Beethoven's Mass in C major, Op. 86

Classical Music / Masses 


Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Mass in C major, Op. 86, to a commission from Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II in 1807. The mass, scored for four vocal soloists, choir and orchestra, was premiered that year by the Prince's musical forces in Eisenstadt. Beethoven performed parts of it in his 1808 concert featuring the premieres of four major works including his Fifth Symphony. The mass was published in 1812 by Breitkopf & Härtel. While the Prince who commissioned the mass was not pleased, the contemporary critic E. T. A. Hoffmann appreciated the "expression of a childlike serene mind", and Michael Moore notes the music's "directness and an emotional content".

Beethoven's Mass in C major, Op. 86, was premiered on 13 September 1807 by the Prince's own musical forces in Eisenstadt, the ancestral seat of the Esterházys not far from Vienna. It is not known what building housed the performance. Beethoven conducted parts of the mass, the Gloria and the Sanctus, in a concert on 22 December 1808, which featured the public premieres of his Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 6, Piano Concerto No. 4 and Choral Fantasy.

The composition is scored for four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), a four-part choir (SATB), and a symphony orchestra of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, strings and organ. The setting of the Latin Order of Mass is structured in five movements:

I. Kyrie
II. Gloria 
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus
V. Agnus Dei  

Such a beautiful and great Mass which I think often overlooked on favour of Missa Solemnis. Introspective.  

Apology. The video I've originally posted is no longer available to share here. I've provided other links to listen to. Thank you. 

Suggested Links:

Beethoven Mass in C major, performed by Karl Richter, Munchener Bach Orchester Gundula Janowitz, Julia Hamari, Horst R. Laubenthal, Ernst Gerold Schramm. YouTube, uploaded by camusik96. Accessed June 27, 2020. (Kyrie 0.00 Gloria 4.15 Credo 14.45 Sanctus 25.48 Agnus Dei 38.05).

Beethoven - Mass in C - Amsterdam / Davis. YouTube, uploadead by incontrario motu. Accessed June 27, 2020. Kyrie 0:00 Gloria 6:09 Credo 16:32 Sanctus 28:31 Agnus Dei 39:56 Alison Hargan. Carolyn Watkinson. Keith Lewis. Wout Oosterkamp. Concertgebouworkests Koor Koninklijk. Concertgebouworkest Sir Colin Davis Live recording, Amsterdam, 12.I.1986

Beethoven: Mass in C major / Harnoncourt · (Trailer) Berliner Philharmoniker.  Ludwig van Beethoven: Mass in C major / Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor · Julia Kleiter, soprano · Elisabeth von Magnus, mezzo-soprano · Werner Güra, tenor · Florian Boesch, bass · Simon Halsey, chorus master · Rundfunkchor Berlin · Berliner Philharmoniker / Recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie, 29 October 2011. YouTube, uploaded by Berliner Philharmoniker. Accessed June 27, 2013.

Beethoven Mass in C major op.86. John Eliot Gardiner, conductor The Monteverdi Choir Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Charlotte Margiono, soprano. Catherine Robbin, mezzo-soprano. William Kendall, tenor. Alastair Miles, bass. 00:00 1. Kyrie 05:35 2. Gloria 14:25 3. Credo 24:54 4. Sanctus 35:40 5. Agnus Dei. YouTube. Accessed June 27, 2020.


Resource:

Mass in C major (Beethoven). en.wikipedia.org



(c) September 13, 2014. Updated March 29, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.