As the first work ever to be performed by Halifax Choral Society The Creation holds a special place in the history of the society.
Joseph Haydn by Thomas Hardy(1791)When I think upon my God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve him with a cheerful spirit.
Franz Josef Haydn
. . . In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth.
The dramatic nature of the work is immediately established by The Representation of Chaos.
Haydn breaks with tradition by plunging the listener directly into the action, without the rhetorical preamble of a more typical overture. The first note, loud and forceful, immediately dies away into nothing. From the following swirl of string harmony, order gradually emerges as a series of rhythmic figures introduced by the woodwind. After building to a vast climax of disjointed chords, the music gradually ebbs away, returning to the quietness of the void.		 Handwritten first violin part for overture to Creation
"The Representation of Chaos"is a "musical depiction of a beauty almost frightening in its chromatic and dissonant texture - something outside of Time, one of the supreme musical dramatizations of all time" (Leonard Bernstein).
The opening recitative In the beginning echoes this emptiness, with strings playing in unharmonised octaves. The chorus enters ethereally with And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters but the creation of light and there was LIGHT is accompanied by a great choral and orchestral "explosion" on the word "light" - an effect every bit as startling now as it was two hundred years ago! A short tenor recitative affirms God's satisfaction and leads into Now vanish before the holy beams The gloomy shades of ancient night, a joyful tenor aria celebrating the end of Chaos and the demise of Hell's spirits. The choir's violent fugato Despairing, cursing rage attends their rapid fall rapidly gives way to music of good humour and touching simplicity, as A new created world springs up at God's command.
A new created world springs up at God's command.
. . . . The marv'lous work behold amaz'd

Now follows a recitative for bass, And God made the firmament, which commences as recitativo secco, before the orchestra enter turbulently to depict the storms, winds, rain, hail and snow. The marv'lous work behold amaz'd sings the soprano next - another of Haydn's loveliest melodies - introducing the chorus who triumphantly resound the praise of God, in stirring fanfare-like fashion. The bass recitative And God said: Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together leads into a gloriously descriptive aria for the same voice, Rolling in foaming billows uplifted roars the boist'rous sea.

It begins in Haydn's Sturm und Drang style, with violent pictorial effects from the orchestra and a vocal line made aggressive by its angular rhythms, but the mood quickly subsides as minor tonality gives way to major and the texts depict the "serpent error" of flowing rivers the soft purling of the "limpid brook". The soprano reappears singing And God said: let the Earth bring forth grass, before her aria With verdure clad the fields appear. This is a delightfully simple and melodious aria, pastoral in nature, with lovely flowing melismas for the soloist.
In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void.
A short recitative from the bass, And the heavenly host proclaimed the third day introduces the chorus Awake the harp! , a magnificent Handelian chorus with huge choral hammer blows, a wonderfully climactic fugato For he the heavens and earth has clothed in stately dress, and a coda in which the chorus sing over a rapid Baroque style bass-line in a truly glorious fashion, one of the greatest choruses in the work. Title Page of Creation - original printed score
Let there be lights in the firmament . . . .
A rather matter-of-fact tenor recitative And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament, unceremoniously introduces one of the most vivid and exciting pieces of instrumental music in the oratorio - the sunrise - making its effect all the more telling.

From its opening pianissimo this entire movement is one slowly emerging crescendo, gradually enriched by the addition of new instrumental colours until it explodes in an exhilarating orchestral fanfare.

But this climax is so finely judged that it in no way preempts the splendour of the chorus which follows. Introduced by the tenor recitative In splendour bright is rising now the sun, The heavens are telling the glory of God, forms a fitting climax to the first part of The Creation. It is one of Haydn's most extended choruses, containing, perhaps, some of the the finest choral writing in the work.

The heavens are telling the glory of God.
The Creation - Michelangelo The Second Part describes God's population of the Earth. Here is a wealth of imagery and word painting, as each of the various creatures is graphically portrayed by the soloists.
Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature . . . .

The recitative And God said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature sets out clearly the agenda for the Second Part. In On mighty pens uplifted soars the eagle aloft a delightfully varied soprano aria, hosts of birds are charmingly portrayed with vocal and instrumental agility, first the mighty eagle, then the clarinet's merry lark and the bassoon's humorous cooing of the tender dove. Finally, interweaving flutes resound the nightingale's delightful notes. This aria's sheer virtuosity is guaranteed to bedazzle an audience.

