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 [log in to unmask]