Haydn, the Creation
Haydn's Creation is one of the great masterpieces of the classical period. This absorbing and original account of the work provides an indispensable guide for the concert-goer, performer and student alike.The author places the work within the oratorio tradition, bearing in mind its intended early audiences in both Austria and England, and he contrasts the theological and liteary character of the English libretto with the Viennese milieu of the first performances.The complete text is provided in both English and German versions as a reference point for discussion of the design of the work and the musical treatment of the words, including questions of Haydn's pictorialism. A more detailed musical chapter examines the work through the movement types it employs - arias and ensembles, recitatives and choruses - distinguishing the Handelian model from Haydn's own classical idiom.
Print Book, English, 1991
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [England], 1991
Criticism, interpretation, etc
vii, 135 pages : tables, music ; 23 cm
9780521372558, 9780521378659, 0521372550, 0521378656
21442283
Background. The Viennese oratorio ; The English oratorio ; Haydn's career ; Haydn's oratorios
Theology. Religion in Georgian England ; Religion in Catholic Austria ; Haydn's religion
The libretto. Authorship ; Sources, structure, and revision ; Literary character ; Translation and adaptation
Composition, performance and reception. Genesis and composition ; First performances in Vienna ; Publication ; First London performances ; Early Paris performances ; First American performances ; Critical reception
Design of the work. Overall plan ; Musical unity ; Text and musical treatment
Musical analysis. Secco recitative ; Accompanied recitative ; Arias and ensembles ; Choruses ; Orchestral movements ; The hymn
Excerpts from critical essays. Carl Friedrich Zelter (1802) ; William Gardiner (1811) ; Thomas Busby (1819) ; Edward Taylor (1834) ; P.L.A. (1846) ; George Alexander Macfarren (1854) ; Hugo Wolf (1885) ; Paul Dukas (1904) ; Heinrich Schenker (1926) ; Donald Francis Tovey (1934) ; Karl Geiringer (1963) ; Charles Rosen (1972)
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