The libretto in German is by the poet Franz Xaver Huber [de], editor of the Wiener Zeitung, with whom Beethoven worked closely.
The editors at Breitkopf & Härtel agreed with Beethoven's critical assessment of the text,[6] and Christian Schreiber was enlisted to make massive changes to the libretto.
The critical response to the work's initial performance was mixed; while the Zeitung für die Elegante Welt's critic wrote that the oratorio contained "a few admirable passages", a review in the Freymüthige Blätter called the piece "too artificial in structure and lacking expressiveness, especially in the vocal music", and claimed that the performance "was unable to achieve really marked approbation".
[citation needed] However, despite conflicting contemporary critical reports and Beethoven's own misgivings about the libretto, "...after its premiere in 1803 the work was performed four times in 1804, and repeated every year, always drawing full houses, until it was banned in 1825 by the Hofmusikgraf.
"[8][better source needed] The "Welten singen..." finale chorus has enjoyed some popularity on its own, usually being rendered as a "Hallelujah", frequently performed by church, high school, and college choirs.