Having been inspired by performances of Handel oratorios while visiting London in 1791-92 and 1794-95, Joseph Haydn determined to write one of his own and was given an English libretto entitled "The Creation," which had originally been offered to Handel years before. This libretto, whose author is still not known, was loosely based upon Biblical sources (Genesis, Pslams) and John Milton's epic "Paradise Lost." Haydn presented it to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who adapted and translated the work into the German libretto used for the composition of the new oratorio. "Die Schopfung" occupied...