Despite the warm reception of 'Das Lebensbuch Gottes' at its 1934 premiere, Joseph Haas faced negative criticism from National Socialists due to the work's religious character and his Catholic worldview.
Composition History
Joseph Haas's oratorio 'Das Lebensbuch Gottes' (God's Book of Life) premiered in Essen on November 6, 1934.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Joseph Haas aimed for the listener to be suggestively compelled to experience the work, emphasizing dramatic power and intensifying lyrical expression by having the 'I' dissolve into a 'we'.
Compositional Technique
Joseph Haas used a dialogic structure, dividing verses from Angelus Silesius's 'Cherubinischer Wandersmann' between different choirs and soloists to depict Jesus's life and its human application.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Joseph Haas, the composer, considered 'Das Lebensbuch Gottes' a 'people's oratorio' because it aimed to spiritually connect performers and listeners, not in a nationalistic sense.
Compositional Technique
The oratorio features three distinct choirs: the 'Choir of the Initiated', the 'Choir of the Believers', and the 'Choir of the Forgiven', each representing a different perspective.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haas, the composer, was a sought-after composition teacher in Germany, with students including Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Karl Höller, and conductors Eugen Jochum and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
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