Hadyn's The Seven Last Words of Christ is one of 11 Classical pieces for intermediate string ensemble included in Richard Young's Comprehensive String Pedagogy & Curriculum. A portion of the proceeds of sales for all CSPC music goes to support free music education at The People's Music School.

Haydn considered this iconic masterpiece to be his very best work. His reasons for writing it are unique. He had been asked by the bishop of a Spanish cathedral to compose something special for Good Friday services. But instead of a work that was generally inspired by the crucifixion of Jesus, of which there were already many, the bishop requested an instrumental piece that was specifically based on Jesus' seven final utterances from the cross. Religious conviction may not have been his sole motivation, however, since he realized that he would be reaching a much broader audience than ever before, well beyond Austria's privileged upper class who attended his concerts and commissioned most of his music. Composed in 1786, the work consists of seven slow "sonatas," each based on one of Jesus' seven last "words." Two additional movements frame these sonatas: a solemn Introduction and a fiery finale, Il Terremoto, which depicts the earthquake that followed Jesus' death. These are the two movements offered here in this Comprehensive String Pedagogy & Curriculum.
 This music is as passionate as one can imagine. But as with all music from the Classical period, there must always be a balance between passion and discipline. While this music is filled with drama, it is never melodramatic. Because the textures are transparent, even the smallest flaws are noticeable. The rhythm must be strict and the tempo should not fluctuate. The tone should be expressive with considerable variation in color, yet refined. Vibrato should be used, but sparingly – not like gravy that can overwhelm the taste of food if it is poured over everything on the plate. Articulations should be clean. And even though the dynamic range can be wide, clarity is as important as power, even in these two movements where Haydn often asks the musicians to play fortissimo.
 -Richard Young

Full program notes are included with the score. There are fingerings and bowings in all the string parts of every one of CSPC's pieces. These "cooked-in" technical solutions target the particular levels of the students. They are not just pragmatic but "musical."

Please note that due to a loss of source files, the PDF files of the music have been generated from scanned copies of printed parts. While every effort has been made to produce high quality parts, the limitations of scanning will result in some degradation of print quality.