The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

UIMA invites you to hear Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross which he wrote in 1786 in response to a commission from the bishop of Spain’s Cadiz Cathedral. The bishop requested music to accompany the cathedral’s Good Friday service that year. In addition to introductory and concluding sections, Haydn wrote a movement for each of Jesus’ last sayings or utterances during the crucifixion.

The work has nine movements sometimes referred to as “sonatas” or “meditations”: seven Adagios, each based on Christ’s last utterances, framed by an Introduction and a dramatic conclusion in Il terremoto (The Earthquake). Each one is in a different key and remarkably varied. Haydn's work will be performed by the Village Strings at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Cathedral on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 7 pm .