Haydn's composition is characterized by a dramatic, extremely gripping emotional style which is utterly compelling. Originally the work was conceived as a purely instrumental composition – as meditative music in seven slow movements with an introduction and concluding movement („Il Terremoto“ – the earthquake) for a Passiontide church service. From the outset, Haydn had composed the themes of the movements with a “vocal spirit” in mind, so when he heard a vocal arrangement of his work in 1794 in Passau with a German singing text – an obvious idea – it inspired him to write his own vocal version.
The
first performance took place in 1796 in Vienna. With the flourishing of choral societies
in the 19th century, this vocal version of the Seven Words became one of the
most frequently-performed Passion music settings of all. The critical Urtext
edition of the work now published offers a revised musical text reflecting
current scholarly standards.
Contents
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Composer
Joseph Haydn
| 1732-1809As Kapellmeister to Prince Esterházy, Haydn composed numerous instrumental works and various operas, as well as making important contributions to the genre of church music, including fourteen Latin masses, of which only twelve are authentic or complete; these are complemented by motets and offertories, two important Te Deum settings, two Salve Reginas, a Stabat Mater, and the different versions of the Sieben Worte des Erlösers am Kreuze. The masses were composed continually between 1749 and 1802, except for the years 1783–1795, and therefore constitute the genre with which Haydn was occupied over the longest period of time. The six (authentic or complete) masses composed before 1782 are stylistically very different, and as well as short Missae breves there are more extended masses with rich orchestral scoring; by contrast the six so-called late masses, written from 1796 onwards, form a comparatively homogeneous group of more extensive works scored for large forces. With his two great oratorios Die Schöpfung (The Creation) (1798) and Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) (1801) Haydn established the tradition of the German oratorio for middle-class music making. Personal details
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Editor
Wolfgang Hochstein
| 1950
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Songwriter / Librettist
Gottfried van Swieten
| 1733-1803
Reviews
In einem ausführlichen Vorwort (deutsch/ englisch) mit fünf kommentierten Faksimile-Seiten gibt er [der Herausgeber Wolfgang Hochstein] erschöpfend Auskunft über das gesamte Werk, Quellenlage, Entstehung und noch Hinweise zur Aufführungspraxis.
Musica Sacra, 143. Jahrgang, Nr. 2, April 2023
... Möge die Edition viele Aufführungen nach sich ziehen!
Württembergische Blätter für Kirchenmusik, 06/2021