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A Conductor’s Guide to the Masses of Charles Gounod

A document submitted to the

Division of Graduate Studies and Research of the University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Musical Arts

in the Ensembles and Conducting Division of the College-Conservatory of Music

August 19, 2009

by

Dirk Johnson 100 Joseph Street Charleston, WV 25303 [email protected]

B.M., Brigham Young University, 2002

M.M., Brigham Young University, 2006

Committee Chair: Earl Rivers, DMA

ABSTRACT

Sacred music holds a prominent place in the overall output of the French Romantic

composer, Charles François Gounod. Despite this emphasis on sacred genres, Gounod is much

better known as a master of French opera than as a composer of religious works. Likewise,

Gounod’s choral music, the majority of which is sacred, remains largely unfamiliar. His sacred

choral music includes sixty-five motets, six Anglican anthems, three oratorios, four sacred

cantatas, nineteen French devotional partsongs, and twenty-one masses. This document examines

Gounod’s twenty-one mass settings to clarify the importance of religious choral music in his

creative activities while identifying qualities of his sacred compositional style.

The first four chapters provide necessary background for a discussion of the masses. A

brief introductory chapter details the prominence of sacred choral music in Gounod’s oeuvre.

Chapter Two addresses mass composition in nineteenth-century France, providing an overview

of political and cultural influences on sacred music during Gounod’s life and a review of the mass output of the centuries’ most important French composers of sacred music. Chapter Three describes the biographical events and conditions that pertain to Gounod’s mass compositions, highlighting the central role his personal religious convictions played in his ongoing commitment to sacred music. Chapter Four presents a brief overview of Gounod’s mass output, describing general characteristics of his religious style, providing a catalogue of his masses, and outlining a methodology for the discussion to follow.

Chapters Five, Six, and Seven contain descriptions of Gounod’s masses. Chapter Five describes his masses with organ accompaniment, Chapter Six explores his masses with orchestral accompaniment, and Chapter Seven considers his requiem masses. His unpublished masses, by necessity, are only discussed in reference to their biographical context. Because of the large

iii number of published masses, and the nature of this document as an overview of the genre, the musical discussion of the published masses focuses on the most salient musical features of each mass movement. Due to its place within the modern performance repertoire, the Messe

Solennelle de Sainte Cécile receives an extended discussion in Chapter Six. Similarly, the

Requiem (1893) in Chapter Seven is discussed at greater length due to its historical significance as Gounod’s final composition.

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Copyright © 2009 by Dirk Johnson All rights reserved

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When thinking back over the past three years of study, I am amazed at the tremendous support I have received. Without the help of many different individuals, completion of this document, as well as the doctoral degree as a whole, would have been impossible. I first wish to thank Dr. Earl Rivers, who has been a masterful mentor. His leadership, instruction, and musicianship have provided a superb model that will continue to guide me in my future teaching, conducting, and administrating. Most impressively, Dr. Rivers has demonstrated a degree of professional integrity that has inspired my most sincere admiration. I could not have hoped for a better advisor. As my primary reader for this document, he has guided me through the process with his usual conscientiousness and care. I thank Dr. Richard Sparks, Dr. Dale Warland, and the late Mr. Richard Westenberg who I had the great fortune to study with during my first year at CCM. They each left family and the comforts of home to spend time with my colleagues and me, and I am grateful. I count my experience with them as one of the great highlight and benefits of my studies at CCM. Dr. Brett Scott came to CCM in my second year of study. He has been a tremendous asset to CCM, and I am so grateful he arrived during my residency. I thank him for his inspiring instruction and example as a conductor and musician. His comments and suggestions for the document were extremely beneficial and are much appreciated. I thank Dr. Jonathan Kregor for his equally insightful suggestions. I am especially grateful for his timely reading during a very busy and exciting time in his life. Without the support and camaraderie of my choral conducting colleagues at CCM, the rigors of study would have been much harder to bear. These conductors have each shown me how to be a better musician and a better person, and thank them each for their friendship and example. I’d like to especially thank Bert Pinsonneault, whose companionship was invaluable as we navigated the challenges of our final year of study. I would not have been prepared to succeed at CCM without the guidance of many exceptional musicians and music educators at BYU. While I cannot name them all, I would like to acknowledge the following: Dr. Ronald Staheli, Dr. Paul Broomhead, Dr. Mac Wilberg, Dr. Gordon Jessop, Professor Rosalind Hall, Mr. Murray Boren, Dr. David Sargent, Ms. Jean Applonie, Dr. Susan Kenney, and Dr. Jerry Jaccard. My preparations began before my time at BYU, and I would like to acknowledge the tremendous inspiration of the music educators I was fortunate enough to study with during my youth in the Great Falls, Montana. I cannot describe how important the following individuals were on my musicianship and professional aspirations: Mr. Paul Ritter, Ms. Linda Lydiard, Ms. Mary Moore, Dr. Gordon Johnson, Ms. Carol Helseth, and Ms. Lisa Shull. I would like to specifically thank Mr. Joseph Jewett who, to this day, serves as my model of a sincere musician. My mentors and colleagues in the Utah public schools have also influenced me greatly. They helped me endure and grow during my transition into the music profession. They include, but are not limited to, the following: Mr. Donald Blackburn, Ms. Cherilyn Worthen, Mr. Randy Mott, Mr. David Beck, Mr. Lance Levar, Mr. Jim Wilcock, Ms. Leah Tarrant, and Ms. Cathy Jolley. I thank my family, the grounding force in my life. My parents have ever been supportive of my passion for music and my intentions to make it my life’s work, and their encouragement has enabled my musical growth through the years. Their influence, of course, extends far beyond

vi my musicianship. Without their exceptional moral and practical guidance in the broader scope of my life, I would not be the successful musician or the happy individual I am today. My four brothers have also provided support, guidance, and friendship through the years. This is especially true of Cort, my twin, who was the perfect brother for me. I also thank my aunt, Virginia Johnson, who has offered essential assistance in a variety of ways. Ever since the moment my wife first learned of my intention to leave my full-time, secure, and successful high school teaching job to pursue more education, she has been enthusiastic and ceaselessly supportive. She has made countless sacrifices to help me through the doctoral degree, and her efforts and investment have certainly matched my own. Without her, it could not have been done. I will forever be thankful that she counts it a blessing to be married to a musician. Lastly, I thank God, my ultimate support and my supreme mentor.

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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ...... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... vi

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1

2. THE MASS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE ...... 5 Effects of the Revolution on French Sacred Music ...... 5 Romanticism and the Mass ...... 6 Continued Influence of the Theater ...... 12 Church Music Reform ...... 14 Nineteenth-century French mass settings ...... 23

3. GOUNOD AS A CHURCH MUSICIAN ...... 36 Student Days (1839–43) ...... 38 Service at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres (1843–48) ...... 39 Opera and the Orphéon (1848–60) ...... 40 Operatic Apex (1859–71) ...... 42 Years in England (1871–74) ...... 42 Return to France and Closing Years (1874–94) ...... 43

4. GOUNOD’S DIVERSE MASS SETTINGS: AN OVERVIEW ...... 47 Gounod’s Sacred Style ...... 47 Mass Catalogue ...... 50 Methodology ...... 53 The Unaccompanied Masses...... 54 Messe (1843) ...... 54 Messe Brève et Salut (1846) ...... 55 Messe aux Orphéonistes (1853) ...... 55

5. THE MASSES WITH ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT ...... 56 Messe (1845) ...... 57 Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes (1862) ...... 57 Messe brève (1871) ...... 61 Missa angeli custodies (1873) ...... 64 Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles (1877/1890) ...... 71 Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc (1887) ...... 77 Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de la liturgie catholique (1888) ..84 Messe dite de Clovis (1895) ...... 88 Messe de St. Jean (1895) ...... 98

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6. THE MASSES WITH ORCHESTRAL ACCOMPANIMENT—MESSE SOLENNELLE DE SAINTE CÉCILE ...... 107 Messe à grand orchestra (1841) ...... 107 Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus (1876) ...... 108 Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques (1883) ...... 115 Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile (1855) ...... 123 Kyrie ...... 123 Gloria ...... 128 Credo ...... 135 Sanctus ...... 147 Benedictus ...... 155 Agnus Dei ...... 157

7. THE REQUIEM MASSES—REQUIEM (1893) ...... 165 Requiem à grand orchestra (1842) ...... 165 Messe brève, pour les morts (1873) ...... 165 Messe funèbre (1883) ...... 171 Requiem (1893) ...... 177 Introit and Kyrie ...... 178 Dies Irae ...... 181 Sanctus ...... 188 Benedictus ...... 189 Pie Jesu ...... 190 Agnus Dei ...... 192

8. CONCLUSION ...... 196

APPENDIX

A. IPA PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE TO GOUNOD’S MASSES ...... 201 B. SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY OF GOUNOD’S MASSES ...... 224 C. FORMAL GRAPHS OF GOUNOD’S MASSES ...... 227 D. SUMMARY OF SELECTED MASS MOVEMENT FEATURES...... 253

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 261

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Charles Gounod is best known today for his operatic works. His interest in the theater

began with rare but treasured trips to the opera house as a young man1 and eventually bore fruit

in the completion of twelve operas, including the celebrated masterpieces Faust and Roméo et

Juliette. Gounod also composed in many other forms and genres. He wrote symphonies and other

orchestral works, instrumental chamber works, piano pieces, organ pieces, incidental music for

dramatic works, vocal duets, sacred and secular songs for solo voice, children’s songs, and

sacred and secular choral works. Despite this creative diversity, the broad range of Gounod’s

compositional output remains unfamiliar.

The obscurity of Gounod’s choral works is especially surprising. Choral music held a

particularly prominent position in Gounod’s compositional career. Writing for chorus throughout

his lifetime, Gounod ultimately completed 177 choral works. Gounod’s status as a choral

composer inspired several late nineteenth-century choral organizations to include his name

within the name of their organization (e.g. the Gounod Society of New Haven, Connecticut).2

Saint-Saëns believed that Gounod’s religious choral music, and his oratorios in particular, would

endure while his theatrical music would become neglected.3 Despite Gounod’s prolific writing

for choir, only his Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile remains in the standard choral performance

repertoire. Given the choral profession’s unfamiliarity with this substantial part of Gounod’s

1Charles Gounod, Autobiographical Reminiscences: With Family Letters and Notes on Music, trans. W. Hely Hutchinson (New York: Da Capo Press, 1970), 26–28 and 37–41.

2Andrew Clark, “American Choral Music in Late Nineteenth-Century New Haven: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies” (MA Thesis, University of North Texas, 2001), 4.

3James Harding, Gounod (New York: Stein and Day, 1973), 208.

1 output, and the importance of choral music in understanding Gounod’s compositional identity, a reevaluation of this repertoire is necessary. The large number of Gounod’s choral works, and the diversity of genres they represent, offer a rich field of exploration and discovery.

Gounod’s choral output clearly displays an emphasis on sacred genres. He wrote twenty- one masses, sixty-five motets, six Anglican anthems, three oratorios, four sacred cantatas, and nineteen French devotional partsongs. His 118 sacred choral compositions more than double his fifty-one secular choral pieces, comprised of three secular cantatas, twenty-nine secular partsongs and nineteen partsongs for children’s chorus. The length and performance forces of his sacred music also exceed that of the secular music. Twenty-seven of his sacred works contain multiple movements and sixteen require orchestral accompaniment, while only four secular works are multi-movement and only seven require orchestra. Given the prominence of religious works within his output, these works serve as an appropriate point of departure to understand

Gounod as a choral composer.

Gounod’s twenty-one Catholic masses hold a particularly prominent position among his sacred choral works. He wrote them throughout his entire compositional career. His first mass, the Messe à grand orchestra, was performed in November of 1839, shortly after he won the Prix de Rome, and his final work, the Requiem (1893), was completed shortly before his death in

1893 and published in 1895. While his masses share a common text, and many share a common liturgical function, they were composed for a variety of forces and in a variety of styles. Six are for men’s voices, one is for two equal voices, one is for three equal voices, and sixteen are for

SATB chorus. Nine require soloists. Three are unaccompanied, fourteen are for chorus and organ, and seven are for chorus and orchestra. His masses for orchestra, soloists, and chorus, including his Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, often express his religious sentiments through

2 an operatic idiom, blending the secular and sacred by a common musical language. Gounod’s smaller-scale masses with organ accompaniment speak more intimately and demonstrate his religious devotion with less operatic flair.

A study of the masses has several benefits. First, it will provide a clearer understanding of Gounod’s creative activities beyond opera. Second, the works offer insight into nineteenth- century church music in France. Third, they provide an aesthetic/historical context in which to place more familiar French choral works (e.g. Fauré’s motets and his Requiem). Lastly, an exploration of this artful and expressive body of literature gives conductors additional programming resources for sacred services and concert programs.

As with other Romantic composers of sacred music (e.g. Brahms, Mendelssohn, and

Bruckner), Gounod blends compositional techniques from the past with his own personal

Romantic voice to create fresh musical expressions of religious devotion. Arthur Hutchings compares the great composers of nineteenth-century sacred music to those of lesser ability:

“What we lack in [the works of lesser composers] is the variety of styles and designs in the setting of liturgical texts by the greater composers from Gounod to Bruckner.”4 Gounod’s masses exemplify this described variety and help define his importance as a composer of French sacred music in the Romantic period.

In her dissertation on the nineteenth-century French Requiem, Jane Snyder observes the relatively little scholarly attention given to sacred music: “A combination of factors has drawn attention away from the study of the dramatization of nineteenth-century sacred music…. The

Romantic age marks the modern, secularized age and naturally the secular repertoire would be

4Arthur Hutchings, Church Music in the Nineteenth Century (London: Herbert Jenkins, 1967), 94.

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emphasized.”5 Patricia-Andrea Romza draws attention to a challenge facing French music

specifically, which certainly applies to its sacred music, including masses:

The bulk of the repertoire, small works of three-to eight-minute length which are the staple of choral programs, is largely ignored. This ignorance may be due to the relative difficulty of determining exactly what music has been published by any given French publishing house, as French publishers in general are less likely to produce a catalogue of the sort common among American, English, and German publishers. The paucity of musicological works about French choral music as a whole contributes to the general lack of dissemination of this repertoire.6

Through a discussion of Gounod’s masses, I hope to not only reveal his specific contribution to

sacred music in France, but to improve our understanding of sacred music during the nineteenth

century.

5Jane Snyder, “Ritual and Drama in the Nineteenth-Century Requiem” (PhD diss., Boston University, 2005), 8–9.

