Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-11
HAYDN'S "CREATION"
REV. FRANK SEWALL'S LECTURE
ON THE oRAToRIo.
Career of the Distinguished Composers
Religious Fervor He Carried
to His Work.

At the last rehearsal of the oratorio
Creation" by the Choral Society a short
recess was taken after a few of the Choir
uses had been sung and Rev. Frank Sewau
delivered short lecture on Haydn the
composer. and his work. He briefly sketch
ed history of the last singing of the
Creation. and spoke of the career of the
composer. DR.. Sewall said:
Born in 1892 OF humble parentage. Haydn
had risen from the ranks of a choir boy
In village church to chorister in the
great st. Stephen Cathedral IN Vienna, and
on his voice changing and his being thrown
out on the world he took up teaching. &C.
companying and composing. He succeeded
well with his first setting Of a comic opera
able and wealthy patrons and musicians.
AT length his ability attracted the atten-
ton Of the Count Esterhazy, who made
him the leader of his chapel orchestra
at his country seat Eisenstadtin, Hungary.
He directed the opera at the counts mag
nidcent villa EsterhaZy and brought out
here many Of his own operas. About 1880
he began sending his compositions to Lon
don publishers and in 1877 Solomon. the
London manager, prevailed upon him to
come to London, and thither he went in
1I9O and was received with high honors by
noblemen and ambassadors and artists and
musical societies. By contract with Salo-
mon he composed six symphonies and con-
Quoted them himself at the plano with
most brilliant success.
He received at Oxford his Doctors de-
gree and in London the court showered its
Inequalities and honors on him. In 1875
he took leave of his musical adorers in
England and returned to Vienna. The same
year he gave a concert at which three of
his London symphonies were performed.
Haydn had brought with him from, London
the poem of Paradise Lost which Solomon
had given him for musical work and in
the next year with Van Swteten's trans
Ia ia hnpQ Of ho
Creation This is one of the three ora
torios of Haydn as compared to the seven
teen of Handel. The other two are The
Seasons, and the early and but little
known though interesting work, the Re
turn of Tobias
1.-The oratorio of the Creation was writ
ten when the composer was in his sixty
sixth year and was first publicly performed
in Vienna in the year 1898. He entered
into the composition Of the Creation with
fervent delight and with such religious de-
votion that, as was said Of Fra Angelica
in painting his Madonna in Glory. he knelt
down every day and prayed God to
strengthen him in his work
Il know Of no composition to be COM
pared with this in fervor and elevation Of
sentiment. except the duo in the last act
of Fidelio or Welded Love by Beethoven,
and in passages the expressions which, by
no means Identical, are very similar in
the emotions they awaken. Another strik-
ing resemblance to Beethoven here think
is seen in the passage The dew dropping
morn, o. how she quickens ALL. which sug-
gests the life quickening or resurrection
motif in Beethoven's song Adelaide. In
mentioning these resemblance I would not
hazard the Implication that either of these
great masters consciously Initiated the
other. The Adelaide was written in 1795
presumably and the Creation in 1877. The
sixth or pastoral symphony with which I
find in the Creation so many passages to
be compared was written in 1911. three
years after Beethoven had heard that last
memorable performance of the Creation
in Haydn's presence. It matters not how
these resemblances came about What is
interesting is how these two prophets and
interpreters of divine things in the high
plane of art found similar modes of giving
form to these lofty emotions of pureSt love
and enraptured praise"