative for Adam, leading to:

No. 32. Holde Gattin, dir zur Seite (Sweet companion, at thy side)

Love duet for Adam and Eve in E flat major. There is a slow initial section, followed by an Allegro. The style is clearly influenced by opera, and some commentators invoke a parallel between Adam and Eve and the characters Papageno and Papagena, from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ... Die Zauberflöte (en: The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ...

No. 33. O glücklich Paar, und glücklich immerfort (O happy pair, and ever happy henceforth)

Uriel briefly explains to the pair that they will be happy always if will refrain from wanting to have, or wishing to know, more than they should.

No. 34. Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen! (Sing the Lord, ye voices all)

Final chorus in B flat major. There is a slow introduction, followed by a double fugue on the words "Des Herren Ruhm, er bleibt in Ewigkeit" ("The praise of the Lord will endure forever"), with passages for the vocal soloists and a final homophonic section.

Critical opinions

• "The pleasure of experiencing Haydn and van Swieten's Die Schöpfung lies less in the inevitable trajectory of the plot—we all know the story, and it contains no real sense of conflict—than in the wide-eyed wonder with which the composer visits its familiar contours. A childlike quality pervades the work, as if Haydn were relating the narrative to young listeners who had never heard it before." -- James Keller (see link below)

• The Seasons and the Creation are descriptions of the entire universe as Haydn knew it. The imposed simplicity of the pastoral style was the condition which made it possible to grasp subjects of such immensity: without the pretense of naïveté in the deepest sense of the spontaneous and unaffected response of the child's eye to the world, these works could not exist at all." --Charles Rosen, The Classical Style (1971)

The Seasons (German: Die Jahreszeiten) is an oratorio by Joseph Haydn. ... Charles Rosen (born May 5, 1927) is an American pianist and music theorist. ...

External links

• Notes on The Creation by James Keller
• Robert Shaw's attempt at a better English version of the libretto; from "Gabriel's Homepage"

Robert Shaw (April 30, 1916, Red Bluff, California – January 25, 1999, New Haven, Connecticut) was a conductor most famous for his work with his namesake Chorale and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. ...

Book

• An inexpensive version of the score (not reflecting most recent scholarship) is available from Dover Publications, ISBN 048641907X.