6Patricia-Andrea Romza, “Female-choir music by French composers: An annotated bibliography of selected works” (DMA diss., University of Georgia, 1997), 2. 4

CHAPTER 2

THE MASS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE

During the Romantic Period, the nature and cultural role of religious music underwent a drastic shift. In France, the Revolution had a particularly abrupt and dramatic impact on sacred music. This chapter summarizes the effect of nineteenth-century thought on sacred music and provides an overview of mass composition in France as it adapted from worship service to the concert stage. Placed within this historical context, the musical traits of Gounod’s masses can be more fully understood and appreciated.

Effects of the Revolution on French Sacred Music

The French Revolution had an immediate and devastating effect on French sacred music.

For the first time in European history, France enacted a simultaneous rejection of both state and church, rocking the long established traditions and institutions of the ancient regime. Sustaining enormous financial losses and public support, the church could no longer sustain the same level of music patronage. Since the Middle Ages, cathedrals and large churches had supported schools of music called maîtrises. Established to train students for church music service, these schools also prepared singers for careers on the opera stage. The revolution of 1789 would severely weaken these institutions. By 1791 the maîtrises system was abolished. While a few maîtrises had been reinstated by 1813, a year after Napoleon’s final confinement, the music education system never regained sufficient support to reclaim its losses, despite efforts of reformers such as

Alexander Choron. He later established L’Institute Royale de Musique Religieuse in 1828 in an effort to improve France’s sacred music training, significantly weakened in the wake of

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revolution.7 France’s musical resources were diverted from the church schools to the opera stage

and the Conservatoire in Paris, founded in 1795. Governmental instability during the remainder

of the century, together with society’s increasing secularization and a strong contingency of anti-

clericalism within France, continued to limit sacred music improvements. Those sacred works

that demonstrated the highest artistic merits were often intended for the concert hall rather than

the cathedral. Elwyn A. Wienandt describes the situation in the following way: “For public

performance the composers were able to let their imaginations run riot; in church they were too

few and too ill-prepared to undertake anything extraordinary.”8 The artistic drift away from the sanctuary, a trend indicative of the Romantic period, will be discussed in greater detail below.

Romanticism and the Mass

Romantic ideas directly challenged the prevailing cultural ideals of the Enlightenment period. Whereas rational thought was of ultimate importance in the Enlightenment, Romanticism revolted against the belief that reason superseded emotion. Russell N. Squire describes the change: “Romanticism was a restatement of the proposition that it is the things of the heart and spirit which matter most. This was a complete and devastating reversal of the most tenderly regarded beliefs of the Enlightenment.”9 Much of the liturgical music from the late 1700’s

reflected the pre-Romantic values of formal clarity and universal emotional expression. The

music was formally balanced, the texture was clear, and the mood was often celebratory.

Romantic composers drifted away from these ideals. Robert Chase contrasts the perspectives of

7Jane Snyder, “Ritual and Drama in the Nineteenth-Century Requiem” (PhD diss., Boston University, 2005), 12–13, 16–17.

8Elwyn A. Wienandt, Choral Music of the Church (New York: The Free Press, 1965), 418–19.

9Russell N. Squire, Musical and Hymnological Developments in Western Christianity (St. Louis, Missouri: The Bethany Press, 1968), 155. 6

composers from the two periods: “The majority of classical composers wrote in a fashion that

was both elegant and restrained, fostering uniformity in the musical style of the eighteenth

century. Less interested in stylistic unity, the romantics cherished their individuality, rejecting

restrictions or traditions that might impose limitations on their artistic expression.”10

Thrasybulos Georgiades explains the Romantics’ relationship with their predecessors in specific regards to the mass:

It had become the custom during the eighteenth century to seek in the Mass a pleasant atmosphere, one of Sunday festivity, joyful and entertaining. This is what the early Romantic composers encounter as current practice and it is from here that they proceed along their own path. However, since they bring with them a new tendency towards inner fervor and thus towards a mystically tinted piety, they also change the character of the musical Mass.11

Romantic composers looked for a new musical language more able to express personal feeling

rather than objective, universal emotion.

Placing the heart above the mind as the vehicle for highest meaning, the Romantic age

greatly valued individuality. Consequently, nineteenth-century composers expressed sacred texts

in personal ways rather than trying to depict universal modes of religious feeling. Edward

Dickinson describes the effect this had on text setting:

The spirit of the age which required a more subjective expression in music, involved a demand for a more definite characterization in the setting of the sacred texts. The composer could no longer be satisfied with a humble imitation of the forms which the Church had sealed as the proper expression of her attitude toward the divine mysteries, but claimed the privilege of coloring the text according to the dictates of his own feeling a man and his peculiar method as an artist.12

10Robert Chase, Dies Irae: A Guide to Requiem Music (Oxford, Scarecrow Press, 2003), 239–40.

11Thrasybulos Georgiades, Music and Language: The Rise of Western Music as Exemplified in Settings of the Mass, trans. Marie Louise Göllner (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982), 118.

12Edward Dickinson, Music in the History of the Western Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1928), 198.

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According to Chase, even when composers upheld certain traditions, they still infused the music

with personal emotional drive: “The classic forms continued to be cherished by composers like

Dvořak, Cherubini, Verdi and Rheinberger, yet their creators gave them a sense of the romantic

individualism by filling them with the new spirit of drama and emotion.”13 As a result of this

individual approach to text setting, composers’ unique styles from their secular works often found their way into their sacred output. Dickinson cites specific examples of this phenomenon:

“The [Romantic] composer carries into church pieces his distinct personal style. The grandeur and violent contrasts of Beethoven’s symphonies, the elegiac tone of Schubert’s songs, the enchantments of melody and the luxuries of color in the operas of Verdi and Gounod, are also characteristic marks of the masses of these composers.”14

The new emphasis on inner expression corresponded with, or emerged from, growing

artistic independence. During the nineteenth century, dramatic societal changes redefined the

role of music and musicians. With the rise of the middle class and the decline of long-standing

church and state authorities, composers generally became less reliant on the sponsorship of

royalty or the church and were freer to explore their own independent artistic aims. This

independence was readily apparent in the changing face of religious music. As the church lost

power and influence, sacred music became less closely tied to liturgical ceremony and more

closely associated with the concert stage. Musical mass settings could be written without the

constraint of fulfilling their traditional role in corporate worship and the associated supervision

of church authorities.

As the mass’s role shifted from ceremonial enhancement to concert entertainment, a

greater emphasis was placed on its aesthetic and emotional value rather than its devotional

13Chase, Dies Irae, 242.

14Dickinson, Western Church, 200. 8 potential. Squire explains this shift: “The music of religious connection was not so much music for worship service in the church as it was for special musical service providing aesthetic experience to members and nonmembers of the church alike.”15 Dickinson describes the mass’s transformation in the following way: “The conception of a large amount of modern mass music seems to be, not that the ritual to which it belongs is prayer, but rather a splendid spectacle intended to excite the imagination and fascinate the sense.”16 This music, says Dickinson, became separated from its liturgical constraints: “We have works that constitute a separate phase of art, not masses in the proper sense, for they do not properly blend with the Church ceremonial nor contribute to the special devotional mood which the Church aims to promote, while yet in their general conception they are held by a loose band to the altar.”17 This “loose band” between the mass and the church was not strong enough to keep mass performances within the walls of the churches. Stretched beyond the temporal bounds of the worship service, and often exceeding the emotional restraint such services suggest, the mass became a concert work. Wienandt describes the extent of this transformation: “For a view of the extent to which religious music continued to claim public attention, we must turn to the concert hall (or, in some instances, to the church itself in the guise of a concert hall).”18

Interestingly, as the mass and other church music forms underwent a secular drift away from the cathedral toward the concert hall, society began to increasingly ascribe religious or divine qualities to music in general, including traditionally secular forms. In the Romantic view, art possessed great spiritual powers and could reveal the divine. The divine qualities ascribed to

15Squire, Musical and Hymnological Developments, 155.

16Dickinson, Western Church, 200.

17Dickinson, Western Church, 204–5.

18Wienandt, Choral Music, 412. 9 the arts, and the sacredness of the artistic experience as viewed by Romantics, was known as

Kunstreligion, or “the religion of art.” Elizabeth Kramer excellently defines the concept of

Kunstreligion:

In Kunstreligion, art is thought to enunciate divine ideas and feelings, artistic experience is compared to religious ritual, and artistic works are seen as divine presences on earth. Works can be understood as divine in and of themselves or as striking manifestations of the divine; they are produced as a part of the creation and reception of art. In the combination of these beliefs the phenomenon of Kunstreligion approaches the status of an actual religion that can stand as an alternative to other types of religion.19

Music’s accoustic nature, untethered by visible elements, gave it otherworldly qualities that made it especially effective at manifesting the sublime through performance and contemplative listening. Thus, the concert hall assumed the station of a church or temple where listeners could enjoy a sacred experience much like they could experience at a liturgical service. More than reflecting or representing divine qualities, a musical work could even posses the divine within its formal elements. This view was closely related to the Romantic notion of music as autonomous form. It elevated the composer to the position of a prophet or priest through which divine truth was revealed.

Though composers wrote religious works for concert performance, this does not necessarily suggest a lack of sincerity toward the mass texts they set. While some mass composers may have held fast to the beliefs of the texts they set, denominational conviction was no longer a requirement for setting these texts, nor a means of evaluating the sincerity or effectiveness of the work. Eftychia Papanikolaou excellently summarizes of the mass’s place within the concert culture of nineteenth-century France:

The romantic Mass, the sacred music genre par excellence, appealed to romantic composers exactly for its universality and ‘canonic’ status. The text of the Latin

19Elizabeth A. Kramer, “The Idea of Kunstreligion in German Musical Aesthetics of the Early Nineteenth Century” (PhD diss., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005), 1. 10

Ordinary constitutes the most frequently-set sacred text, with the added peculiarity that it has remained unchangeable in its overall form over the centuries. In the nineteenth century the Mass as a musical genre lost its strictly liturgical place in the church, as music principally intended for worship; it became “aestheticized,” and its musical setting now served as much to glorify God as it revealed the composers’ subjective approach to the text. Many romantic composers approached the Bible as just another literary text, and they treated it with the type of subjectivism they would accord to a secular text. Thus, the church became the focus of “aesthetic experience,” while the concert hall became the locus of reconciliation between the sacred and the secular, religion and art.20

In the minds of the Romantics, the lines between sacred and secular were blurred. Secular styles did not preclude religious expression. Saint-Saëns’s view of religious music demonstrates this aesthetic haziness: “In reality there is no religious art, properly so called, absolutely to be distinguished from secular art. There is good music, and there is bad music; for the rest, it is a matter of fashion, of convention, and nothing else.”21

Composers’ increasingly personal and dramatic approach to liturgical texts not only points toward new aesthetic ideals, but suggest a larger societal shift in religious feeling. In the spirit of individual, deep-felt expression, composers no longer wrote masses according to the requests or requirements of ecclesiastical leaders. These masses no longer conformed to the requirements of church worship. As Dickinson suggests, this separation from the church reflects the broader trend away from formal religious authority: “So apart do these mighty creations stand that they may almost be said to glorify religion in the abstract rather than the confession of the Catholic Church.22 Snyder cites a number of causes for this shift: “The overt co-mingling of the secular and sacred in nineteenth-century France arose in a society defined by crisis and characterized as a scientific, industrialized civilization where people no longer shared religious

20Eftychia Papanikolaou, “Profane Rites and Sacred Symphonies: Critical Perspectives on the Symphonic Mass” (PhD diss., Boston University, 2001), 26–27.

21Camille Saint-Saëns, “Music in the Church,” The Musical Quarterly 75 (Winter 1991): 19.

22Dickinson, Western Church, 204–5. 11 beliefs and fixed institutional structures.”23 The mass in a concert setting pledged no specific creed, but expressed personal emotion associated with the text. In a sense, the concert hall had become a place of secular worship.

Continued Influence of the Theater

Romanticism significantly changed the nature of sacred music from a devotional, universal expression, performed within the church, to a highly personal, aesthetic experience shared from the concert stage. However, one trait remained the same. Just as in the Baroque and

Classical periods, sacred music continued to be influenced by opera. Dickinson claims that this secular influence on sacred music began in the Baroque period and continued through the

Classical and Romantic periods.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries there was no radical conflict between the church musical style and the secular; so far as secular music was cultivated by the professional composers it was no more than a slight variation from the ecclesiastical model. Profane music may be said to have been a branch of religious music. [From the Baroque period to the present] this relationship is reversed; secular music in opera and instrumental form… remolded church music and the latter [became] in a sense a branch of the former.24

The growing divide during the nineteenth century between sacred music and its traditional liturgical setting only strengthened the ties between secular and sacred styles. Snyder describes the dramatic idiom’s vast influence during the Romantic period:

As for the nineteenth century, the bond between the sacred and dramatic arts rivaled the religious festivals and rituals of the ancient Greeks. The supremacy of dramatic music and its potential to evoke the passions was universally accepted and fully exploited by composers of sacred works…. The Mass for the Dead as well as other large-scale sacred genres such as the Stabat Mater, oratorio, and

23Snyder, Ritual and Drama, 27.

24Dickinson, Western Church, 76.

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Mass, well suited to the newly-constructed concert halls, massive orchestras and choral societies were all equally influenced by the dramatic idiom.25

Julian Rushton suggests that the dramatization of church music was especially true in

Catholic music, and by extension, in French sacred music: “Liturgical propriety largely excluded

Protestant traditions in Germany and England from the development of the musically poetic. The

same cannot be said of Catholic music, where a tendency to dramatize by an affective response

to the text brought church music closer to the theatre.”26 Dickinson explains that such an overlap

between sacred and secular often led to beautiful church music that betrayed a reliance on

secular affects: “The ecclesiastical music of the Latin nations offers works of adorable beauty,

sometimes true to the pure ideal, sometimes perverse, and by their isolation serving to illustrate

the dependence of the church composer’s inspiration upon the general conditions of musical taste

and progress.” He further explains the reason for this relationship: “Not only were those

musicians of France and Italy who were prominent as church composers also among the leaders

in opera, but their ideals and methods in opera were closely paralleled by those displayed in their

religious productions.”27

Unfortunately, the religious music of France at the turn of the century did not always reflect the noblest aspects of operatic expression. It delighted and entertained rather than edified and inspired. John Butt describes the poor state of French liturgical music at this time: “despite the extravagant occasional works of Cherubini, Le Sueur and Berlioz which capitalized on the grandeur of revolutionary genres, the general practice of church music consisted of a debased chant repertory with serpent accompaniment and a motet style derived from popular operatic

25Snyder, Ritual and Drama, 46.

26Julian Rushton, “Music and the Poetic,” in The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-Century Music, ed. Jim Samson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 154.

