Joseph Haydn's Die Sieben Letze Worte Unseres Erlösers Am Kreuze. The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross' Op.51 In 1785 or '86 Haydn received a commission from the Canon of Cadiz for what would serve essentially as 'incidental' music for a Good Friday service (akin to the one centering upon The Stations of the Cross although there are twelve of those) in which the celebrant recites in turn each of Christ's utterances on the way to Calvary then gives a 'reflection' thereupon followed by music to accompany a brief interval of silent congregational prayer. To this Haydn added an introductory movement and a conclusiondepicting the earthquake that followed the passing of Jesus. The structure of the work then is: Introduction -- 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do.' -- Sonata 1 -- 'Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.' -- Sonata 2 -- 'Woman behold thy son.' -- Sonata 3 -- 'My God my God why hast thou forsaken me?' -- Sonata 4 -- 'I thirst.' -- Sonata 5 -- 'It is finished.' -- Sonata 6 -- 'Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.' -- Sonata 7 -- Conclusion (Earthquake)

Three arrangements including Ave Verum Corpus and the Lacrimosa from the Requiem.During the year 1771 when Mozart was 15 years old he and his father Leopold were touring Italy which was at that time the most formidable citadel of the music world. In the following four years the young Mozart was received at the homes and villas of Italy's aristocracy. He met the most famous musicians of the time including Niccolo Piccinni operatic rival to Gluck and Padre Martini from whom he was to benefit from studies in counterpoint. He also met many noted male soprano singers and for one the celebrated Venanzio Rauzzini he wrote in 1773 the motet Exsultate Jubilate from whichcomes the well known Alleluia.At the end of his life only 19 years later in Vienna 1791 Mozart was very ill and working on a number of massive works such as the operas The Magic Flute and Titus also the Requiem. Titus was completed in 18 nerve-shattering days as it had to be performed in Prague in September 1791. At its premiere it was a complete flop. This affected the now overworked almost penniless composer's spirit and he returned to Vienna suffering from mental and physical exhaustion. Rest was denied him. The Magic Flute had to be finished for its premier on September 30th 1791. The task of the Requiem still faced him. In this weakened state Mozart thought that he was in fact writing his own requiem reading evil omens into the commissioning of the work. He thought someone had calculated the precise time of his death and was thus troubled with sombre thoughts. He completed the first two of the twelve parts. The next six parts were in an unfinished state and his manuscript ceased at the Lacrimosa. Süssmayer who was working closely with Mozart at the time was given the task of finishing the Requiem.Ave Verum Corpus is also one of his final works. It is a setting of an anonymous hymn written as a motet for Anton Stoll the choirmaster at Baden in June 1791.Mozart was a composer of great genius who

String Quartets Book III op. 17-The autograph score of the Quartets op. 17 was in the possession of the imperial police chief Johann Nepomuk Neuwirth whose widow gave it to the Wiener Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in 1875. It is said that Haydn ?used to playthe viola in quartet rehearsals? at the Neuwirth?s house. Whether the Quartets op. 17 were composed for these gatherings can no longer be ascertained. However even today they still have a fixed place amongst the music of allchamber music friends and in particular nos. 4 5 and 6 which are very different to the divertimento style of the early quartets are played again and again.

String Quartets Book III op. 17-The autograph score of the Quartets op. 17 was in the possession of the imperial police chief Johann Nepomuk Neuwirth whose widow gave it to the Wiener Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in 1875. It is said thatHaydn ?used to play the viola in quartet rehearsals? at the Neuwirth?s house. Whether the Quartets op. 17 were composed for these gatherings can no longer be ascertained. However even today they stillhave a fixed place amongst the music of all chamber music friends and in particular nos. 4 5 and 6 which are very different to the divertimento style of the early quartets are played again and again.