Joseph Sowa wrote:

>BTW, at my Uncle's house I heard a pretty interesting work of Haydn's
>of which I never knew.  It was an oratorio called, IIRC, The Seven Last
>Words of Christ.  In the last movement, Haydn depicts the earthquake after
>Christ's death in musical terms--very accurate musical terms, which I've
>never heard in Mozart.

Funny you should say that, because I have all the different versions of the
seven last words (5 in all).  My version of the quartet reduction is the
Shostakovich's which one amazingly often sees punters turning there noses
up at the sale price of $4.

The notes with this disc say that il terremoto is not supposed to be an
accurate representation of an earthquake.  Rather, it is a statement of
Haydn's dismay at the treatment of his Lord.

As a devout catholic Haydn may have felt strong emotions about the
crucifixion.  But, here again we have another example of people making
apologetic remarks about him when none are required.

It sounds about as close to an earthquake ast one is going to get in the
classical period using the forces involved to me.

The seven last words is a stunning, underrated masterpiece in all its
incarnations.  I can only think that the reason it is not more widely
appreciated is owing to the pathos portrayed in the music.

Bob Draper
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