27Dickinson, Western Church, 213. 13

genres.”28 Growing up in such a culture, Gounod determined to change the course of sacred

music in France. Whether he was able to enact such a change, or even avoid these abuses in his

music, is debatable. Squire includes Gounod among the offending operatic charmers: “The

French writers began to introduce theatrical and decorative musical devices which had always

been avoided by the Northern Protestants but which had been so characteristic of Southern

Roman Catholic music. The most flagrant users of the theatrical were Gounod and Massenet.”29

Despite Squire’s accusation, Gounod was conscious of the problem from an early age and, as will be discussed in the following chapter, took action to increase the sincerity and improve the quality of French sacred music throughout his life.

Church Music Reform

The revolutionary changes threatening the church, in general, and its music specifically, did not hold complete sway, but met resistance in several forms. As Romantic ideals overtook and altered the musical settings of the mass and other traditionally liturgical texts, conservatives mounted efforts to counteract these influences and restore Catholic music to a purer style. In addition to the expected clerical resistance and official church decrees, which were issued throughout its history to curb abuses, reform efforts also arose from without the clergy and took several forms, including the publishing of old sacred works, the establishment of educational institutions (e.g. Choron, Ecole Niedermeyer, Schola Cantorum) and the growth of broader cultural movements (e.g. Cecelian Movement, chant revival in France). These efforts were often inspired by the undaunted work of a single idealistic advocate.

28John Butt, “Choral Culture and the Regeneration of the Organ,” in The Cambridge History of Nineteenth- century Music, ed. Jim Samson (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 525.

29Squire, Musical and Hymnological Developments, 161–62. 14

French schools

A number of French musicians spearheaded reform efforts within France and established schools to promote their values. In the early part of the century, Alexander Choron undertook a revival of early music with idealistic zeal. An inquisitive scholar, Choron studied music independently in his youth and only began music lessons at the late age of sixteen. He published a variety of instructional materials, including two composition textbooks that focused on thoroughbass, counterpoint, and fugue, a two-volume dictionary of music, essays on plainsong and church music, and a Manuel complet de musique vocale et instrumentale. He also edited and published many inexpensive editions of early music, including works by Josquin, Goudimel,

Palestrina, Carissimi, and other important Italian and German Baroque composers, making these forgotten works available to many musicians for the first time. After a short and unsuccessful tenure as the régisseur general of the Opéra in 1816, he furthered his goals for sacred music by founding the Institution Royale de Musique Classique et Religieuse. Through the school, Choron aimed to advance the restoration of early music, reestablish the importance of the liturgy, improve the level of church music throughout France, and bolster the faltering maîtrises.

Unfortunately, after the July Revolution in 1830, the government retracted the school’s grant, and Choron’s school struggled and declined in the final years of his life.

Choron advocated music from the Renaissance and Baroque throughout his life, despite wavering governmental support and limited financial incentive. He pioneered interest in stile antico repertoire, Baroque masterpieces, and plainsong, and in so doing he helped lay the foundation necessary to recover this neglected repertoire. He contributed to the growing spirit of

15

historicism that resulted in scholarly editions of this literature, including the important

restoration of Gregorian chant by the Benedictine monks of Solesmes.30

Louis Niedermeyer continued Choron’s work by reopening his school in 1853 under the

name Ecole Niedermeyer. In his early career, Niedermeyer wrote several operas that proved

successful with Rossini’s support. An excellent writer of secular song, he also played an

important role in elevating the artistic quality of the French mélodie. His theatrical successes

eventually dwindled, and his focus shifted to church music after the failure of his last opera, La

fronde.

Niedermeyer advocated a clear division between secular and sacred styles:

The use on the part of the Church of the dramatic style, as well as the orchestration used in profane music necessarily results in the confusion of the two genres, and if some composers had the good sense to separate their sacred works from their other works written with accompaniment in the dramatic style, still one must admit that a very small number of sacred works composed in the last century achieved the purpose for which they had been intended.31

The mission and methods of Ecole Niedermeyer strongly contrasted those of the Conservatoire and occupied a separate place within Parisian society. Within the broader context of a general education, the school offered courses in counterpoint, fugue, solfeggio, solo and singing choral singing, harmony, figured bass, composition, instrumentation, music history, plainchant singing, and plainchant accompanying. Students were also exposed to works of a cappella polyphony. Its most notable student, Gabriel Fauré, undoubtedly drew from the school’s unique instruction in

30Arthur Hutchings and Hervé Audéon, “Choron, Alexander(-Etienne),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.

31As quoted in Snyder, Ritual and Drama, 31–32.

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the development of his highly distinctive style. Interestingly, Fauré became the Director of the

Conservatoire despite the quite conspicuous fact that he had been trained elsewhere.32

At the close of the century, Charles Bordes headed efforts to revive early church music.

While Bordes was Maître de Chapelle at St Gervaise-St Protais, his choir, the Chanteurs de St

Gervais, presented a series of services that featured the music of French and Italian Renaissance

composers. In 1894 Bordes formed the Schola Cantorum, a society dedicated to the revival of

old church music, with the help of Vincent D’Indy, and Alexandre Guillmant. Two years later it

became a school. By teaching students to draw inspiration from the old forms of Gregorian chant

and Renaissance polyphony, Bordes hoped to inspire a modern style of liturgical composition.33

The Cecilian Movement

The Cecilian movement was the largest Catholic music reform movement in the

nineteenth century. Centered in Germany, its effects were felt throughout Europe and in the

United States. Offended by contemporary styles in church music, wary of the effects of

industrialization, and encouraged by the Romantic interest in historicism, reformers sought to

rediscover music from a purportedly purer past. The movement viewed Palestrina’s music as the

ideal church style and promoted the revival of old church repertoire. It also encouraged living

musicians to compose modern compositions in the stile antico style and discouraged theatrical

effects in sacred compositions, including word painting, modulations, and chromaticism.

While the movement reached its greatest organizational strength and exerted its strongest

influence in the last three decades of the century, the groundwork for its success was laid by the

32Guy Ferchault and Jacqueline Gachet, “Niedermeyer, (Abraham) Louis,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.

33Pierre Guillot, “Bordes, Charles (Marie Anne),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 17 efforts of previous reformers. Its roots began in the 1700’s with Caecilien-Bündnisse (Cecilian

Leagues), which opposed instrumental accompaniment, other than organ, in religious services.

These societies experienced a revival at the opening of 1800’s, opposing the frivolity, theatrics, and emotionality of much Enlightenment church music.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, reformers published historical studies of sixteenth-century composers, including Palestrina, and performed and published early vocal polyphony and Gregorian chant. Caspar Ett, a member of the Cäcilienbündnis der Hofmusiker in

Munich, was among the more important early reformers. During his tenure as director of the court chapel, his choir performed the works of Palestrina, Lassus, Allegri, Senfl, Goudimel, and

Ockeghem. Carl Proske, another influential church musician in the first half of the century, led efforts in Regensburg, an important center of church music reform. He avidly collected early music manuscripts and prints, and he published selected works in practical editions. Proske’s efforts, and those of other similar-minded publishers, made an increasing number of early works available for church use.

The increased publication and distribution of sixteenth and seventeenth century music reflected the belief that only through a return to the musical language of the sixteenth-century masters could the church revive the instructive and inspirational power of its music. This view had a significan impact on composers of the time, many of which were involved in reform efforts. The approbation of Renaissance polyphony not only disqualified church music influenced by secular styles, but also undercut the legitimacy of music previously thought to reflect this contrapuntal heritage. The church in Germany had continued to foster an unbroken tradition of polyphonic composition from the time of Palestrina that was strongly influenced by

Fux’s codification of polyphony in the Gradus ad Parnassum. Composers writing in this stylus a

18 capella blended traditional contrapuntal principles and non-concerted textures with modern harmonic idioms, thus maintaining a tenuous connection with the past. Reformers discouraged this weakened hybrid of styles and advocated a closer adoption of sixteenth-century principles in newly composed works, and the stylus a capella tradition dwindled by the second half of the century. However, its influence, and even application, can be seen in the works of composers closely associated with church music reform in the first half of the century. As composers most clearly associated with church music reform tried to model their works after the sixteenth- century style of Palestrina, rather than using the allegedly degenerate stylus a capella, they encountered an inherent challenge. In applying the older techniques, with their strict contrapuntal basis, it was difficult to maintain individuality and creative freshness. Therefore, composers either blended contemporary elements with the Palestrina style as a natural result of contemporary musical perspective, an approach that could closely resemble the stylus a capella, or they wrote works that closely maintained earlier principles but lacked individuality. The application of reform principles remained a practical challenge for composers throughout the century.

Through the leadership of Franz Witt, the Catholic reform movement grew in numbers, influence, and institutional strength. After founding the Allgemeiner Deutscher Cäcilienverein in

1868, Witt sought the official sanction of Pope Pius IX, which he received in 1870. With this invaluable institutional support, the society began spreading its views in the journal Musica

Sacra and accelerated a wide number of reform efforts. In 1870 it published a list of approved music for church services. Gregorian chant was listed as most acceptable, followed by a cappella polyphony, organ music, and then hymns. An edition of chant, prepared by F.X. Haberl in

Regensburg and based on a Medici manuscript from 1614, was approved by the Vatican in 1868.

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The organization encouraged the composition of new polyphonic works that were closely tied to the liturgy. Unfortunately, most new pieces were contributed by underwhelming composers who rarely reached high artistic levels. In fact, the Cecilian movement’s tenets placed it in opposition to many of the artistic trends of the Romantic period, which discouraged the participation of many important composers. Furthermore, the organization was slow to accept the works of important composers such as Liszt and Bruckner who adopted Cecilian ideals for selected works.

Generally, the movement was much clearer about what to avoid than what to include in its music; therefore, it failed to effectively infuse the devotional value of a cappella polyphony with the new musical language of the Romantic art. The movement did, however, improve the musical standards of church musicians throughout Catholic Europe and America while inspiring

a more devotional atmosphere within liturgical services.34

Because of the flourishing success of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Cäcilienverein in the

last three decades of the century, the activities of this organization are too often related to, if not

equated with, all church music reform efforts in Germany during the nineteenth century. This

assumption creates a distorted picture of a continuous line of reforms grouped into one Cacilian

Movement. Rather, the Cecilian Movement is more accurately understood as a progression from

independent reform activities in various geographical regions that exerted limited geographical

influence, but which gave rise to the widespread activities of the Allgemeiner Deutscher

Cäcilienverein in the last third of the century.

34Siegfried Gmeinwieser, “Cecilian Movement,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com; Joseph Dyer, “Roman Catholic Church Music,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007), http://www.grovemusic.com. 20

Chant Restoration in France

A renewed attention to Gregorian chant developed alongside the revival of old

polyphonic works. This was especially true in France, where interest in medieval liturgical chant

eventually exceeded that of a cappella polyphony.35 While the chant repertory had never been

completely abandoned within the church, its meaning within the framework of the liturgy had

been lost, and in some cases had been replaced by symphonic music. Romantic reformers

rediscovered and reaffirmed its correct place within the worship service.36

Choron’s work stimulated general interest in Gregorian chant, and Joseph d’Ortigue’s

Dictionnaire liturgique, historique, et théorique de plain-chant et de musique d’église (1853)

inspired a more specific focus toward the Catholic musical tradition. In the middle of the

century, different dioceses used various versions of chants. Furthermore, some dioceses retained

chants from the Gallican rite. In 1860 Canon Gontier, a Solesmes monk, held a conference in

Paris to discuss sacred music and the restoration and standardization of the body of chant, an

effort that would ultimately strengthen ties with Rome.

The Benedictine monks of Solesmes assumed the immense task of restoring chant to its

original form. Despite careful scholarly work, achieved by comparing chants from a number of

different sources, the monks failed to initially receive the approval of Rome. An error-filled

German edition of chant, based on a seventeenth-century Medicean gradual, was prepared by

Haberl in Regensburg in the 1860s. As a result of the successful maneuvering of a publisher

named Frederick Pustet, this edition was declared “authentic” by Pope Piux IX in 1868.

Academic principle, overwhelmingly on the side of the Solesmes monks, finally held sway, and

35Karl Gustav Fellerer, The History of Catholic Church Music, trans. Francis A. Brunner (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1961), 182.

36Fellerer, Catholic Church Music, 185. 21 in 1899 Pope Leo XIII placed his support behind the work of Solesmes in place of the Haberl edition.37 Butt describes their important place in the restoration movement: “The most significant musical restoration in France, if not the whole of Europe, was that of the Gregorian plainchant repertory by the monks of Solesmes.”38

Fellerer describes the impact of reform ideals on music in the nineteenth century:

“Alongside the symphonic, dramatic church music of the nineteenth century, there grew up a new style, based on history and committed to fulfilling liturgical demands. While in returning to ancient models it broke with contemporary symphonic techniques, it tried at the same time to adjust and influence contemporary music.”39 Snyder describes the ambition of reformers in

France to influence modern style: “This campaign strove to wrestle popular French music aesthetics to the ground, overhaul the whole of the sacred music repertoire, including chant, and eventually change popular taste and values.”40 Church music reform went beyond historic inquiry and music revival. Reformers called upon composers and artists to draw inspiration from the past and blend its more restrained and elevated qualities with a modern expressive language.

Camille Saint-Saëns articulated the qualities of such music:

What music, then, ought there to be in the Church? Music of a grand style, in accord with the elevated sentiments expressed in the liturgy. But the grand style is rare. Where unattainable, one may be content with correctness in the writing and gravity in the expression—a gravity which does not exclude sentiment, but prevents it from turning into sentimentality. There being no intention, in the Church, of exciting applause, one should not strive after effect.41

37Eugéne Cardine and David Hiley, “Solesmes,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com; Dyer, http://www.grovemusic.com.

38Butt, “Choral Culture,” 525.

39Fellerer, Catholic Church Music, 182.

40Snyder, Ritual and Drama, 29.

41Saint-Saëns, “Music in the Church,” 23. 22

Important French composers continued to write mass settings throughout the nineteenth century. When outlining the above ideals, Saint-Saëns could well have been recalling the works of these fellow countrymen who strove for this “grand style.”

Ninteenth-century French mass settings

The striking changes to sacred music in the Romantic period are perhaps observed most clearly in settings of the Roman Catholic Mass. Bound within the liturgical tradition, musical settings of the mass represent one of the most traditional ecclesiastical forms. While these settings had commonly incorporated influences from secular music during the Baroque and

Classical periods, particularly from the operatic stage, they still remained tied to the liturgical practice of the communion service. During the nineteenth century, the relationship between mass settings and liturgical function was weakened, with many prominent composers writing masses for the concert stage rather than sanctuary. No longer having to fit any predetermined conditions, composers wrote masses marked by diversity and individuality.

