Composed in 1791 for His Majesty's Theatre during his first visit to England,[1] the opera was never performed during Haydn's lifetime and only given its formal premiere in 1951.

[2] After his patron Prince Nikolaus Esterházy had died in 1790, Haydn travelled to London where he received a commission to write several symphonies.

L'anima del filosofo remained unperformed until 9 June 1951, when it appeared at the Teatro della Pergola, Florence, with a cast including Maria Callas and Boris Christoff, under the conductor Erich Kleiber.

The opera is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two cors anglais, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, two trombones, timpani, harp, strings, and continuo.

Haydn borrowed previously composed music as the basis for select portions of the opera.