When Joseph Haydn completed his fourth and final oratorio at the beginning of 1801 the 69yearold composer was famous throughout Europe Born in 1732 as the son of a humble wheelwright Haydn grew up in a rural peasant environment That such a child should make his way eventually to the position of court composer was an extremely rare occurrence Even in his days at royal courts however Haydn still felt a close and intimate attachment to Nature and to life in the countryside When Baron Gottfried van Swieten then presented to Hadyn a libretto on the theme of The Seasons he found in the old composer a worthy partner in his own veneration for Nature