In the remainder of the chapter, I will touch upon the significant mass composers and mass settings from nineteenth-century France that would have been familiar to Gounod and that could have informed his approach to setting the mass. This overview provides a cultural backdrop in which to place Gounod’s masses within contemporary trends.

Paisiello

Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816), one of the most prominent opera composers of the late eighteenth century, shifted his activities from opera to religious music toward the end of his life.

The change commenced in 1787 when he began receiving commissions for masses and other liturgical music from monasteries and convents near Naples. Following his appointment as

23

maestro di cappella of the Naples cathedral in 1796, Paisiello focused primarily on religious

music, leaving the world of the stage behind, along with the associated public attention. In the

service of Ferdinando, King of Naples, Paisiello composed a few religious works for religious

services, including a large Requiem in C minor and a Te Deum in Bb. While the majority of his

church career was spent in Naples, his appointment as Napoléon’s court musician from 1802–04

marks his most notable place within the history of sacred music. During this relatively short

tenure, truncated by his own request to return to Naples, Paisiello composed sixteen services and

a coronation mass. He found himself again in the service of the Bonapartes in 1806 after France

invaded and Napoléon installed his brother, Joseph, as King of Naples. While working for

Joseph, Paisiello composed twenty-four services. These were not true liturgical masses, but were

sacred concerts incorporating a variety of liturgical and non-liturgical texts and in which the

composer borrowed from his earlier works. He also sent at least one sacred work to Napoléon

every year between 1804 and 1813. Thus, his religious works held a prominent position among

the religious works in France at the opening of the century.42

Le Sueur

Jean-François Le Sueur (1760–1837), among the most important Parisian composers

during the Revolution and first third of the nineteenth century, built a career from the humble

beginnings of provincial church service. His first works to achieve public attention were grand

motets written between 1782 and 1786 and performed at the Concert Spirituel. After a brief visit

as assistant choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Innocents in Paris, he was later appointed

choirmaster there in 1784. An appointment as choirmaster at Notre Dame followed in 1786, but

within a year he was dismissed for introducing (what he termed) “imitative” elements into his

42Michael F. Robinson, “Paisiello, Giovanni,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 24

liturgical music. Le Sueur was attempting to imitate nature and human emotion through music,

and in so doing, incorporated theatric elements and textual liberties that offended the clergy.

During the Revolution, Le Sueur became well known for his operas and for ten

monumental hymns he wrote for government festivals celebrating the Revolutionary

achievements. He was selected as one of the first inspectors of teaching at the newly formed

Paris Conservatory in 1795, but left in 1802 following a conflict with the director. It was a return

to church service that rejuvenated Le Sueur’s compromised career. Napoleon appointed him

director of the Tuileries Chapel in place of Paisiello, and for the next twenty-five years he was a

leading composer of church music. Rusthon describes the liberating effect this appointment had

on Le Sueur’s sacred style: “Le Sueur… set out his ideas in a pamphlet of 1787, the year he was

dismissed by the clergy of Notre Dame, Paris; appointed by Napoleon to the Royal Chapel at the

Tuileries, which was not beholden to a bishop, he freely developed his ideal of associating drama

with liturgy at major church festivals.”43

Le Sueur’s sacred music was written for practical use in the Tuileries Chapel. Therefore, it is not complex and contains few modulations and little counterpoint. The voices are often doubled at the octave and the harmonies are simple; however, the works can also be both powerful and charming. They were published in a collection of seventeen volumes between 1826 and 1841 and include twenty-nine major sacred works and thirty shorter pieces. Dickenson explains Le Sueur’s influence on other composers: “The effort of Lesueur… to introduce into church music a picturesque and imitative style… was characteristically French and was continued in such works as Berlioz’s Requiem and to a certain extent in the masses and psalms of Liszt.”44

43Rushton, “Music and the Poetic,” 154.

25

Le Sueur impacted French music not only with his works, but also through his teaching

and writing. While serving as professor of composition from 1818 to his death, twelve of his students, including Berlioz and Gounod, won the Prix de Rome. He also wrote extensively on

music philosophy, aesthetics, and history. His Exposé d’une musique (1787) includes his early

ideas about music as imitation of human passions or nature, and the corollary need for dramatic

depiction of texts to accomplish this essential aim. He also worked on an exhaustive Histoire de

la musique, which was never published.45

Cherubini

Luigi Cherubini (1760–1842), a native of Florence, gained French citizenship in 1794

and was one of the most prominent musicians in Parish for nearly five decades. As director of the

Paris Conservatory from 1822–42, he helped it become one of the leading music education

centers in Europe. His style is informed by his international career and incorporates Parisian

opera, Viennese classicism, and Renaissance polyphony. At the same time, this cosmopolitan

quality to his music, which evades clear categorization, has cooled history’s reception of his

works. His importance and influence in his own time, however, is attested by Beethoven’s

frequent assertion between 1817 and 1823 that Cherubini was the greatest living composer.

The majority of Cherubini’s sacred pieces were written either early or late in his career.

While studying composition in Florence, Bologna, and Milan between 1773 and 1780, he

composed five masses (four which required orchestra) and eighteen motets. Following his

studies, Cherubini turned his attention to opera, and he became one of the most important opera

composers in France during the revolutionary period and the turn of the century. Like Paisiello,

44Dickinson, Western Church, 214.

45Jean Mongrédien, “Le Sueur [Lesueur], Jean-François,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 26

he turned his attention to sacred music later in life. In 1806 he wrote a large-scale Mass in F

major for a local church in Chimay. This commission reawakened Cherubini from a two-year

bout with depression that had halted his creative activities. In this same year he completed an

eight-part Credo (begun in 1778) that demonstrates his mastery of fugal technique. In 1811 he

wrote a Mass in D minor that is as massive in scope as Beethoven’ Missa Solemnis. Following his appointment as the superintendent of the royal chapel in 1816, a position he shared with Le

Sueur, Cherubini’s sacred writing became his creative focus. Between 1790 and 1806 he had written no religious music, but between 1812 and 1822 he wrote religious music almost exclusively. In these years he completed one petite messe, six solemn masses, and two requiem masses, as well as fifteen motets.

Dickinson lauds what he describes as “the undeniable merits” of Cherubini’s mass settings:

As a man and as a musician Cherubini commands unbounded respect for his unswerving sincerity in an age of sham, his uncompromising assertion of his dignity as an artist in an age of sycophancy, and the solid worth of his achievement in the midst of shallow aims and mediocre results. As a church composer he towers so high above his predecessors of the eighteenth century in respect to learning and imagination that his masses are not unworthy to stand beside Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis as auguries of the loftier aims that were soon to prevail in the realm of religious music. His requiem in C minor, particularly, by reason of its exquisite tenderness, breadth of thought, nobility of expression, and avoidance of all excess either of agitation or of gloom, must be ranked among the most admirable modern examples of pure Catholic art.46

According to Wienandt, Cherubini’s music demonstrates contrapuntal skill and Romantic

inspiration: “There are two sides to Cherubini’s religious music: on the one hand, he was a

master of counterpoint in an age when interest in the polyphonic craft was viewed as archaic; on

46Dickinson, Western Church, 214. 27

the other, he was a successful Romantic who carried into many of his religious works the devices

of his secular successes.”47

Wienandt proposes that Cherubini’s eclectic style, touched by individual genius, did not

necessarily represent a larger trend in church music:

We cannot look to Cherubini for a new tradition in church music. The demands of the Chapelle Royale were not those of the usual church establishment, and ample funds and a strong tradition guaranteed the continuation of a fashionable musical style. We may safely say that tradition is neither the aim nor the result of nineteenth-century musical production. The pieces that stand out are often those that are highly individualistic.48

Cherubini’s admirable masses cannot therefore be taken as evidence of a healthy tradition of

sacred music in France, but as exceptional works bearing the characteristic individuality of the

Romantic age.49

Berlioz

Hector Berlioz’s (1803–69) sacred works, while informed by Le Sueur’s dramatic

aesthetic, are representative branches of Berlioz’s idiosyncratic style. His early Messe solennelle

(1824), thought to be lost until its recent discovery in Antwerp in 1992, already reflects his

unique style. Berlioz never published the mass, but mined this work for musical material he used

in Symphonie fantastique, the Requiem, and the Te Deum.

The Grande Messe des Morts stands among a number of nineteenth-century requiem masses that remain within the performance repertoire. It demonstrates Berlioz’s skill in orchestral effect, juxtaposing enormous orchestral and choral forces for dramatic climax as well

47Wienandt, Choral Music, 412.

48Wienandt, Choral Music, 413.

49Michael Fend, “Cherubini, Luigi (Carlo Zanobi Salvadore Maria),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 28

as thin textures for sensitive expression. Hugh Macdonald suggests its distinctive place within

Berlioz’s works: “The Requiem is expressive without being theatrical, solemn without being

sanctimonious. It marks an extreme point in his music, where Shakespearean and literary ideas

have no place; all is subsumed in a vision of humanity in collective obeisance to the presence of

God.”50 Saint-Saëns interprets its expressive effect quite differently: “[Berlioz’s] famous

Requiem [is a] distraught, sublime work that one must hesitate to classify among sacred

compositions, so violently does it shock the nerves of the auditors.” He then contrasts its effect

with his other famous sacred work: “His Te Deum, less familiar and too seldom performed, of a

marvelous breadth of style, is far better adapted for the sacred edifice.”51 The Te Deum requires

two choruses, a choir of six hundred children, large orchestra, and organ. Berlioz experiments

with space and choral effect in this work.52

Liszt

As a devoted Catholic, Franz Liszt (1811–86) sought to improve church music during his

lifetime. Cultural influences Lizst encountered while living in France strongly influenced his

view of sacred music. In an article titled “On the Future of Church Music,” written in 1834 while

living in Paris, Liszt described his vision for religious works that clearly bears the mark of

French revolutionary ideals. Church music must be “inspired, strong, and effective, uniting, in

colossal proportions, theater and church; at the same time dramatic and holy, splendid and

50Hugh MacDonald, “Berlioz, (Louis-)Hector,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.

51Saint-Saëns, “Music in the Church,” 24.

52Macdonald, “Berlioz,” http://www.grovemusic.com.

29

simple, solemn and serious, fiery and unbridled, stormy and calm, clear and fervid.”53 This music should be written in such a way that it can be learned and sung by the people, uniting them in a religious act that can erase social divisions.

Liszt’s most important religious works, written after he had moved from France, still bear the mark of the French-inspired ideas outlined in his fervent writings. They reflect the grandeur and expressiveness he proposed. They do not, however, incorporate his ideal of corporate performance. His Messe de Gran of 1855, written for the restoration of the Cathedral in Gran, draws upon the Romantic spirit of the age, borrowing elements from Liszt’s symphonic poems.

His Missa Choralis from 1865, on the other hand, reflects Liszt’s growing interest in more traditional forms, especially the Palestrina style. This more conservative artistic approach corresponded with Liszt’s move to Rome and his strengthening ties with the Catholic Church that culminated in his acceptance of minor religious orders.

Liszt found the oratorio an effective medium for applying the expressive elements of opera and instrumental music to religious themes. In The Legend of St. Elizabeth (1857–62) he uses programmatic themes, thematic transformation, and also includes chant and folk elements.

Christus (1853–68), like the Missa Choralis, reflects Liszt’s growing interest in old forms and liturgical styles during the 1860s, while still containing nineteenth-century dramatic features.

Dickinson explains Liszt’s attempt to blend old and new musical features to convey religious feeling:

Liszt’s instincts yearned more or less blindly towards an alliance between the sacerdotal conception of religious art and the general artistic spirit of the age. Some such vision evidently floated before his mind in the masses, psalms, and oratorios of his later years, as shown in their frequent striving after the picturesque, together with an inclination toward the older ecclesiastical forms.54

53As quoted in John Butt, “Choral Culture and the Regeneration of the Organ,” in The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-century Music, ed. Jim Samson (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 531.

30

In a century where traditional religious belief and secular spirit were increasingly at odds, Liszt’s

spiritual convictions and modern artistic impulses were far from complementary. His sacred

works represent his attempt to unify these two internal forces in a singular expression of faith.55

Franck

César Franck (1822–90) was one of France’s leading composers in the second half of the nineteenth century. In his writing, he sought to synthesize the Viennese classical ideals of form with the chromatic, experimental harmonies of Liszt and Wagner. His importance rests not only on the quality of his works, but also on the remarkable influence he had on the next generation of composers. Led by Henri Duparc, a pupil of Franck’s at the Jesuit College in Rue Vaurigard, a group of young students named the bande à Franck devoted themselves to his tutelage, drawing inspiration from his musical aesthetic and open, accepting teaching style. He became professor of organ in 1871, and his classes became unofficial seminars in composition.

Franck’s most famous religious works are his two oratorios, Les beatitudes and

Rédemption, as well as his setting of Panis Angelicus. He also composed a Messe solennelle, a

Messe à trois voix, and a large number of motets. Generally, his vocal and choral works are not

as strong as his symphonic, chamber, and keyboard pieces. This results, in part, from his poor

ability to set prose and on his lack of literary discernment. Despite his skill as a contrapuntalist,

Franck’s choral pieces tend to favor homophonic textures. His oratorios suffer from his inability

to depict a complete emotional range, especially the dark side of humanity.56

54Dickinson, 215.

55Butt, Choral Culture, 531–33; Alan Walker, et al, “Liszt, Franz [Ferenc],” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.

56John Trevitt and Joël-Marie Fauquet, “Franck, César(-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 31

Dubois

Théodore Dubois (1837–1924) wrote a large number of religious works for which he is best remembered today. His Messe brève in Eb for three voices was sung all over France, and his oratorio Les sept paroles du Christ was performed well into the twentieth century to celebrate

Good Friday. The Messe solennelle de Saint-Rémi and the Messe de la Délivrance were also popular works. Well respected by his peers for his hard work, integrity, artistic clarity and idealism, Dubois received the nomination to the Académie des Beaux-Arts following Gounod’s death in 1894.57

Widor

Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937) is best known for his organ playing and organ compositions, including ten symphonies for organ that explore its coloristic and expressive range. Widor served as organist at St. Sulpice in Paris for a remarkable sixty-four years. In 1890 he was appointed professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory and became professor of composition in 1896. While organ playing secured Widor’s important place in France’s sacred music history, he also composed a number of motets and a mass for double chorus and two organs (1878). His works show a preference for double chorus.58

Saint-Saëns

Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) contributed widely to French music during his lifetime. He was a well-respected virtuoso pianist and organist (Liszt claimed Saint-Saëns was the greatest organist in the world), writer, and composer. He contributed to the renaissance of French music

57Jann Pasler, “Dubois, (François Clément) Théodore,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com.

