Encouraged by the reception of Die Schöpfung, Baron Gottfried van Swieten and others of Haydn's circle persuaded him to attempt a second oratorio, suggesting another English model, James Thomson's The Seasons, a lengthy poem of 1726-1730, in a German translation by Barthold Brockes. Van Swieten reduced the work to a fraction of its original size and wrote final verses. It seems Haydn was not enthused about the new project, intimating that van Swieten had become somewhat dictatorial concerning the music. Nevertheless, for the next two years the composer poured his energy into Die Jahreszeiten. The contrast between the two works could not have been greater: the bucolic ruminations on peasant life in Die Jahreszeiten are a world apart from the lofty sentiments of Die Schöpfung. Furthermore, the subject matter prompted the composition of four independent sections, not the highly unified musical stream of Die Schöpfung. These separate parts, however, are masterfully crafted, exhibiting a youthful freshness, originality and spontaneity that belie the composer's age. Die Jahreszeiten was first performed privately in the Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna on April 24, 1801. A month later it received a public performance in Vienna, achieving popular success at home and abroad.

Die Jahreszeiten features three principal characters—Simon, a farmer; Hanne, his daughter; and Lukas, a country lad—joined by a chorus of country folk. After a stormy, G minor overture that banishes the last vestiges of winter before the onset of "Der Frühling" (Spring), a recitative begins in which the principal characters celebrate the passing of winter. The chorus, welcoming spring, enters in G major (a foil to the overture). Ensuing arias and choruses, with folk song-like melodies, describe nature's reawakening. At the center of the movement is a number for trio and choir (No. 6, "Sei nun gnädig"), in which an extensive Handelian fugue for the choir tells of the wonders of nature.

"Der Sommer" (Summer) opens with an instrumental introduction portraying dawn on a summer's day, complete with a birdsong in the oboe. The pastoral quality of Simon's aria (No. 10, "Der muntre Hirt"), is complemented by horn calls, after which the three soloists and choir greet the sunrise. One of the more popular numbers from Die Jahreszeiten is Hanne's aria (No. 16, "Welche Labung für die Sinne"), in which the woman describes the bliss of resting under a shady tree.

"Der Herbst" (Autumn) is a song of praise for a healthy harvest. In the midst of the season, however, there is time for love, as expressed in the duet between Lukas and Hanne (No. 22, "Ihr Schönen aus der Stadt").

In "Der Winter," Haydn chose not to depict the harsh, stormy aspects of season; rather, he focuses on the gray, dull, lifeless mood that stifles both nature and the mind. Soloists remark on the mist-covered mountains and the cessation of nature's growth. Lukas' aria describing a traveler lost in the snow is especially poignant. The closing chorus looks forward to new life beyond earth and contains yet another Handelian fugue.

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