The Seasons (Haydn) comparable to that of "The Creation". In the years that followed, Haydn continued to lead oratorio performances for charitable causes, but it was usually "The Creation" that he led, not "The Seasons". The aging Haydn lacked the energy needed to repeat the labor of self-publication that he had undertaken for "The Creation" and instead assigned the new oratorio to his regular publisher at that time, Breitkopf & Härtel, who published it in 1802. "The Seasons" is written for a fairly large late-Classical orchestra, a chorus singing mostly in four parts, and three vocal soloists, representing archetypal country folk: Simon (bass),
Machiavelli and the Four Seasons Niccolò Machiavelli. The unusual title stems from a conceit found throughout the cover, although not in the tracks themselves, that this is actually an album by a group called "Machiavelli and the Four Seasons". The liner notes include an essay on the band's music, written with gushing praise. Track titles are also given, entirely revolving around the words "I", "Love", "You" and "Baby". A hidden track at the end of the actual album, entitled "Phillip Glass's Arse", is a melodic, a cappella harmonised song that gives a representation of what Machiavelli and the Four Seasons might actually sound like. TISM