58Andrew Thompson, “Widor, Charles-Marie(-Jean-Albert),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 32 in the 1870’s and co-founded the Société Nationale, a concert society created to promote new works of French composers. His works reflect respect for traditional forms, clarity, and balance, and for this reason he is often compared with Mozart. His aesthetic preferences set him in opposition to the younger generation of French composers influenced by Wagnerian harmony and the spirit of experimentation; therefore, Saint-Saëns was somewhat disregarded as a reactionary by his countrymen as the century wore on. Today, however, he is regarded as one of the greatest French composers of his time.

Saint-Saëns began church work at an early age. In 1853 he was appointed organist at St.

Merry, and while in this post he composed his Mass op.4. He was organist at the Madeline from

1857–77, during which time he wrote over twenty motets, with numerous settings of Ave Maria,

O Salutaris, and Ave Verum. His Oratorio de Noël, which remains within the modern performance repetoire, was written during his first year at the Madeline. He wrote his Requiem in 1878, just after his release from service at the Madeline, and he continued writing smaller sacred works throughout the remainder of his life.59

Fauré

Gabrielle Fauré’s (1845–1924) sacred choral music holds a prominent place within his enduring works. His oft performed Requiem is well known for its sensitive, hopeful depiction of requiem themes in comparison with more dramatic settings by other Romantic composers (e.g.

Verdi and Berlioz). His sacred works for women’s chorus, including a number of motets and the

Messe Basse, also remain in the performance repertoire, as does the Cantique de Jean Racine, an early work that won Fauré first prize in a competition while he was a student at the Ecole

59Sabina Teller Ratner, Daniel M. Fallon, James Harding, et al., “Saint-Saëns, (Charles) Camille,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 33

Niedermeyer. The enduring popularity of his works arises from their craftsmanship, beauty, and sublime expressiveness.60

Gounod

The individuality of composers’ styles during the romantic period makes it difficult to generalize about the stylistic traits of French religious music during the nineteenth century. For the same reason, it is challenging to relate Gounod’s religious works to those of other important composers. The above discussion does not so much point toward a synthesis of style within

French mass composition as it does suggest that sacred music continued to occupy the interest of a number of the leading composers during the century.

The centralization of musical resources within Paris during the 1800’s also poses a challenge to unveiling church music practice throughout France. The music heard in church services within the capital was certainly different than that heard in outlying provinces, where resources would have been far more modest. Gounod’s church music, or the church music of any of the above composers, should not be taken as one example among a uniform body of religious creations. Furthermore, it should not be examined in relation to preconceived stylistic ideals established by ecclesiastical leaders, something that could be more accurately assumed during earlier periods. Therefore, in the following discussion of Gounod’s masses it is most accurate to consider the musical characteristics as expressions of Gounod’s personal aesthetic values and spiritual perspectives rather than conformity to exterior constraints or stylistic norms.

One aspect of Gounod’s religious music stands unique among the composers discussed above: its sheer volume far exceeds the output of these composers. With the exception of

Dubois, the religious music makes up a far greater percentage of his overall output than that of

60Jean-Michel Nectoux, “Fauré, Gabrielle (Urbain),” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008), http://www.grovemusic.com. 34 the other composers. The reason for this emphasis on sacred music composition becomes clear against the backdrop of his life. The following chapter summarizes Gounod’s biography, emphasizing the experiences and influences that inspired Gounod to write his large number of masses and other sacred works.

35

CHAPTER 3

GOUNOD AS A CHURCH MUSICIAN

While Charles Gounod’s operas are his most lasting legacy, his musical career was

divided between the theater and the church. Gounod achieved important early successes with

sacred choral compositions, including two masses and a Requiem, which undoubtedly built the

young composer’s confidence. This encouragement most assuredly contributed to his exclusive

focus on religious music composition in his early career. While his focus eventually turned to the

theater as he matured as an artist, he never abandoned writing motets, masses, and devotional

songs.

Gounod’s personal religious devotion led in large part to his divided attention between

opera and religious music. Martin Cooper asserts that Gounod’s “naturally emotional and

idealistic temperament,” combined with the clerical and monarchist politics during his

upbringing, “[made] religion one of the most persistent and one of the deepest sources of

inspiration throughout his life.”61 Cooper describes Gounod’s religious life as “that other sphere

[other than opera] which he always felt instinctively to be the basis and foundation of his whole

life and work.”62 Gounod’s spirituality influenced his operatic writing, which frequently dwells

on religious themes. It moved him to compose sacred music throughout his life, including the

years of his greatest theatrical success.

Gounod’s religious fervor nearly led him away from a musical career and into the

priesthood on two separate occasions early in his life. The first episode occurred during his first

few months studying in Italy as a winner of the Prix de Rome. When he arrived in Rome in 1840,

61Martin Cooper, “Charles Gounod and His Influence on French Music,” Music and Letters 21 (January 1940): 50–51.

62Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 51–52. 36

the city underwhelmed him. Far from home, and living in what he saw as a backward provincial

town, Gounod became depressed. In his dampened mood, Gounod looked to an old school

friend, Charles Gay, for emotional support. Gay, who had recently joined the priesthood and

moved to Rome, continually nudged Gounod in the direction of the church. He introduced

Gounod to his mentor, Le Pére Lacordaire, a young Dominican friar and persuasive orator, and

Gounod promptly joined Lacordaire’s religious band, the Brotherhood of St. John the Evangelist.

In letters written during these months, his brother and mother express increasing alarm at his

growing devotion, and it appeared, for a time, that Gounod would abandon his musical studies

for church service. While his religious fever gradually cooled with the help of his family’s

warnings, his compositions from his Roman days, a mass and Te Deum, reflect his continued

religious focus.

The second call to the clergy came even more strongly while Gounod was working at the

Séminare des Missions Etrangéres from 1843–48. Despite his lay status, he began sending his

letters on the church’s letterhead and signing them with “abbé Charles Gounod.” While

beginning only as a mindset rather than an accurate description of his clerical status, his self-

perception as clergy eventually grew into a more active intention. In October of 1847 he was

granted permission to begin a three-year course of study at the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice. He started immediately, but it didn’t take long to reveal Gounod’s divided heart. Depressed by the

austerity of the lifestyle, and haunted by dreams of the theater, Gounod dropped out of the

seminary after only five months. His conversion back to the secular world was speedy and

convincing. He quit his church position in 1848, and within two years he had written and staged

his first opera, Sapho.63 While his musical career ultimately took precedence over his aspirations

63Julien Tiersot, “Charles Gounod: A Centennial Tribute,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 4 (July 1918): 421–23; James Harding, Gounod (New York: Stein and Day, 1973), 53–56. 37

toward the priesthood, he remained religious and continued to write for the church until the very

end of his life—his final work was a Requiem mass. Each stage of Gounod’s career reflects the

importance of religious feeling on his compositional activities. A brief description of his career,

emphasizing the events associated with his religious output, is contained in the remainder of the

chapter.

Student Days (1839–43)

Gounod’s first sacred music was written while still a student at the Paris Conservatory. In

October of 1838 he composed an Agnus Dei for a memorial service on the anniversary of Le

Sueur’s death. This musical tribute to his former teacher won Gounod praise by Berlioz, who said it was “beautiful, very beautiful. Everything about it is novel and refined: the melodic line, the modulations and the harmony. M. Gounod has shown that much can be expected of him.”64

A year later, shortly after he was awarded the Prix de Rome in composition, he had an entire mass performed at the church of Saint-Eustache.

Rome introduced Gounod to an entirely new world of sacred music. In listening to religious music at the Sistine Chapel, Gounod became enraptured with the music of Palestrina, a style previously unknown to him. He viewed the stile antico style as an expression of pure and selfless faith. He admired it for its “absence of visible technique, of worldly tricks, and of vain ornamentation.” Observing these same qualities in the paintings of Michelangelo, he mused that the works of both masters could be “the fruit of one and the same artistic inspiration.”65

Palestrina’s contrapuntal style found its way into Gounod’s future works. Those pieces using

64As quoted in Harding, Gounod, 35.

65Charles Gounod, Autobiographical Reminiscences: With Family Letters and Notes on Music, trans. W. Hely Hutchinson (New York: Da Capo Press, 1970), 71. 38

these sixteenth-century elements, referred to as his “white-note” works, were written throughout

his career and include masses and motets as early as 1843 and as late as 1888.66

During his stay in Rome, Gounod completed the Messe á grand orchestre and an

unaccompanied Te Deum for ten voices. The mass was performed first in Rome and then in

Vienna in September of 1842. Gounod had moved to Vienna in the first stage of his year of

German studies during his final year abroad. The mass was so well received in Vienna that

Count Stockhammer, the president of the Vienna Philharmonic, commissioned a requiem,

performed in November, and an a cappella mass, performed in the Carlskirche on Easter 1843.67

While in Rome, Gounod was also introduced to the music of Bach through his frequent association with Fanny Mendelssohn during her stay there in the summer of 1840. His later studies in Germany, and more specifically his interactions with Fanny Hensel and Felix

Mendelssohn while living there, further acquainted him with Bach’s sacred choral music. With the revelation of both Palestrina and Bach, Gounod returned to France with the determination to raise French sacred music from its degraded state.

Service at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres (1843–48)

Gounod’s professional life following his studies abroad was almost entirely devoted to religious music. Upon his return home he took a post at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres and served as the maître de chapelle from 1843–48. During his tenure he sought to elevate the degraded state of French church music, which had fallen under the secular, and often trivial, influence of the theatre.68 Within his parish, he championed the music of Palestrina and Bach,

66Steven Heubner, “Gounod, Charles-François,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007), http://www.grovemusic.com.

67Harding, Gounod, 48–49.

39

despite initial opposition from the congregation and priest. These styles were foreign and

unpleasing to the members, and Gounod lacked the musical resources and personnel to perform

these works to great effect. Nonetheless, in time he converted his congregation to these styles.69

Gounod’s work to revive the music of these ancient masters stands as a little known precursor to the well-known efforts of Charles Bordes and the Schola Cantorum near the end of the nineteenth century.70

In the five years following his studies, Gounod’s emphasis on church music was so

strong that in 1844 his brother expressed that the young composer had no interest in writing for

the theatre, but was only interested in writing sacred music.71 Such a perspective seems

surprising given Gounod’s ultimate place in music history as an important operatic composer.

During this time he wrote two masses for men’s chorus, one a cappella and the other with organ

accompaniment.

Opera and the Orphéon (1848–60)

In 1848 Gounod left his church position to focus on a theatrical career. The reasons for

this change remain unclear, and the next twenty years would see a decline in his religious output.

Nevertheless, Gounod continued to compose religious music. His Messe Solennelle de Sainte

Cécile, considered one of his lasting musical legacies, was written in 1855, five years after he

wrote his first opera, Sapho, and four years before the completion of his most enduring opera,

Faust.

68Joseph Dyer, “Roman Catholic Church Music,” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007), http://www.grovemusic.com.

69Harding, Gounod, 51–52.

70Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 58–59.

71Tiersot, “A Centennial Tribute,” 420 and 422.

40

Gounod’s interest in church music, and choral music in general, was sustained during the

period of his operatic years by his appointment from 1852–60 as the Director of the L’Orphéon

de la Ville de Paris, a civic choral organization that provided musical opportunities for the working class.72 Through his leadership, the organization flourished. There was a high level of

enthusiasm within the group, and the public came to expect high musical quality.73 By his final

year as director, numbers were at an all-time high. The ensemble had outgrown its performance

space, the Cirque-Napoléon, and the organization had to be divided in two.74 The improvement

of the Orphéon de Paris contributed to the expansion and improvement of the national

organization as a whole. Near the end of his tenure (on the same weekend as the premiere of

Faust at the Théâtre-Lyrique on 19 March 1859) the organization had its inaugural grande

reunion des orphéonistes de France, an event involving choral groups from all over France. For

three days, over 6000 singers from 304 different choral societies participated in the festivities.75

Donna Di Grazia describes the mutual benefit the happy arrangement brought to both Gounod and the organization:

His high-profile position with the Orphéon had earned him a place as one of France’s most prominent musicians and he always carried fond memories of the experience…. But as the Orphéon helped establish Gounod’s career, so was Gounod responsible for establishing a certain level of competence and quality with his orphéonistes which secured the success and reputation of the Orphéon de Paris, and experienced vicariously by its cousin sociétés chorales, in the 1850s.76

72Heubner, “Gounod,” http://www.grovemusic.com.

73Donna M. Di Grazia, “Concert Societies in Paris and Their Choral Repertoires c. 1828–1880” (PhD. diss., Washington University, 1993), 156.

74Di Grazia, Concert Societies, 155.

75Di Grazia, Concert Societies, 147.

76Di Grazia, Concert Societies, 149–50. 41

He wrote secular works as part of his official duties with this organization, but the skills he gained in writing for L’Orphéon’s large choral forces also proved useful in his sacred works for large chorus and orchestra.77 During these years he wrote a mass for his singers, the Messe aux Orphéonistes, and his famous Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile.

Operatic Apex (1859–71)

With the rise of his operatic career, Gounod resigned from the Orphéon organization in

1860. For the next decade he focused on opera, writing five operas between 1860 and 1871 but only writing one mass, the Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes. It would take a life-changing event, the Franco-Prussian War, to revive Gounod’s interest in sacred music and place it once again in the forefront of his compositional activities.

Years in England (1871–74)

At the onset of the Franco-Prussian War in the summer of 1870, Gounod and his family sought refuge in England. At the close of the war in May of 1871, Gounod refused to return home with his wife and family. He had become entangled in an odd relationship with a strong- willed, amateur singer named Georgina Weldon. Though Mrs. Weldon’s feelings toward Gounod were platonic (his towards her were not), she invited Gounod to live with her and her estranged husband in November of 1871, where he stayed until June of 1874.78 Tiersot effectively summarizes the unfortunate circumstances of these years: “[It is] a period which we should be glad to omit from Gounod’s biography.”79 Despite his troubled personal life during his England years, and frequent illness due to the related stress, Gounod continued writing theatrical, choral,

77Harding, Gounod, 77.

78Harding, Gounod, 77.

79Tiersot, “A Centennial Tribute,” 432. 42

and solo voice works. England’s thriving choral culture provided a receptive market for

Gounod’s melodic gifts, and new sacred choral genres, including oratorio and the Anglican

anthem, became part of Gounod’s musical language and output. He also completed three masses,

including a requiem mass for chorus and orchestra, a mass for men’s voices and organ, and a

mass for mixed choir and organ.

