The Seven Last Words of Christ is an orchestral composition by Joseph Haydn, composed in 1786 and first performed in 1787. Written for a Good Friday service, the work unfolds as a series of slow, meditative movements framed by an orchestral introduction and conclusion, featuring expressive string textures, sudden dynamic contrasts and prolonged silences that reflect its liturgical subject and Haydn's mature, dramatic late style, and the composer later arranged it for string quartet and as an oratorio, placing it among his notable sacred works.
