Mozart Mass in C Minor

Mozart Mass in C Minor ANA MARIA LABIN · AMBROISINE BRÉ STANISLAS DE BARBEYRAC · NORMAN PATZKE LES MUSICIENS DU LOUVRE MARC MINKOWSKI Cover image: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Detail from ceiling fresco of the St Peter’s Abbey (Stift Sankt Peter) in Salzburg Mass in C Minor, KV 427 (1783) 1 I. Kyrie 6. 40 2 IIa. Gloria in excelsis Deo 2. 05 3 IIb. Laudamus te 4. 33 4 IIc. Gratias 0. 54 5 IId. Domine 2. 36 6 IIe. Qui tollis 4. 06 7 IIf. Quoniam 3. 40 8 IIg. Jesu Christe 0. 37 9 IIh. Cum Sancto Spiritu 3. 41 10 IIIa. Credo in unum Deum 3. 05 11 IIIb. Et incarnatus est 7. 49 12 IV. Sanctus 3. 25 13 V. Benedictus 5. 10 Total playing time: 48. 28 Ana Maria Labin, Soprano I Ambroisine Bré, Soprano II Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Tenor Norman Patzke, Bass Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski 2 Ripieno Choir Les Musiciens du Louvre Violoncelli French Horns Frédéric Baldassare Anneke Scott Sopranos First Violins Elisa Joglar Takenori Nemoto Constance Malta-Bey, Thibault Noally Vérène Westphal Léa Frouté, Claire Sottovia Trumpets Sophie Garbisu Maria Papuzinska-Uss Double-basses Emmanuel Mure Bérénice Lavigne Christian Staude Philippe Genestier Altos Geneviève Staley-Bois Gautier Blondel Owen Willets, Maximilienne Caravassilis Trombones Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur Laurent Lagresle Flute Yvelise Girard Koji Yoda Annie Laflamme Nicolas Grassart Tenors Guy Genestier François Pardailhé, Second Violins Oboes Lisandro Nesis Nicolas Mazzoleni Andrea Mion Timpani Pablo Gutiérrez Ruiz Anne Chamussy David Dewaste Basses Alexandra Delcroix Vulcan Antoine Foulon, Paula Waisman Clarinet Organ Sydney Fierro Mario Konaka François Miquel Benoît Hartoin Heide Sibley Bassoons Violas Jani Sunnarborg David Glidden Marije Van Der Ende Joël Oechslin Lika Laloum Pierre Vallet 4 5 Mozart’s grand, incomplete mass baroque era, a patron of art and music who encouraged his court musicians Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to expand their education abroad, but on 27th January 1756 in the Prince- who also made sure to comply with an Archbishopric of Salzburg, a self-governing encyclical from the Pope which, seeking state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was to prevent church music from appearing ruled by a Prince Archbishop, who, as profane, forbade the use of timpani, Primate of Germany, represented the Pope horns, trumpets and other instruments at the Diet of Regensburg and the Holy See that made a brilliant sound. He appointed in the German territories. His importance the 13-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus to the in both political and religious terms was (unpaid) position of third concertmaster duly noted in a letter back to Salzburg so that, armed with credentials as a court that Leopold Mozart wrote in Koblenz musician, he could undertake a substantial on 23rd September 1763, while travelling ‘study trip’ to Italy with his father. The with his children: “In a word, our court is young man had already composed a truly a second Roman court and our Lord number of missa brevis settings for Archbishop another Pope.” Sundays which were not feast days, and also one of his first settings of the missa Leopold Mozart, as deputy Kapellmeister solemnis. This was the Mass in C major at the court in Salzburg, was one of the K.66, known as the ‘Dominicus’, since members of staff who supplied music it was destined for the first mass to be for religious services and for the Prince- celebrated by Mozart’s childhood friend Archbishop’s private concerts. Siegmund and neighbour Kajetan Rupert Hagenauer, Christoph, Count of Schrattenbach who had entered the Benedictine Abbey Joseph Lange (1751-1831): Unfinished portrait of a 26-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus (1698-1771) was a prince in the spirit of the of St Peter and taken the name of Pater Mozart at the piano (1782-1789) 6 7 Dominicus. It is a richly orchestrated work sacred music in the hereditary territories, Father. I live in a country where music music is quite different from that of Italy, with oboes, horns, trumpets and timpani. and the new Prince-Archbishop did not does not enjoy good fortune, though not least because a mass, with the Kyrie, The missa solemnis was reserved for major delay in implementing these in Salzburg. apart from those who have forsaken us, Gloria, Credo, epistle sonata, Offertorio feast days, on which the celebrant was Colloredo’s links to the Austro-Hungarian we have still excellent teachers, and more or motet, Sanctus and Agnus Dei — even surrounded by high church dignitaries. monarchy were close, since his father particularly composers of great substance, the most solemn