Gounod also rose to public prominence while in England, though his relationship with the

musical establishment seemed prone to the same turbulence as his personal life. In the spring of

1872 he was hired to direct concerts at Royal Albert Hall, but the public was unhappy with both

Gounod’s choice of music, much of which was his own work, and with the Royal Choir

Society’s choice of a foreigner to lead a government subsidized institution. After only a few concerts Gounod was replaced with an Englishman, Joseph Barnby. Gounod also established close ties with the English music publisher, Novello. However, the relationship was soon severed by a number of messy legal battles over royalties. Despite all of Gounod’s hardships in England, the people had learned to love his music and his style had a significant impact upon Victorian musical taste. This is evidenced (and perhaps was even encouraged) by the fact that Gounod became Queen Victoria’s favorite composer.

Return to France and Closing Years (1874–94)

Following his return to Paris from England in 1874, Gounod began searching for a more immediate and straightforward emotional language, an effort consistent with his earlier artistic ideals. The transition period of the seventies, according to Cooper, was “really little more than a period of groping towards a new way of realizing what were fundamentally the same ideals

[established in his earlier career]…. [His ideal was] to obtain the maximum effect with the minimum apparent effort, to reduce the representation of effects to mere indications and to

43 concentrate all the interest on the expression of feeling.”80 His search represented, in part, a resistance to the Wagnerian ideals influencing younger French composers. His cautious stance toward Wagnerism, which he compared to a rising storm, resonated with the ideals of the Société

Nationale in Paris.

Tiersot justifies Gounod’s resistance to Wagner, but also hints at the creative stagnation this resistance may have heralded in Gounod’s case: “For French musicians, the victims of this invasion, the choice was left of only two ways—either to join the following of the victor with good grace … or not to acknowledge themselves conquered, and to resist with their own weapons, even though inferior.”81 Tiersot summarizes Gounod’s position in the following way:

“Gounod, a French musician, naturally made French music.”82 These views do not suggest that

French music had nothing with which to confront new German ideas, but only that Gounod was unsuccessful in doing so. Unlike his younger peers at the Société Nationale, Gounod was unable to discover fresh ideas in which to confront Wagner’s onslaught. He may have continued to write

“French music,” but this music was a transparent reflection of previous decades rather than a revitalization emerging from renewed materials. Despite his goal of heightened emotional effect, the simplicity in his later music too often approached banality, sentimentality, or theatric piety.

Cooper explains the situation in which Gounod found himself upon his return from

England: “In those four years [in England] he developed a new side of his personality and lost his position as leader of French music…. When he returned he found that new forces had been mobilized in position, at any rate as leader of the younger generation, was gone.”83 Given his

80Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 55–56.

81Tiersot, “A Centennial Tribute,” 437.

82Tiersot, “A Centennial Tribute,” 438.

83Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 54–55. 44

weakening muse, his four-year exile in England, and the growing strength of a maturing younger

generation of composers, Gounod had lost his central place within Parisian musical life by 1874.

Cooper compares the closing stage of Gounod’s career with that of Victor Hugo: “As

both men’s ideals became vaster and their ideas, as they thought, more profound, their art in fact

became increasingly repetitive and platitudinous.”84 His sacred works from the time reflect this

creative weakening. Cooper describes the flaw in Gounod’s approach: “This consciously

‘childlike’ simplicity is always suspect in an artist, for it almost inevitably conceals an element

of pomposity and insincerity which tends to grow with age, and even more with success, until it

finally rots the sounder elements in an artistic nature.”85

His late oratorios, La Rédemption and Mors et Vita, exemplify the nature of this period.

Their immediate accessibility made them extremely popular at the time, especially in England

where the public considered him a worthy successor to Handel and Mendelssohn as the next

great oratorio writer. However, they lacked the depth to make an impression on the course of

music history. Harding identifies the cause of their brief life: “However expert the choral writing

may sometimes be, however skilful the orchestration, Mors et Vita and Rédemption were fated to moulder unheard once the fashion that called them into existence had passed.”86 This same

explanation may well be applied to other works from Gounod’s final two decades, including his

masses. During this period, he completed two large-scale masses for chorus and orchestra, five

masses for chorus and organ, and two requiems. Cooper said the following regarding Gounod’s

last twelve masses: “All conform to the formula that he had established earlier: would-be

84Martin Cooper, “Gounod, Charles,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed., vol. 7, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: MacMillan, 1980), 585.

85Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 56.

86Harding, Gounod, 211. 45

sublimely simple, but in fact increasingly commonplace melody, conventionally ecclesiastical in

the choral sections, but often operatic in the solo numbers, and a bland, often saccharine

chromatic harmony, particularly at the frequent cadences.”87 His late masses do not necessarily reflect a slipping of compositional craftsmanship, but rather offer little in the way of new stylistic development.

87Cooper, “Gounod, Charles,” 585. 46

CHAPTER 4

GOUNOD’S DIVERSE MASS SETTINGS: AN OVERVIEW

During his lifetime Charles Gounod completed twenty-one Catholic masses, a

remarkably high number compared to other notable French Romantic composers. Berlioz, Frank,

Saint-Saëns, and Fauré each wrote only two. A variety of life experiences, including personal

religious convictions and employment associated with choral organizations, contributed to this

uncommon emphasis. What makes this output even more unusual is the variety among his

masses. The twenty-one Catholic masses vary in length, text selection, voicing, and

accompaniment. This output includes messes brèves and longer messes solennelles. Gounod

wrote standard mass ordinaries, mass ordinaries with alternate texts, and requiem masses with a

variety of selected texts. There are masses for men’s, women’s and mixed chorus, as well as

masses for unaccompanied voices, organ accompaniment, and orchestral accompaniment. In the

remainder of the document, I will be discussing the musical content of Charles Gounod’s masses.

This chapter contains a stylistic overview, a mass catalogue, and a methodology for analyzing

the masses. In Chapters Five through Eight I present the analyses.

Gounod’s Sacred Style

Gounod’s musical style was admired in its day for its craftsmanship and clarity. Cooper

praises Gounod’s music for its “charm and discretion, an absence of over-emphasis and a clarity

of style which are among the greatest gifts of the French artistic genius.”88 Gounod’s exposure to

Bach’s music in Germany, in Cooper’s view, “[laid] the foundation for that fine workmanship,

that thoroughness and competence which were to distinguish all Gounod’s compositions, even

88Martin Cooper, “Charles Gounod and His Influence on French Music,” Music and Letters 21 (January 1940): 53. 47

the most trivial.”89 Gounod’s masses, among Gounod’s least trivial works given their texts and

Gounod’s personal devotion, exhibit this workmanship throughout. Dickinson explains why this

assertion holds for Gounod’s smaller-scale masses: “Because of the regard [French romantics]

had for the smaller forms of practical church music, a technical refinement was manifested,

especially in the church music of Charles Gounod.”90

Tiersot claims that Gounod pioneered a new religious style: “In the setting of [his sacred]

works Gounod took the lead in a style quite unfamiliar to the art of sacred music—a style at

times not wanting in breadth, but whose expression is founded, beyond all else, on charm.91 He

further explains that “at bottom, it is grace that predominates,” and it is this gracefulness that

congruously blends Gounod’s religious and sensual (theatrical) instincts in one musical style:

Now, this word “grace” is susceptible of two interpretations; the one wholly secular, when supplied to external charms, the other sacred, when it designates virtue and talent inspired by the divine will. In our characterization of Gounod’s works these two significations are blended; no other term could better set forth and describe the sum total of what his art comprehends and expresses.92

Gounod’s tendency to use melodic beauty, charm, or grace to portray both the sacred and sensual

has raised the question of Gounod’s religious sincerity when setting the liturgy. André Cœuroy

claims that the difficulty in determining a composer’s religious convictions from his sacred

compositions results from the illusive nature of sacred music: “The attempt to settle the question

[of sacred music’s definition] is hazardous, considering that however profoundly sincere a

musician’s religious feeling may be, he will express it through his personal impressionability,

89Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 51.

90Karl Gustav Fellerer, The History of Catholic Church Music, trans. Francis A. Brunner (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1961), 174.

91Julien Tiersot, “Charles Gounod: A Centennial Tribute,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 4 (July 1918): 424.

92Tiersot, “A Centennial Tribute,” 425. 48

and not according to laws that cannot be precisely formulated.”93 Gounod wrote music from his

emotional perspective, which drew little distinction between human passion and godly love.

Dickinson argues that Gounod’s melodic charm is compatible with its sacred subject: “The

intoxicating sweetness of his melody and harmony never sinks to a Rossinian flippancy. Of

Gounod’s reverence for the Church and for its art ideals, there can be no question.”94

In Gounod’s day, his music was considered revolutionary for its emotional directness and

honesty. This seems surprising from a twentieth century perspective, where much of Gounod’s

music sounds saccharine and melodramatic. Cooper describes this modern conception in relation

to Gounod’s greatest opera: “The charm and the greatness of ‘Faust’ to Gounod’s

contemporaries lay precisely in those qualities in which we now find it most lacking—in

naturalness, simplicity, and sincerity and directness of emotional appeal.”95 Against the backdrop

of twentieth-century criticism, Saint-Saëns defends Gounod’s place as a master of mass

composition:

Gounod and César Franck have left us superb models in this genre; certain purists affect to condemn the former and exalt the latter; I confess that I can perceive no essential difference between their sacred works; but, if I had a preference, it would be for Gounod, whose St. Cecilia Mass, with his oratorio The Redemption, and above all the oratorio Mors et Vita, seem to me perfectly to characterize modern religious music.96

Intimate emotional power, according to Saint-saëns, was Gounod’s highest priority in

both sacred and secular music: “The achievement of expressiveness was always Gounod’s main

93André Cœuroy, “Present Tendencies of Sacred Music in France,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 13 (October 1927): 582.

94Edward Dickinson, Music in the History of the Western Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1928), 217.

95Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 53–54.

96Camille Saint-Saëns, “Music in the Church,” The Musical Quarterly 75 (Winter 1991): 24. 49

preoccupation: that is why there are so few notes in his music . . . each note ‘sings.’”97 He kept his music simple to achieve a more immediate emotional impact. It was this very simplicity, according to Fruehwald, that inspired the admiration of Saint-Saëns: “In all Gounod's works,

Saint-Saëns discerned a simplicity, which he believed was the highest consummation of art and which is not possible for most composers.”98 With this understanding of Gounod’s expressive

intent, his music can be better understood and appreciated, rather than dismissed, for its direct,

straight-forward musical and emotional language.

Mass Catalogue

Below is a chronological list of Gounod’s masses, specifying their performance forces

and dates. The masses are grouped within the biographical periods described above to more

clearly contextualize the masses within Gounod’s life. Masses listed in parentheses are revoiced

publications of the first listed mass. An updated list of published editions of the masses is

contained in Appendix C.

Chronological List of Gounod’s Masses

Student Days (1839–43)  Messe à grand orchestre Chorus, orch. 1839

 Messe à grand orchestre A, T solo, TTB chorus, orch. 1841

 Requiem à grand orchestra Chorus, orch. 1842

 Messe Chorus, unacc. 1843

97As quoted in Cooper, “Influence on French Music,” 55.

98Scott Fruehwald, “Saint-Saëns’s Views on Music and Musicians,” International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 15 (December 1984): 168. 50

Service at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres (1843–48)  Messe TTB chorus, org. 1845

 Messe Brève et Salut (op.1) TTBB chorus, unacc. 1846

Opera and the Orphéon (1848–60)  Messe aux Orphéonistes TTB chorus, 2 S ad lib., unacc. 1853 (Messe no. 1 aux Orphéonistes 1863)

 Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile STB soloists, SATB chr., orch., org. 1855 (new 2nd Offertory added in 1874)

Operatic Apex (1859–71)  Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes TTBB chorus, org. ad lib. 1862 (Messe no. 3 aux communautés religieuses 3 equal voices, org. ad lib. 1882) (Messe no. 6 aux cathedrals SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1893)

Years in England (1871–74)  Messe brève TTB soloists, TTB chorus, org. 1871 (Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaires 1892)

 Messe brève, pour les morts (Requiem) Solo voices, dbl. chr., SATB, orch. 1873

 Missa angeli custodies SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1873

Return to France and Closing Years (1874–94)  Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus SATB soloists, SATB chorus, orch. 1876

 Messe 2 equal voices, org. 1877 (Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles TB soloists, SATB chorus, org./pf. 1890)

 Messe funèbre (arr. by J. Dormois) SATB, org. ad lib. 1883

 Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques SATB chorus, orch. 1883

 Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1887 (Paired with a Prelude ) (SATB chorus, 8 tpt., 2 trbn., org.)

 Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de la SATB chorus, org. 1888 liturgie catholique (preceded by a Te Deum)

 Messe de St. Jean, d’après le chant grégorien SATB chorus, org. 1895 51

 Messe dite de Clovis, d’aprés le chant grégorien SATB chorus, org. 1895

 Requiem SATB soloists, chorus, pf./org. 1895 (Gounod’s last work, arr. and ed. H. Busser)

In addition to chronology, Gounod’s masses can be ordered by category. Four general mass categories arise according to mass length, accompaniment type, and liturgical purpose: (1) early unaccompanied masses, (2) small-scale masses using organ accompaniment, (3) large-scale masses with orchestral accompaniment, and (4) requiem masses. The list below places Gounod’s masses within these general categories.

Categorized List of Gounod’s Masses

Unaccompanied masses  Messe Chorus, unacc. 1843

 Messe Brève et Salut (op.1) TTBB chorus, unacc. 1846

 Messe aux Orphéonistes TTB chorus, 2 S ad lib., unacc. 1853 (Messe no. 1 aux Orphéonistes 1863)

Masses with organ accompaniment

 Messe TTB chorus, org. 1845

 Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes TTBB chorus, org. ad lib. 1862 (Messe no. 3 aux communautés religieuses 3 equal voices, org. ad lib. 1882) (Messe no. 6 aux cathedrals SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1893)

 Messe brève TTB soloists, TTB chorus, org. 1871 (Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaires 1892)

 Missa angeli custodies SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1873

 Messe 2 equal voices, org. 1877 (Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles TB soloists, SATB chorus, org./pf. 1890)

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 Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org. 1887 (Paired with a Prelude ) (SATB chorus, 8 tpt., 2 trbn., org.)

 Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de la SATB chorus, org. 1888 liturgie catholique (preceded by a Te Deum)

 Messe de St. Jean, d’après le chant grégorien SATB chorus, org. 1895

 Messe dite de Clovis, d’aprés le chant grégorien SATB chorus, org. 1895

Masses with orchestral accompaniment  Messe à grand orchestre Chorus, orch. 1839

 Messe à grand orchestre A, T solo, TTB chorus, orch. 1841

 Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile STB soloists, SATB chr., orch., org. 1855 (new 2nd Offertory added in 1874)

 Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus SATB soloists, SATB chorus, orch. 1876

 Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques SATB chorus, orch. 1883

Requiem Masses  Requiem à grand orchestra Chorus, orch. 1842

 Messe brève, pour les morts (Requiem) Solo voices, dbl. chr., SATB, orch. 1873

 Messe funèbre (arr. by J. Dormois) SATB, org. ad lib. 1883

 Requiem SATB soloists, chorus, pn./org. 1895 (Gounod’s last work, Arr. and ed. H. Busser)

Methodology

In the remainder of the document I will discuss each of Gounod’s twenty-one masses.

Given Gounod’s extensive mass output, an in-depth musical analysis of each mass is beyond the scope of this document. Therefore, the analyses include a general description of each mass movement that describes the most salient features in greater detail. I will discuss the biographical context, textual variations from the standard liturgy (if any), performance considerations, large-

53 scale formal structure, tempo, meter, and overall mood of each movement. For Gounod’s unpublished masses, I will, by necessity, only address their biographical significance. Because the unaccompanied masses all remain unpublished, they will not occupy an entire chapter, but will be briefly discussed at the close of this chapter. In Chapter Five I will address the masses with organ accompaniment, Chapter Six the masses with orchestral accompaniment, and Chapter

Seven the requiem masses. In particular, I will examine the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile in

Chapter Six. Given its place within the modern performance repertoire, a musical analysis of this mass with orchestra will prove especially useful to the choral conducting profession. Lastly, in

Chapter Seven I will address the Requiem (1893). This work has particular historical significance as Gounod’s final composition. The day before he died, he slipped into unconsciousness while looking over the score.

The Unaccompanied Masses

The unaccompanied mass represents an important phase in Gounod’s compositional career. After writing his first three masses for chorus and orchestra (1839–42), he then wrote three of his next four masses for unaccompanied voices (1843–53). This focus on a cappella writing reflects the deep impressions Palestrina’s music made upon Gounod during his studies as a Prix de Rome winner, and it demonstrates his subsequent efforts to purify French religious music upon his return to France.

Messe, Unaccompanied chorus, 1843

The unaccompanied Messe (1843) was written during Gounod’s student days in Vienna.

Upon the Viennese public’s warm reception of Gounod’s Messe á grand orchestra (1841), which he had written in Rome, Count Stockhammer, the president of the Vienna Philharmonic,

54 commissioned this a cappella mass, as well as the Requiem à grand orchestra (1842). The Messe

(1843) was performed in the Carlskirche on Easter 1843.99

Messe Brève et Salut (op.1), TTBB chorus, unacc., 1846

The Messe Brève et Salut (1846) was written while Gounod was serving as the Maître de

Chapelle at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres.

Messe aux Orphéonistes, TTB chorus, 2 S ad lib., unacc., 1853 (Messe no. 1 aux Orphéonistes, 1863)

The Messe no. 1 aux Orphéonistes is the last of the three unaccompanied masses and represent the greatest stylistic maturity among these masses. It was written for the Orphéon

Society while Gounod served as the Director of the L’Orphéon de la Ville de Paris.

99James Harding, Gounod (New York: Stein and Day, 1973), 48–49. 55

CHAPTER 5

THE MASSES WITH ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT

Gounod’s masses with organ accompaniment, written for modest vocal forces, were

intended for practical worship. In an artistic culture favoring dramatic, orchestral mass settings,

these small-scale works were rarely written by composers of Gounod’s stature. Wienandt

explains their increasing rarity: “When the occasional work that was written expressly for the

church appears, it is somewhat a surprising phenomenon, a duckling among peacocks. What we

had taken for granted in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries developed into a

sometime thing with the eighteenth, and into quite a rare one in the nineteenth.”100

Works of this nature, says Wienandt, have received little scholarly attention: “The small

religious works of the past two centuries still await a complete study. Only after the results of

such a study are known can we see their true place in the church service.”101 These works have

been neglected for a number of reasons. First, few leading composers wrote them. Second,

sacred music from the Romantic period is, in general, less often studied than secular genres.

Third, these small-scale masses are often of poor quality and contain little innovation. Wienandt

even expresses reservation at attempting such a study: “It is possible to resurrect much music

from the last century written expressly for the religious service, but it would, in many cases,

simply provide embarrassing examples of inept craftsmanship or convenient re-composition.”102

Gratefully, Gounod’s masses with organ accompaniment escape this condemnation, making them all the more rare. While they may suffer, at times, from a lack of innovation, Gounod’s

100Elwyn A. Wienandt, Choral Music of the Church (New York: The Free Press, 1965), 415.

101Wienandt, Choral Music, 412.

102Wienandt, Choral Music, 415. 56 masses possess a craftsmanship and quality that raises them above dismissal. While they may not carry the same expressive power of his larger orchestral masses, they reflect a more intimate emotional range, blending balance and restraint with heartfelt expression.

In this chapter I will briefly describe each of Gounod’s published masses for choir and organ. I will also examine two masses, the Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles and Messe de St.

Jean, in greater depth. These two masses exemplify two general trends found in the organ mass.

The Messe brève no. 7 represents the homophonic, lyrical style, while the Messe de St. Jean demonstrates Gounod’s attempt to write in a contrapuntal style.

Messe, TTB chorus, org., 1845

This early mass is one of two masses written during Gounod’s service at the Séminare des Missions Etrangéres. Unfortunately, it remains unpublished and remains unavailable for ready study and performance.

Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes, TTBB chorus, org. ad lib., 1862 (3 equal voices, org. ad lib., 1882) (Messe no. 6 aux cathedrals, SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org., 1893)

The Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes was written in 1862 for TTBB chorus. Its popularity in Gounod’s day is demonstrated by its republication for three equal voices as the Messe no. 3 aux communautés religieuses (1882) and for SATB soloists and chorus as the Messe no. 6 aux cathedrals (1893). Manfred Frank describes this mass as “one of the best—if not the very best— of Gounod’s works in this class.”103 It is the second most widely published organ mass today.

The mass opens with a forceful, threefold declaration of Kyrie, given dramatic impulse by a double dotted quarter-sixteenth note rhythm. This direct, powerful opening accentuates the

103Manfred Frank, forward to Deuxiéme Messe pour les sociétés chorales, by Charles Gounod, trans. John Coombs (Stuttgart: Carus, 1997): 5.

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rich, full men’s chorus sound. The first movement’s form is ABA with an extended coda. The

opening A section has only one authentic cadence, coming in the final measure. It is marked by

motivic and thematic unity through rhythmic repetition, sequence, and literal restatement. The

pianissimo dynamic and a cappella texture of the “Christe eleison” strongly contrasts the opening

“Kyrie.” The chorus chants the text on a repeated chord three separate times, with the organ

responding antiphonally. A long cadential extension follows, marked by a chromatic descent of a

fifth in the bass that delays the cadence for six measures, finally coming to rest in m. 53.

Remarkably, this cadence, which comes in m. 53, is only the second authentic cadence of the

movement. The opening A section is then repeated exactly, followed by a sixteen-measure coda

with two suspension chains. The first is a chain of 2-3 suspensions between tenor I and tenor II,

and the second is a 7-6 chain of suspensions between tenor I and baritone. The bass sings a G

pedal throughout the coda. Gounod rounds off the movement with a varied statement of the

opening phrase, sung Un peu plus lent (a little more slowly). This third occurrence hints somewhat at rondo form.

The “Gloria” is also in three parts, labeled Allegro maestoso, Adagio, and Allegro maestoso. It opens in a similar manner as the “Kyrie,” with fortissimo, dotted rhythms and a threefold statement of the opening idea. Following twenty-six measures of homophony, Gounod introduces an imitative polyphonic section with a subject sung by unison basses and baritones.

The tenors take up the theme a fifth higher after two measures, with a countersubject in the basses and baritones. By m. 41, homophony resumes and the key has modulated to A major. The adagio section beginning with qui tollis starts in D minor with soft a cappella singing, much like the contrasting “Christe” section in the “Kyrie.” Considerable dynamic contrast occurs, with the chorus swelling quickly to forte and falling again to piano within a single measure. Accents,

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extreme ranges, and subito fortissimo markings enhance the drama. The “Gloria’s” opening

material returns at Allegro maestoso in m. 95, but the theme is truncated and new material is

introduced in m. 102. Gounod introduces a playful rhythmic exchange between the first tenors

and other voices beginning in m. 105, which he then reuses in m. 112. The movement closes

with an expansive cadential gesture.

The “Credo” uses considerable contrast to express the text. Four different tempos

facilitate this contrast: Moderato maestoso, Allegro maestoso, Adagio, and Allegro maestoso.

The Moderato maestoso, like the beginning of the preceding movements, opens with strong,

fortissimo homophony. The Allegro maestoso brightens in character. Gounod introduces an

ascending scalar theme in mm. 18 and 19 that becomes a unifying ritornello, heard six times

during the movement, appearing the final time in the concluding six measures. The mood

changes in m. 35, where the voices are hushed to piano and begin a chromatic descent to depict

the text descendit de coelis. The adagio begins pianississimo on Et incarnatus est, explodes to fortississimo on Crucifixus, and then gradually dies away to pianississimo on et sepultus est. The second Allegro maestoso (m. 70) begins with an emphatic forte unison in tenors and organ, declaring Et resurrexit. After four measures, the tenors sing an ascending arpeggio, painting a picture of the text, which initiates an imitative series between tenors and basses. This exchange is interrupted by the four-measure ritornello figure in m. 82. The remainder of the movement is marked by considerable dynamic contrast, dropping down suddenly to piano on three occasions and then building back to forte. The movement closes with a tempo change, plus large (broader), in m. 144 and a final grand statement of the ritornello.

Yet again, Gounod opens the “Sanctus” with the same homophonic, bold writing as the other movements, only in this movement the fortissimo homophony is unrelenting. The first

59 sixteen measures form a parallel period. In mm. 17–28, the texture alternates between the bass section and four-part choir. The basses sing a two-measure, chant-like theme that is then repeated in four-part harmony with independent organ material. This happens three times, a step higher each time. The movement concludes with the “Hosanna” in the same forceful character as the rest of the “Sanctus.”

Gounod substitutes the motet “O Salutaris” for the “Benedictus” and begins this movement pianissimo rather than forte. Instead of full choir, a group of four soloists sings the opening two phrases, which are then repeated by tutti choir. The second half of the movement, starting in m. 17, introduces new text and new musical material. It builds quickly to forte and maintains intensity through the perfect authentic cadence in m. 30. Gounod concludes with a four-measure coda in the muted character of the opening.

The “Agnus Dei” also begins softly with solo quartet singing the first two phrases, again repeated by tutti chorus. The section contains three different sequenced themes and rises up to a forte dynamic before returning to piano. The second section, mm. 17–40, opens with a new forte theme in C major. It is repeated at pianissimo in A minor and followed by a repetition of the closing theme of the A section. A “G” pedal is sustained for the remainder of the second section, mm. 33–40, as two voices sustain the pedal and the other two voices sing a gentle melody in parallel thirds or sixths. A concluding adagio section again recalls the final phrase of the A section, slightly varied and sung more softly.

Gounod includes a “Domine salvum” at the end of the mass. It consists of three eleven- measure strophes, the first for a cappella chorus, the second for organ, and the third an exact repetition of the opening chorus. The first four measures of the first phrase are in unison, as are the first two measures of the second phrase, with each phrase expanding to four parts for the

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cadence. The organ strophe includes a harmonization in the unison measures, contains a C pedal

in the first four measures, and doubles the bass line an octave lower, but is otherwise identical.

Messe brève, TTB soloists, TTB chorus, org., 1871 (Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaries, 1892)

The Messe brève from 1871, republished in 1892 as the Messe brève no. 5 aux

seminaries, was written during Gounod’s first year in England. Gounod omits the Credo while

retaining the other mass ordinary movements.

The “Kyrie” opens with a confident, march-like arpeggiated theme, well suited to the

rich, male chorus sound. The movement’s form, though ABA, is unusual for a “Kyrie” because

the musical division does not align with the text change from Kyrie eleison to Christe eleison.

Instead, the B section continues with the Kyrie text before including the Christe. The A section consists of an organ introduction and two eight-measure periods. The voices take up the first phrase of the eight-measure organ introduction in mm. 9–12, but sing original material thereafter.

The first period, mm. 9–16, is unified by a dotted quarter-eighth rhythmic motive, while the second period is unified by an immediate repetition of its first two measures.

The “B” section, mm. 25–58, begins with an inversion of the opening melodic motive and continues in the same triumphant spirit. However, the mood suddenly changes in m. 32 as a deceptive cadence on E minor interrupts the balanced phrase structure and initiates a more highly chromatic and melodically fragmented section. The remainder of the B section, while more agitated and apprehensive, is not developmental. To unify the section, Gounod uses varied repetition in the first phrase, sequences in the second and third phrases, and exact repetition of the first two measures of the fourth phrase group. The harmonic rhythm and note durations slow and expand on Christe (m. 39), and a deceptive cadence in m. 52 extends the fourth phrase group

61 an additional four measures. An organ interlude, containing four sequences over the expected dominant (G) pedal, precedes the return of the A section in m. 59. An eight-measure coda emerges from the A section’s final cadence in m. 73, and Gounod rounds the movement out with the organ playing an abbreviated statement of the introduction.

The “Gloria” is through-composed in four sections designated by tempo: Adagio,

Allegro, Adagio, and Allegro. The Adagio introduction is striking. It begins with a chant-like tune in octaves in the organ and is followed by an a cappella bass solo in plainsong style. These chant features point toward the more extensive use of plainsong Gounod would later employ in his two posthumous masses. The Allegro section, in triple meter, replaces solemnity with joyfulness. A dotted quarter-eighth-quarter rhythm first heard in m. 25 becomes a unifying motive throughout the section, initiating four pairs of phrases. In contrast to the more symmetrical phrase structure of the “Kyrie,” this section contains a number of irregular three and five-measure phrases.

The second Adagio section, beginning in m. 72, becomes more somber as the unaccompanied men sing in F minor. The music sweetens, however, after only ten measures as the basses sing a soli phrase in the relative (Ab) major. Rich tutti homophony follows, warmed by sustained major-minor seventh chords. Gounod prepares for the return to Tempo I (Allegro) in C major via an F# diminished second chord resolving to the G major dominant that is extended for six measures through a dominant pedal. The brief, sixteen-measure Allegro section, which follows, extends the dominant elaboration, with the pedal remaining for nine of the sixteen measures. A declamatory five-measure phrase, marked Plus lent (slower), closes the movement.

