The Heavens are Telling

The Heavens are Telling

From “The Creation”

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament;

Today that is coming speaks it the day,
The night that is gone to following night.

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament;

In all the lands resounds the word,
never unperceived, ever understood.

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.

—Author and Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn

These words may not mean a lot to you.  It is the closing number of part one of The Creation by F. J. Haydn.  It is translated from German, so the English rendering may appear to be rather stiff and stilted.  But the meaning is clear.  It is taken from Psalm 19.  Of this, Wikipedia says the following.

The text is based on Psalm 19:1–3, which had been set by Bach as the opening chorus of his cantata Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76. Haydn's century, following on the discoveries of Newton, had the view that an orderly universe—particularly the mathematically-governed motion of the heavenly bodies—attests to divine wisdom.

Wiki continues to describe Haydn and this work.  The work on the oratorio lasted from October 1796 to April 1798. It was also a profound act of faith for this deeply religious man, who appended the words "Praise to God" at the end of every completed composition. He later remarked, "I was never so devout as when I was at work on The Creation; I fell on my knees each day and begged God to give me the strength to finish the work."

The words above may still not mean much to you…and that’s understandable.  Listen to it performed.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwqqfbinUDY