Classical works

Question 1

What composer’s works influenced Haydn when composing “The Creation”?

Answer 1

Handel’s “Messiah” and “Israel in Egypt”

Question 2

From what works is the libretto for Haydn’s “Creation” derived?

Answer 2

mainly the book of Genesis and John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”

Question 3

How is the text “With softer beams…” painted?

Answer 3

• presented in G major (subdominant key)
• cellos and basses play a soft, gentle ascending melody to portray the quiet ascent of the moon

Question 4

In what work are Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael three of the principal characters?

Answer 4

Haydn’s “The Creation”

Question 5

What features typical of the mature Classical style are included in the overture to Haydn’s “Creation”?

Answer 5

Mannheim rocket

Question 6

Who sings “The Heavens Are Telling the Glory of God”?

Answer 6

Chorus and Trio: Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael

Question 7

“The Heavens Are Telling”
Key:
Tempo:
Meter:

Answer 7

“The Heavens Are Telling”
Key: begins in C major
Tempo: Allegro
Meter: cut time

Question 8

What style is “And God said: Let there be light”?

Answer 8

recitativo secco

Question 9

In which part and scene does Uriel sing “And God said: Let there be light”?

Answer 9

“The Creation” - Part 1, Scene 3, No. 12

Question 10

In what scene is “The Heavens Are Telling the Glory of God” sung?

Answer 10

“The Creation” - Part 1, Scene 3, No. 14

Question 11

How many parts are in “The Creation” and what are their subjects?

Answer 11

Part 1 - the first 4 days of Creation
Part 2 - the last 3 days of Creation
Part 3 - set in the Garden of Eden

Question 12

When did Haydn complete “The Creation”?

Answer 12

1798

Question 13

What technique is employed before Uriel’s recitative “In Splendor Bright”?

Answer 13

an orchestral crescendo
[Mannheim School]
- vividly depicts the rising of the sun with an ascending D major scale

Question 14

How is the text “In splendor bright” accompanied?

Answer 14

includes a short rocket motive, played in the cellos and basses, punctuated by bold orchestral chords

Question 15

Who sings “In splendor bright”?

Answer 15

Uriel

Question 16

When did “The Creation” premiere?

Answer 16

in 1800 in the Old Covent Garden theather

Question 17

What texture is employed in the opening chorus of “The Heavens Are Telling”?

Answer 17

homorhythmic

Question 18

Describe the text painting of “The space immense…”

Answer 18

employs widely-spaced, dotted chords to punctuate the music, suggesting countless stars and wide spaces in the night sky

Question 19

In what part and scene does Uriel sing “In splendor bright”?

Answer 19

“The Creation” - Part 1, Scene 3, No. 13

Question 20

The shifting harmonies and dynamics as well as the large orchestra of the overture to “The Creation” are typical of what?

Answer 20

Haydn’s late style - early signs of Romanticism are apparent

Question 21

What are two characteristics of the overture?

Answer 21

1. Chromaticism and unexpected shifts are elements of the harmonic design.
2. The overture is performed by a large orchestra.

Question 22

After the trio sings, when the chorus returns to its opening melody, what is different compared to the initial presentation?

Answer 22

The material is treated contrapuntally with imitation among the voices.

Question 23

Who wrote “The Creation”?

Answer 23

Haydn

Question 24

“In splendor bright”
Key:
Tempo:
Meter:

Answer 24

“In splendor bright”

Key: begins in D major
Tempo: Andante
Meter: cut time

Question 25

The book of Genesis and John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” serve as the foundation for the libretto of what work?

Answer 25

Haydn’s “Creation”

Question 26

Who translated “The Creation” from English to German?

Answer 26

Baron Gottfried van Swieten

Question 27

“And God said: Let there be light”
Key: begins in ____
Meter:

Answer 27

“And God said: Let there be light”
Key: begins in C major
Meter: common time

Question 28

“The Creation” - background information
* Genre:
* Composer:
* German title:
* Libretto/librettist:
* Sources of libretto:
* Composition date:
* Structure:
* Performing forces:

Answer 28

“The Creation
* Genre: oratorio
* Composer: F. J. Haydn
* German title: “Die Schoepfung
* Librettist: original English libretto is anonymous; German-language adaptation by Baron Gottfried van Swieten
* Sources of libretto: book of Genesis and John Milton’s “Paradise Lots”
* Composition date: completed in 1798
* Structure: three parts, each containing multiple movements
* Performing forces: soprano, tenor, and bass soloists; SATB chorus; orchestra (with basso continuo for the recitatives)

Question 29

Who wrote “The Creation”?

Answer 29

Haydn

Question 30

How is text painting achieved in the text “in all the lands”?

Answer 30

sung by the trio of soloists and repeated expansively to suggest the earth’s broad domain and how “the word” resounds and is understood

Question 31

When and where was Haydn’s “Creation” first premiered?

Answer 31

19 March 1799 in Vienna

Question 32

Who are the principal characters in “The Creation”?

Answer 32

Gabriel - soprano; archangel
Uriel - tenor; archangel
Raphael - bass; archangel
Adam - bass; first man
Eve - soprano; first woman

Question 33

Who sings “And God said: Let there be light”?

Answer 33

Uriel

Question 34

When the trio sings the word “night,” what word painting technique is used?

Answer 34

a brief shift to C minor

Question 35

In “The Heavens Are Telling,” how is the material in the last return of the chords presented?

Answer 35

Homorhythmic and imitative textures alternate

Question 36

What style is Uriel’s recitative “In splendor bright?”

Answer 36

recitativo accompagnato