. . . . On mighty pens uplifted soars the eagle aloft.
And God created great whales continues the bass in the next recitative. After a brief accompagnato section, he continues And the angels struck their immortal harps and the wonders of the fifth day sang, thus announcing the trio and chorus which follow. Most beautiful appear, with verdure young adorned, the gently sloping hills sings the soprano. The tenor continues, singing of the cheerful hosts of birds, while the orchestra joyfully recall the soprano's earlier aria. The bass describes the hosts of fish and the immense leviathan. The three soloists then sing together How many are thy works, O God announcing in turn the chorus The Lord is great, and great his might. Another triumph of choral writing, this item combines the three archangels together with the choir in a rich and varied seven part texture, bringing the fifth day of Creation to a magnificent close.
The Lord is great, and great his might. His glory lasts for ever more.
The bass recitative And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature heralds the sixth day. The recitative which follows is accompanied, and full of Haydn's witty pictorialism. Straight opening her fertile womb, the earth teem'd creatures numberless uses vivid orchestral writing to depict the many creatures, from the cheerful roaring lion and the flexible tyger (sic) to the "sinuous trace" of the worm. Elohim creating Adam - William Blake
And God created man in his own image . . . .
The bass aria Now heav'n in fullest glory shone not only celebrates the marvels of creation, but also prepares us for the final and most glorious part of that creation that is still to come. The tenor recitative And God created man in his own image and aria In native worth and honour clad depict this last and greatest stage of creation with apt triumph. The next bass recit reads And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good; and the heavenly choir in song divine, thus closed the sixth day. We are now treated to Achieved is the glorious work, another magnificent chorus, with a central trio for the archangels, On thee each living soul awaits, before an even more wonderful reprise of the original chorus. What better way to celebrate the greatness of creation in its completion than with this vast and climactic form?
Achieved is the glorious work.
Behold the blissful pair where hand in hand they go.
The third and final part of the Creation is very different in nature from the previous parts. The first difference to note is that the bass and soprano now sing the parts of Adam and Eve respectively, instead of their previous roles as archangels. Correspondingly, the vocal writing for these two is more earthly and operatic in nature. Limoges plaque c1570 depicting Adam and Eve
By Thee with bliss O bounteous Lord, the heaven and earth are stored . . . .
The third part opens with an extended introduction, where three flutes depict the pastoral bliss of Eden. The tenor (Uriel) recitative In rosy mantle describes the morning as Adam and Eve thank God for his bountiful gifts, leading into the duet and chorus By thee with bliss, O bounteous Lord, the heav'n and earth are stor'd. The bass and soprano sing interweaving lines, in praise of the Lord. The chorus then enter quietly, singing Forever blessed be his power, forming an ethereal backdrop of spine-tingling intensity to the continuing solo lines. A brief pause leads into a livelier section, where the soloists and choir alternate phrases, recalling in turn each of the great wonders created in the previous parts, and singing their praises. The soloists finally sing together You shall repeat our grateful hymns of praise, before the chorus enter with Hail, bounteous Lord, building to a glorious climax with great declamations of We praise thee now and evermore.
. . . . Every moment brings new rapture; every care is put to rest.
A recit for bass and soprano follows, as Adam invites Eve to join with him in life, promising thy guide I'll be. Eve in turn pledges her obedience to her companion, and there follows a duet for the two,Graceful consort. Very much like an operatic love-duet in style and content, the two sing at first alternately and finally in interweaving harmony. The major key and delicate accompaniment complement and enhance the blissful nature of the words. Just when one might expect the duet to finish, Haydn typically surprises the audience with a playful new theme introduced by the horns. The soloists sing But without thee, what is to me the morning dew, the breath of ev'n, the sav'ry fruits, the fragrant bloom. Sudden outbursts from the orchestra amusingly portray the joy that the characters find in each other's company, and the duet shortly comes to a close.
The Lord is great, and great his might. His glory lasts for ever more.
Some forboding is found in the next recit for tenor, which brings the narrative to a close:
O happy pair, and always happy yet, if not, misled by false conceit, ye strive at more, as granted is , and more to know, as know ye should! Despite Haydn's oblique reference to Man's original sin, telling though it is, he does not allow it to detract from this celebration of divine power for long. 		An early performance of Creation in Vienna
No fewer than four soloists (an alto soloist is added for the only time in the work) join the choir in a final and magnificent chorus, perhaps summed up best by its own text: Sing the Lord ye voices all! Utter thanks ye all His works! Celebrate His power and glory, Let His name resound on high! The Lord is Great, His name shall last for aye. Amen.
The Lord is Great, His name shall last for aye. Amen.
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