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),
The Creation of Adam At its centre are nine episodes from the Book of Genesis, divided into three groups: God's Creation of the Earth; God's Creation of Humankind and their fall from God's grace; and lastly, the state of Humanity as represented by Noah and his family. On the pendentives supporting the ceiling are painted twelve men and women who prophesied the coming of Jesus; seven prophets of Israel and five Sibyls, prophetic women of the Classical world. Among the most famous paintings on the ceiling are "The Creation of Adam", "Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden", the "Deluge", the "Prophet Jeremiah"