Part 2
Commissioned from Haydn for performance' during Holy Week, at the Cathedral of Cadiz, 'The' Seven Words ' originally consisted of a series of symphonic adagios designed to follow the bishop's discourses and played as he knelt prostrate before the altar. The seven movements are preceded by an introduction and followed by a moving finale bearing the title'Terremoto.' A work of elaborate severity, it is a unique example of Haydn's religious music, which the composer himself is said to have especially preferred. The version given today, for string quartet, is one of two subsequent arrangements made by Haydn-the other being a choral version
From the Concert Hall, Broadcasting House. London