In a recent book, A. Peter Brown has provided a wealth of information, drawn from primary sources, about the early performances of Haydn's The Creation that were directed or otherwise approved by the composer. I have added further suggestions, making use of sources beyond those that were closely connected with Haydn himself. This appendix is intended to provide a brief summary of the main points on which doubt may arise.

I am very far from taking the position that modern performances ought to be strictly governed by the practices of the past, still less that they should be modelled on some specific early performance. But few today will doubt that awareness of contemporary practices, as well as knowledge of the composer's intentions, is an indispensable guide to the modern performer or conductor of a historical work.

Venue

All early performances, without exception, took place in theatres, concert halls, or private salons. There was never any doubt that The Creation was a concert work. Performances in church were prohibited in Austria; they seem to have originated in English provincial festivals: e.g. when Part One was given at York Minster in 1823.

Language

In Haydn's time it was taken for granted that vocal works would be sung in the language of the audience. The only exceptions were Latin, the universal language of Roman Catholic church music, and Italian, which enjoyed a kind of supranational prestige in opera and in certain other vocal genres of high status.