The Seven Last Words of Christ

When Haydn stopped in Passau on his second journey to England, he heard a vocal version of his own orchestral work “The Seven Last Words.” It had been made by the Kapellmeister at Passau cathedral Joseph Friebert and Haydn was quite impressed – except “I believe I could have done the voice parts better.” He acquired a copy and set about making his own vocal version, taking over most of the text. Haydn particularly liked his own vocal work and it was also enthusiastically received by his contemporaries. The study edition is based on the volume (HN 5822) published as part of the Complete Edition by the Joseph Haydn Institute in Cologne.

New hardbound study score based on the musical text in the Haydn Complete Edition. Contains a preface in three languages reflecting the latest in scholarly research and a critical report with key information concerning the sources and textual criticism.