The Representation of Chaos
E592906
The Representation of Chaos is the dramatic opening section of Haydn’s oratorio "The Creation," depicting the primordial disorder before the emergence of light and order through striking harmonic and orchestral effects.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
opening section
ⓘ
orchestral introduction ⓘ |
| associatedWorkPremiere | The Creation premiere in 1798 ⓘ |
| catalogueAssociation | Hob. XXI:2 (The Creation) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| composer | Joseph Haydn NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contrastWith | subsequent C major “Let there be light” passage ⓘ |
| creator | Joseph Haydn NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| dateContext | late 18th century ⓘ |
| depicts |
disorder before Creation
ⓘ
primordial chaos ⓘ |
| functionInOratorio |
depicts the state of the universe before light
ⓘ
prepares the entrance of the chorus ⓘ |
| genre | sacred oratorio music ⓘ |
| harmonicFeatures |
dissonant sonorities
ⓘ
sudden modulations ⓘ unconventional progressions ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Classical era NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Milton’s Paradise Lost
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
biblical Book of Genesis ⓘ |
| keyCharacteristics |
frequent shifts of harmony
ⓘ
lack of clear tonal center at opening ⓘ |
| languageContext | German oratorio ⓘ |
| musicalPurpose |
evoke uncertainty and formlessness
ⓘ
heighten the dramatic impact of the first appearance of light ⓘ |
| narrativeRole |
contrast to the subsequent order and light
ⓘ
musical depiction of Genesis creation narrative ⓘ |
| orchestrationFeatures |
coloristic use of winds
ⓘ
dramatic dynamic contrasts ⓘ expressive string writing ⓘ full classical orchestra ⓘ |
| partOf | The Creation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| performanceContext |
concert performance of The Creation
ⓘ
liturgically inspired but not liturgical ⓘ |
| positionInWork | opening ⓘ |
| precedes | “And there was light” ⓘ |
| reception |
noted for its daring harmony for its time
ⓘ
often cited as an early example of musical depiction of chaos ⓘ |
| scoreFeatures |
no text sung during the section
ⓘ
orchestral introduction without chorus ⓘ |
| texture |
orchestral
ⓘ
predominantly homophonic with dramatic contrasts ⓘ |
| tonalDesign |
highly chromatic
ⓘ
tonally ambiguous ⓘ |
| typicalDuration | approximately 4–6 minutes ⓘ |
| workType | symphonic introduction ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
The Creation