Good Friday: Joseph Haydn's "Seven Last Words of Christ"

As readers know, the hosts of the Son Rise Morning Show and I have been going through Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson's meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ from his The Friendship of Christ. (On Easter Monday, the Son Rise Morning Show will air a "best of" episode, but we will continue our series on Benson with his meditations on "Christ Our Friend Vindicated" on Monday, April 13).

At the same time as I've been reading Benson's meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ, I've also been listening to Franz Joseph Haydn's "Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze." As Haydn explained in 1801, he wrote it for a Lenten service of meditation on those Words :

Some fifteen years ago I was requested by a canon of Cádiz to compose instrumental music on the Seven Last Words of Our Savior On the Cross. It was customary at the Cathedral of Cádiz to produce an oratorio every year during Lent, the effect of the performance being not a little enhanced by the following circumstances. The walls, windows, and pillars of the church were hung with black cloth, and only one large lamp hanging from the center of the roof broke the solemn darkness. At midday, the doors were closed and the ceremony began. After a short service the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced the first of the seven words (or sentences) and delivered a discourse thereon. This ended, he left the pulpit and fell to his knees before the altar. The interval was filled by music. The bishop then in like manner pronounced the second word, then the third, and so on, the orchestra following on the conclusion of each discourse. My composition was subject to these conditions, and it was no easy task to compose seven adagios lasting ten minutes each, and to succeed one another without fatiguing the listeners; indeed, I found it quite impossible to confine myself to the appointed limits.[2]

So in 1786, Haydn had composed the orchestral version; in 1787, a version for string quartet and another for piano; then in 1796, a choral version with meditations--inspired by hearing someone else's adaptation of his work with meditations (no copyright disputes!--but Haydn thought he could improve upon it). So there's an extensive Hoboken catalog of works.

I have been listening to a choral version and a string quartet version. The string quartet version is by the Juilliard String Quartet, at that time comprised of Robert Mann and Joel Smirnoff, violin; Samuel Rhodes, viola, and Thomas Paul, bass. The soloists are Benita Valente (great Handel and Mozart soprano in her day), Jan DeGaetani (mezzo soprano renowned for premiering many contemporary works, and for medieval/renaissance works!), John Humphrey, Tenor, and Thomas Paul, Bass; Warren Jones was the Musical Advisor.

From what I read in the CD booklet, this is yet another version of Haydn's composition:

The Seven Last Words has long been a favorite of the Juilliard Quartet. Aware that all the reworkings had not disturbed the length and tenor of the original version, they gathered four famous vocal soloists and a prominent music advisor, and worked out among themselves a version for string quarter and vocal quartet that incorporates the strings quartet version in toto, plus as much of the oratorio version as would include its text and emotional impact.

The other version I've been listening to was recommended on The Ultimate Classical Music Guide by Dave Hurwitz YouTube channel, conducted by Nicholas Harnoncourt with the Concentus musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Choir with Inga Nielsen, soprano, Margareta Hintermeier, alto, Anthony-Rolfe-Johnson, tenor, and Robert Hall, bass.

These are, of course, solemn and moving works. And because the meditations are in German, one has to pay attention to the CD playing (or at least this one does!). I can't be reading anything but the texts while listening to the CDs. I found the Juilliard's string quartet version more vibrant and moving--even in the concluding "Terremoto".

Haydn's was born on March 31, 1732 and he died on May 31, 1809.