Franz Josef Haydn
The Seven Last Words of
Christ on the Cross
(version for string quartet)
Performed by Quatuor Petrus
Victoria Jolliffe, violin
Maxton Pitcher, violin
Gruffydd Owen, viola
David Winfield, cello
Wednesday 16th April, 6:00pm
Admission by donation
Haydn wrote The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross 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.
At the request of his publisher, the composer in 1787 produced a reduced version for string quartet: Haydn's Opus 51.
This is the form in which the music is most often heard today.