mass, led by the Prince was the Emperor’s vice-chancellor. He knowledge and taste. As far as the theatre himself — must last three-quarters of an When Prince-Archbishop Schrattenbach applied rigorous policies that were imbued is concerned, we suffer from a lack of hour at most. A particular kind of study died on 16th December 1771, Mozart — who with rationalism, disbanding a number performers. We have no castrati, nor will is needed for this kind of composition. just a day earlier had returned from his of religious congregations and insisting obtain them with ease, since they expect And this must be a mass with all the second trip to Italy — was deprived of a on a radical simplification of liturgical to be well paid, and generosity is not one of instruments, military trumpets, timpani benevolent employer who seems to have music. This was a source of deep concern our faults. I amuse myself in the meantime and so on. Oh, we are so far away from appreciated his talent. The same could to the musicians of Salzburg, and Mozart by writing music for the chamber and the each other, my dear Padre Maestro. There not be said of Schrattenbach’s successor, complained about it bitterly in a letter church, and in these fields we have two are so many things I would like to tell you!” Hieronymus, Count of Colloredo (1732- he wrote on 4th September 1776 to excellent contrapuntists, Mr [Michael] 1812), who reigned from March 1772 until Padre Giovanni Batista Martini, who had Haydn and Mr [Anton Cajetan] Adlgasser. In 1779, after his unhappy second journey 1803, when Salzburg was secularised. admitted him to Bologna’s celebrated My father is master of music at the to Paris, Mozart took up a position as Colloredo was a proponent of rationalism Accademia Filarmonica in 1771. metropolitan church, which gives me the Salzburg’s court organist with a primary and his election was greeted with dismay chance to write for the church as much as I responsibility for music at the cathedral. by the citizens of Salzburg. It is even said “We live in this world in order always to please. Moreover, my father has served this As he implied in his letter to Martini, opera that it took the Chief Abbot of St Peter’s learn industriously, and to enlighten each court for 36 years, and, knowing that this had little place on the agenda in Salzburg, three attempts to intone the ‘Te Deum’, so other by means of discussion, and to strive Archbishop cannot and will not tolerate so it is hardly surprising that he and choked was he by tears. for the progress of science and the fine people who are advancing in years, no Colloredo did not see eye to eye. In 1781 arts. Oh, how many times have I wished longer puts his heart into his work, but has the Prince summoned Mozart to Vienna, The reforming Emperor Joseph II had to be nearer, so that I might engage turned to literature [i.e. musical theory], where he was visiting his sick father. In the proposed restrictions on the practice of in discussion with you, most Reverend in any case his favourite study. Our church Austrian capital Mozart took up with his 8 9 old acquaintances and, in an oft-reported was most unhappy, since he feared — not, introduce her to his family, but Mozart circumstances of the composition and first sequence of events, resigned from his post. perhaps, without reason — that his son had postponed the trip a number of times, performance of the Mass in C minor K. 427. He decided to stay in Vienna and try his been manipulated by his bride’s mother. fearing arrest by the Prince-Archbishop, hand at being a freelance musician. Things Be that as it may, it seems that the couple who had never officially dismissed him Mozart’s manuscript, kept in the Berlin started off well, and he initially enjoyed were happy together and that Constanze from his post as court organist. This would State Library, only comprises the first great success as a composer and, most provided the motivation for Mozart to also explain why St Peter’s Abbey, rather two sequences of the mass, the Kyrie notably, as a pianist, but by the time of compose the Mass in C minor in the course than Salzburg’s cathedral, was chosen and Gloria, with the complete vocal and his death in 1791 he was impoverished. of 1782-83. That being said, there is little for the first performance of the mass (on orchestral parts. The initial two sections Over the last 10 years of his life he had no authentic documentation that relates to 26th October 1783), since it was not under of the Credo exist as sketches, but their professional obligations to the Viennese the genesis of the work, which has given the Archbishop’s jurisdiction. Moreover instrumentation is not complete, while clergy and composed no settings of the rise to much speculation.

Load more