Haydn The Seasons

When Joseph Haydn completed his fourth and final oratorio at the beginning of 1801 the 69yearold composer was famous throughout Europe Born in 1732 as the son of a humble wheelwright Haydn grew up in a rural peasant environment That such a child should make his way eventually to the position of court composer was an extremely rare occurrence Even in his days at royal courts however Haydn still felt a close and intimate attachment to Nature and to life in the countryside When Baron Gottfried van Swieten then presented to Hadyn a libretto on the theme of The Seasons he found in the old composer a worthy partner in his own veneration for Nature