Joseph Haydn set the ancient Christian thanksgiving hymn to music on two occasions – first at the start of his career and the second time around 1800. Both works are in C major, and the bright sonority of the trumpets underlines the character of the liturgical text written for a joyous church feast. The mature, succinctly composed Te Deum calls for just a choir and an orchestra. It was commissioned by the wife of Emperor Francis II, the Empress Maria Theresa (1772–1807).