The Creation - Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) |
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Haydn
witnessed many radical changes in music during the course of his long
life. He was eighteen when Bach died in 1750, not long before the close of
the
Baroque era, and seventy-two when Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony was first
performed in 1804, ushering in the Romantic period. Old forms of music
were superseded by the symphony, sonata and string quartet, patronage
moved from the church to the royal court, and public concerts were rapidly
becoming immensely popular. Throughout all these changes, Haydn remained a
pioneering figure. Other composers had written symphonies, sonatas and
string quartets before him, but it was Haydn who first exploited the
untapped potential of these forms, expanding and developing them to a
hitherto unimagined degree. |
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The
almost childlike cheerfulness of Haydn’s music, its inexhaustible
inventiveness and its perfection of design conceal a considerable inner
strength. This fusion of exuberance, originality, classical elegance and
intellectual power explains to a large extent the compelling appeal of
his music. These are the qualities that placed Haydn far and away above
the level of all except Mozart amongst his contemporaries, and kept him
at the forefront of music during most of the eighteenth century. No
wonder he was hailed as a genius throughout Europe, admired and revered
by the public and by his peers. Mozart said, ‘Haydn alone has the
secret both of making me smile and of touching my innermost soul’.
Even Napoleon, on capturing Vienna, immediately ordered a guard of
honour to be placed round Haydn’s house. |
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For much
of his life Haydn’s energies were devoted primarily to composing
orchestral and instrumental music. The supreme choral masterpieces of
his old age – The Creation, The Seasons and the six last great
masses, including the well-known Nelson Mass – were all
composed after 1795, the year in which he completed the last of his 104
symphonies |
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The
oratorio as a musical form appeared briefly in seventeenth century Italy,
but was soon eclipsed by the much more popular operas. It was Handel who
resurrected the oratorio from obscurity, transforming it from little more
than an extended cantata into a powerful choral music-drama that was soon
to dominate public music-making in eighteenth and nineteenth century
England. The succession of masterpieces that Handel wrote inspired many
later composers, notably Haydn and Mendelssohn. During his first visit to
London, Haydn attended one of the great Handel festivals held in
Westminster Abbey and was completely overwhelmed by the experience, as a
result of which he resolved to write an oratorio himself that would be
worthy of Handel’s supreme examples. In 1796, inspired by what he had
heard whilst in London, Haydn set to work on the score, which was not
completed until 1798, by which time he was sixty-six. ‘I was never so
devout as during that time when I was working on The Creation,’ he
observed. The work received its first public performance in 1799 and was
immediately recognised as a supreme masterpiece, receiving many
performances all over Europe. |
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In
common with opera, and like most oratorios – though not Messiah -
The Creation has named characters and is divided into acts and
scenes. These consist of sequences of choruses, recitatives and arias. The
work begins with an extended orchestral introduction, ‘Representation of
Chaos.’ Parts One and Two then describe the six days of Creation, each of
which follows a threefold pattern comprising biblical narrative,
descriptive central section and hymn of praise. The three soloists
represent the archangels Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor) and Raphael
(bass), with the chorus fulfilling an important role portraying angels
glorifying their maker. Part Three is devoted entirely to the appearance
of Adam and Eve (bass and soprano) who sing of the wonder and perfection
of God’s newly created world and of their happiness together. Soloists
and choir combine for the final uplifting chorus of praise. |
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The
Creation
represents a considerable dramatic development over its Handelian
predecessors. Haydn’s bold use of orchestral colour, his adventurous
harmony, exceptional rhythmic and melodic inventiveness, and the work’s
strong overall unity bring the subject to life with an almost operatic
vividness and power. The opening is a good illustration of Haydn’s
innovative approach. The extended orchestral introduction, itself a
departure from the conventional overture, is entitled ‘Representation of
Chaos’ and immediately arrests the listener’s attention with its shifting,
ambiguous harmonies on muted strings, brass and timpani. In the ensuing
recitative Raphael tells us that ‘the earth was without form, and void’
and this is reflected in the sparse emptiness of the orchestral
accompaniment. The choir continues in a mood of hushed stillness, until
‘and there was light’, at which point there is a sudden, massive
fortissimo chord of C major from the now unmuted full orchestra. Even
after two hundred years the effect is still immensely powerful. It was
evidently totally overwhelming at the time, judging by the following
account from one of Haydn’s friends. ‘. . . and 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,’ he
wrote. |
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This is
perhaps the most startling dramatic gesture of the whole work, but there
are plenty of other equally effective instances of musical word-painting,
such as the storm scenes, the wonderful sunrise music and the colourful
depiction of various animals and birds. It is also worth drawing attention
to Haydn’s musical characterisation. For the angels he adopts a somewhat
florid, lofty style, whilst for Adam and Eve the writing is simpler and
more folk-like. In fact the whole work sparkles with the vitality and
unfailing inspiration so characteristic of this remarkable composer, who
was still experimenting and still surprising his delighted audiences right
up to the end of his life. |
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John
Bawden
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To those using these notes You are more than
welcome to use all or part of these notes for your
choral society or church programme, or for educational
purposes. If you do, please would you be kind enough to
advise me by e-mail -
bawden37@sky.com - and would you also acknowledge my
authorship. If you wish to use these notes for
commercial purposes, e.g. a CD or DVD liner, please
contact me. Thank you.
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