Haydn returned from his second trip to England in 1795 deeply impressed by the performances of Handel in Westminster Abbey with their large number of musicians. In his pocket he had an English libretto which was to form the basis of one of his most popular works. Baron van Swieten translated it so skillfully into German that the structure of the original text was preserved. This meant that Haydn was able to publish his work in two different languages in 1800 – with a view to musical life in England. And the impressive work on the creation of the world was indeed enthusiastically received there. The text in the two volume Haydn Complete Edition forms the basis for this (somewhat) easier to handle study edition.
