The Creation is set for three vocal soloists that included soprano, tenor and bass. The alto soloist was not included. The four-part chorus consists of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. In addition, this was a work which demanded a large orchestra that included 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and the usual string sections of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. This was typical of a late Classical style orchestra. For the recitative, a harpsichord or fortepiano is also used (6).
Haydn wrote orchestral introductions in part one with titled ‘Representation of Chaos’ and part two. However, the musical conception is quite difference between them. Part One opens with full orchestra with C minor by holding a long note to represent chaos before the world was created. It is a slow movement with simple rhythm and unison C. In this introduction, by using dynamic contrast such as forte and piano in order to paint the void and darkness instead of complicated structure. He used the brass section and timpani’s sudden drop out in bar 41 to achieve the effect of dynamics contrast. (See Example 5 below) Haydn’s logical mind can be seen at work here.
Part Two opens with light string parts sounding an E major chord. Haydn illustrates this with a tonally stable, sweetly pastoral introduction (7). Then three flutes play the melody accompanied with string pizzicato. The warm, sweet, peace can be heard and felt. The instruments used here are fewer than those heard during Part One’s introduction. The trumpet, timpani, trombone and double bass are now absent. Haydn seemed to remove the ‘heavy sounding’ instrument from beginning of Part Two in order to create a soft and silent scenery.
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(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation, (access date 30 April, 2007)
(7) Op. cit Nicholas Temperley, p.82
Vocal Arrangement
Haydn mainly used three forms to incorporate the voice – i.e. recitative, arias and choruses. These were popular familiar forms in eighteenth-century Europe. More details of the movement number are shown in the table below:
I/ Recitative
In 1600, recitatives with bassoon continuo accompaniment begin to appear. There were two kinds of Recitative, secco recitative and accompanied recitative. Secco means ‘dry’ and it was an excellent route for the singer to interpret the music with their own musical sense. In The Creation, there is a very large descriptive element in the recitative texts, and Haydn and Swieten selected for obbligato treatment the ones containing the most lyrical descriptions of nature (8). There are a total of eleven movements that contained secco recitative such as Nos.4 (bar 1-6), 6, 8, 10, 12, 17 (bar 1-5), 18, 21, 24, 30 and 32. Most of them were a very short movement. Haydn used it to narrate the prose. As mentioned above about the planning of the text, recitatives were in section 1 and section 3. According to the characteristics of secco recitative, Haydn arranged them for matching the text setting. From nos.4 (bar 1-6), 6, 8, 10, 12, 17 (bar 1-5), 18, 21 and 24, the secco recitative was used for narrate what God had done. Take nos. 4 and 24 as an example. (See example 6 below)
Haydn attempted to mix both secco recitative and accompanied recitative in the same movement in Nos.4 and 17.
Nicholas Temperley explanating that accompanied recitative in The Creation include a number of alternatives to describe recitative with orchestral accompaniment. The style of accompaniment may include simple, repeated or arpeggiated chords. There were seven movements that contain accompanied recitatives such as Nos.2, 4 (bars 7-43), 13, 15, 17 (bars 6-22), 22, 30.
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(8) Op. cit Nicholas Temperley, p.82
In The Creation, Haydn used accompanied recitative to create a musical picture of every element before the singer’s words provide the key that included No.3 portrays the elements: storms, clouds, rain, snow, and so on: No.12 depicts the sun, moon and stars.
No.17 (See example 7 as below) shows how Haydn uses accompanied recitative to create a musical picture. From Haydn’s early sketch book, we can know how he followed the suggestion from Swieten to write a conventional accompanying chord for no.17. Moreover, Haydn transfigured this with rich sounds by dividing the cello and viola part into four separated sections. Besides, Haydn used high or low pitches to match the meaning of the words. This is called ‘word painting’. For example, he used the note A below low C to match the word “deep” in bar 15. And he used the note G above low C to match the word of “grow”. In fact, he attempted to link all the musical ideas that related to the setting of the text and the meaning of the word by his brilliant logical mind.
II/ Arias
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(9)Op. cit Nicholas Temperley, p.73
Movement no.3 opens with a musical introduction and the tenor solo entry in bar 16 which repeats the introductory theme in an octave lower. Then the chorus starts to enter in bar 77 with canonic style writing and back to choral form in bar 97. Haydn arranged the vocal lines in accordance with the meaning of the words again. After God created, Haydn uses the choral form to the vocal in sing “A new created world” as if all people are celebrating what God had done.
III/ Choruses
As mentioned during the discussion of the setting of the text before, Haydn uses the choruses to represent the Heavenly host, called on to praise God most likely but not in all instances. This structure can be found in the end of the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Days and at the end of the oratorio.
Haydn used ‘full dress’ fugues to write the choruses in nos.11, 27B, 33. All of these threes movements use major keys in D, Bb and Bb respectively in most of the time. It can give the audience a little more positive feeling at the end of every creation process. There we can see how Haydn follows Handel’s habit of using related minor keys of tonic entries, augmentation and cadential dominant pedal to solidify the homophonic texture at the climax (10). (See example 8 below)
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(10) Op.cit Nicholas Temperley, p.80
Other than the above three different forms, duet also can be found in No.31 and trios can be found in No.27
After discussing the setting of the text, orchestration, vocal arrangement, we can see how Haydn used his logical mind to cultivate his music in the setting of the words. He arranged all these things that with great precision. Moreover, it is difficult to find other large-scale vocal piece as successful as The Creation around the 18th century. It is no surprise that it stands at the pinnacle of classical choral music.
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Bibliography
Book resources:
- Nicholas Temperley, Haydn: The Creation, (Cambridge University Press, London, 1991)
- Jones, Oxford Composer Companions, edited by David Wyn Jones, (Oxford University Press, New York, 2002)
- Laresen, The New Grove Haydn, edited by Stanley Sadie, (Macmillan, London, 1980)
- Edward Olleson, Haydn Year Book IV, (T. Presser Co., London, 1968)
- Juliet Meyers, Haydn and His World (Princeton University Press, Chichester, 1997)
Recording:-
From music library,
- Haydn, The Creation (CD1917)
Score:-
- Haydn, The Creation, (Piano Score in Novello edition)
- Haydn, The Creation, (Orchestral Score in Eulenburg edition )
Website:-
- http://www.classicalarchives.com/bios/codm/haydn.html (access date 27 April.2007)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation, (access date 30 April, 2007)
Other resources:-
- MUSO, Feb/Mar 07, Issue 27, p.7 (The color Survey)
- Paper from Dr.Charles McKnight, Haydn’s The Creation, November 8th, 2002
- Lecture notes from Dr. David Evans, School of Music, University of Wales, Bangor
Written by Cheng Po Chun (Eva)@2007
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