The opening of the “Sanctus” is uncharacteristic in two ways. First, Gounod rarely begins movements in a minor key, but begins the “Sanctus” in A minor. At the same time, he quickly

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betrays his tendency toward major keys by modulating to the relative C major by the second

cadence (m. 9). Second, while Gounod usually sets the first two lines of text (Sanctus, Sanctus,

Sanctus, and Dominus Deus Sabaoth) with two independent musical ideas, he opens this

“Sanctus” with a lyrical tenor solo that incorporates both into one melodic gesture. Homophonic

chorus repeats the opening tenor melody when they enter in m. 10. The tenors sing the first three

measures of the melody, and the baritones sing the final five measures. In mm. 18–25 the tenor

soloist sings a new, more energetic melody resulting from its C major key and a greater number

of vocal leaps. An E pedal throughout the next phrase, mm. 26–33, reestablishes A minor as the

tonal center and prepares for a shift to A major in m. 34. The basses sing a soli melody in these

measures that helps build energy toward this modal change. They sing four closely-related, two-

measure gestures that share a common rhythm, reinforce the dominant pedal, and ascend in pitch

with each successive gesture. At the anticipated A major arrival, tenors and baritones join the

bass to declaim Pleni sunt coeli at a fortissimo dynamic. Interestingly, Gounod does not begin

this new text at this natural point of arrival, but includes the Pleni sunt coeli text in the preceding

phrase. The work closes with a five-measure “Hosanna” with dotted rhythms and sixteenth note

pick-ups that create an exultant mood.

The “Benedictus,” for solo trio, is very short, yet highly distinctive. Gounod uses what

Frank describes as “archaic-sounding choral declamation”104 to intone the Benedictus text twice,

with no individual word repetition, at a very slow tempo. The same five-measure phrase is sung

first in A major modulating to C# minor, then in Ab major modulating to C minor, preparing the

return to the parallel C major in the “Agnus Dei.”

104Manfred Frank, Forward to Messe no. 5 aux seminaries, by Charles Gounod, trans. John Coombs (Stuttgart: Carus, 1992), 6. 63

The “Agnus Dei” begins more serenely than any other moment. The bass soloist sings a

simple, balanced melody, rendered restful by pedals on both C, mm. 2–5, and on G, mm. 10–13.

Tutti choir elides with the close of the bass phrase and majestically sings the text in a cappella

homophony. Gounod introduces imitative textures for the first time in the mass, mimicking a

Renaissance point of imitation in mm. 23–28. In mm. 32–39 the bass section repeats the opening

of the bass solo with the other voices harmonizing above. The original melody is interrupted and

extended in mm. 40–43. The tenors take up the second melodic phrase, which has shifted to the

key of F via direct modulation. The baritones provide contrapuntal interest, imitating the theme in a slightly altered form. In m. 44 the basses repeat the second phrase, returning to C major as if the tenor interruption never occurred, with the baritones again enhancing the texture, this time with more exact canonic imitation. The movement concludes with a four-measure homophonic plagal gesture.

Missa angeli custodies, SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org., 1873

The Missa angeli custodies, like the Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaires, was written during Gounod’s years in England. The Kyrie, in ABA' form, is built from only a few musical ideas that are repeated and transformed. It opens with a chant-like phrase sung by the women and immediately repeated by the men, giving the effect of an intonation with organ accompaniment.

The 3/4 time signature is somewhat unusual for Gounod. He uses it in the Kyrie of his first three

published organ masses, but it is found in only three other instances in the entirety of his

published mass settings: the Gloria of the Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaires, the Gloria of the

Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, and the Kyrie of the Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques. The

Sanctus of the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile is also in a triple meter (9/8).

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The movement’s primary material is introduced in the next sixteen measures, consisting of two eight-measure periods. Both periods begin softly, then rise and fall in both pitch and dynamic. The opening phrase of the first period contains a tonic pedal on C, with the melody rising from and falling back to G. The second phrase draws upon the opening intonation’s first two measures for its melodic material and ends on a half-cadence on G Major. The second period also contains a pedal in the first phrase, this time on G, and repeats its initial two measures to form a four-measure gesture. A striking G augmented harmony is built above the pedal. The second phrase cadences in A minor. These sixteen measures of music are then repeated, with alterations in mm. 38–40 to conclude the opening Kyrie on a perfect authentic C major cadence.

The “Christe,” mm. 41–64, opens with a four-measure imitative texture with a new theme introduced in the bass voice, then passed to tenor and alto. The soprano’s statement of the theme, begun in the fifth measure, becomes the first phrase of an eight-measure period. The second phrase of the period closely resembles the opening four-measure intonation. The next two phrases repeat this theme at higher pitch levels, building dynamically to a forte in m. 57 and then diminishing to piano by the conclusion of the “Christe” in m. 64. The closing “Kyrie” repeats mm. 25–40, the last sixteen measures of the opening “Kyrie” section. Gounod concludes the movement with a sixteen-measure coda. The first eight measures are melodically active and sustained by a C pedal, with the second phrase repeating the first phrase with the tenor and soprano voices switched. The final eight measures are more subdued with lower ranges, less motion, and slower durations in the voices.

Some rhythmic features from the “Gloria” can be observed in the “Gloria” of the Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes. While the similarities between these two “Gloria’s” are subtle and inconsistent, the relationship between these two masses becomes much more apparent in the

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“Credo” and “Agnus Dei.” The “Gloria” begins and ends in an Allegro tempo, with a Larghetto middle section that features a solo quartet. The opening Allegro is through-composed, containing a variety of contrasting themes to convey textual meaning. Gounod repeats melodic gestures at higher pitch levels when reiterating text (ex. Et in terra in mm. 9–16 and pax hominibus in mm.

17–20). He also repeats musical ideas on new text (ex. Laudamus te and Benedicimus te in mm.

29–32). The most distinctive use of this type of repetition occurs in mm. 45–48. Gounod repeats mm. 37–40, only this time it is heard in the chromatic mediant key of Eb. At the conclusion of the opening Allegro, Gounod uses an Ab dominant seventh chord as a German sixth chord, resolving to a dominant G six-four chord and coming to rest on a C major perfect authentic cadence in m. 52.

In the Larghetto section, mm. 53–98, solo quartet alternates with chorus. The choral entrances present contrasting material that is generally weightier and slower than the solo passages. The solo sections are dominated by a single, measure-long melodic gesture with a characteristic sixteenth note turn on beat two and quarter notes on the remaining beats. First introduced by the bass in m. 53, it is then passed to tenor, alto, and then soprano in the subsequent measures (see Example 5.1). The second solo passage follows the same imitative sequence, but slightly alters the contour of the motive while preserving the rhythm. While the third solo section departs from the motive and uses material from the second tutti passage, the principle motive returns in the fourth solo entrance (m. 83) and is repeated at ascending pitch levels to crescendo to a fortissimo climax in m. 85 that prepares for the recapitulation of the opening Larghetto theme. In mm. 87–90, Gounod restates the motive in the solo voices, reversing the order of imitative entries found earlier, leading with soprano, then alto, tenor, and

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Example 5.1. Missa angeli custodies, “Gloria,” mm. 49–63.

67 bass. In a closing codetta, mm. 95–98, the sixteenth motive is shifted to the fourth beat in the soprano, alto, and tenor voices.

The final Allegro section, mm. 99–141, maintains a driving energy throughout. Gounod rebuilds energy to a high G four times, each time using different melodic material. The Piú mosso in m. 113 at Cum sancto Spiritu heightens the momentum while portraying the meaning of the text, as if the music were suddenly infused with spiritual energy. The Amen builds to a final climax as sopranos and tenors alternate with altos and basses on an ascending quarter note motive, eventually reaching a high F in the soprano in m. 129. At this point the motion suddenly stops as the choir suddenly sustains a fortissimo G dominant chord for a full measure. The choir forcefully sings half notes through a chromatic phrase in mm. 129–34 before concluding the movement with three rousing, cadential Amen’s, first a dominant (m. 137), then a plagal (m.

139), and then a minor plagal cadence.

The “Credo” is very closely modeled after the “Credo” of the Messe no. 2. With the exception of a few minor pitch, rhythm, voicing, harmony, and text setting alterations, Gounod reuses the earlier “Credo,” setting it in F major, a whole step lower that the original. There are a few notable structural changes. The Missa angeli Credo has a two-measure organ interlude not found in the Messe no. 2, and it omits the third and fourth measures of the earlier Credo. At the opening of the Adagio (m. 45), all voices sing the text on the same pitch, whereas only the men sing in the Messe no. 2. The Missa angeli Credo adds a transition measure of C’s in the organ

(m. 56) and omits one measure by not repeating the word Crucifixus after m. 57. At the return of the Allegro maestoso (m. 69) the Missa angeli leaves out a four-measure homophonic preamble to the Et resurrexit dueting section. It skips a measure of unison C’s in the voices by telescoping the text into three measures rather than four. Lastly, the concluding Amen in the Missa angeli is

68 four measures long with motion in the lower four voices, while the Messe no. 2 Amen is only two measures of a repeated chord.

The “Sanctus” opens with three sustained iterations of Sanctus on F major, D minor, and

Bb major. There is a dual function in mm. 7 and 8. They continue the harmonic progression of the previous six measures, sustaining the dominant G chord, but also introduce the next line of text with the word Dominus. Gounod introduces a new descending melody in mm. 8–11 and repeats the melody in the next four measures with a new harmonization and a slightly altered ending. Similarly, the next eight measures are built from a new four-measure theme and its varied repetition at a new pitch level. The movement concludes with a “Hosanna” that contains a sixteenth-half-quarter rhythm to evoke a triumphant mood of praise (see Example 5.2). A four- measure phrase in Ab is then repeated, with some revoicing, in Db. The final phrase begins in Bb minor, which is used as a modal minor “iv” chord to modulate back to F major at the movement’s concluding cadence.

The “Benedictus” opens softly with solo quartet. In their first phrase, mm. 1 and 2 are repeated one step higher in the third and fourth measures. They crescendo to forte in the second phrase and diminuendo back to piano by the G major half cadence in m. 8. The choir then enters, repeating the soloists’ material. Gounod alters the final three measures to arrive at a C major authentic cadence, closing the form. The “Hosanna,” marked fortissimo, differs from that in the

“Sanctus.” A syncopated quarter-half-two eighths rhythm is prominent. Like the opening of the movement, the first phrase is built from a two-measure phrase repeated a step higher. Though he reaches a tonic cadence in m. 24, Gounod stretches the form another five measures. Immediately after the cadence, he inserts two measures that strongly contrast the previous material. The dynamic suddenly falls to piano and the prominent syncopated rhythm is abandoned. The

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Example 5.2. Missa angeli custodies, “Sanctus,” mm. 20–38.

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movement ends dramatically as Gounod reasserts both the syncopation and the fortissimo in one

final, triumphant Hosanna.

The “Agnus Dei” also borrows from the Messe no. 2, though it corresponds much more loosely than the “Credo.” Gounod maintains much of the rhythmic structure, but changes the melody and harmony. He also alters the text setting slightly, expands the form somewhat, and uses the solo quartet at a different time. In the Messe no. 2 Gounod opens with solo quartet and then repeats their material with chorus. Here Gounod omits the solo quartet and starts with the chorus, leaving out the repeated sixteen measures. The first sixteen measures have nearly the same rhythm as the Messe no. 2 and share the same cadential structure, but the melody and harmony are considerably different. In mm. 17–20, soloists sing four measures of music not found in the other mass, with the soprano echoing the other three voices. In m. 21 the soprano resumes the rhythm from the earlier mass while the other voices have contrasting text underlay and different rhythms. After only four measures, Gounod departs from his earlier model, adding

a twenty-measure development of materials from the first two phrases. At dona nobis pacem (m.

44) he returns to the Messe no. 2 material. The melody and rhythm closely match for two

measures and the rhythmic similarity continues through the end of the piece. Gounod omits the

four-measure Messe no. 2 organ postlude.

Messe, 2 equal voices, org., 1877 (Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles, TB soloists, SATB chorus, org./pf., 1890)

The Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles is currently the most widely published organ mass.

It was first written for two equal voices in 1877, and then rearranged for TB soloists and SATB

choir in 1890. Because it is much more commonly published and performed in its SATB voicing,

this is the version I will examine. Written within the last two decades of his life, the Messe brève

71 aux chapelles reflects Gounod’s search for a new way to achieve his ideal of emotional directness. It is written in a lyrical style, with a simple homophonic texture and clear text setting.

Departing from the standard mass ordinary text, Gounod leaves out the “Credo” and replaces the

“Benedictus” with “O Salutaris.”

The “Kyrie” is a ternary ABA form with a coda. Phrase repetition with subtle variation, four-measure phrases, and clear cadences provide a vehicle for straightforward text delivery.

Gounod unifies the movement by using a very limited number of rhythmic motives. The opening soprano rhythm (dotted quarter-eighth note) permeates both the A and B melodic material, while the opening rhythm of the organ interlude (half-quarter-quarter) presents the opening motive of the B section.

The nine-measure organ introduction contains independent thematic material that is never repeated. The first phrase consists of two sequences, and the second phrase is lengthened to five measures as Gounod slows the harmonic rhythm through an extended dominant six-four cadential harmony. The A section proper begins in m. 10 with sopranos singing a simple melody centered on an E. This melody is immediately repeated by the altos, with the sopranos singing in parallel thirds above. The men enter in m. 18 an octave below the women to reinforce a more emphatic statement of Kyrie, the climax of the A section, before returning to the more subdued character at the cadence.

The B section, the “Christe,” contrasts the timbre and mood of the A section, beginning with the men singing a much more disjunct theme in A minor. The theme is repeated two measures later in four-part harmony, creating a four measure phrase. The second phrase reuses the A section’s prominent rhythmic figure. Sung by only the three upper voices, it evokes a more plaintive, pleading effect. The third phrase repeats the first phrase, only with the altos and tenors

72 singing the initial statement in two-part harmony rather than the men in unison. The fourth phrase is similar to the second phrase, only with harmonic alteration used to modulate from A minor back to C major.

The A section returns without alteration at m. 38. Gounod closes the movement with a coda that contains more contrapuntal interest than the movement proper. In the first eight measures the men sing eleison antiphonally while the women sing the main thematic material in two homophonic parts. The coda is structurally interesting: it first expands upon the closing idea of the A theme for eight measures, using subtle polyphonic effects, then reintroduces the opening of the A theme in strict homophony, giving the effect of a codetta within a coda.

The “Gloria” also is a ternary form. Its ABA' sections are separated by rests and stand independently. Gounod introduces the movement with a single tonic chord held for one measure, a technique he uses frequently in his mass settings. The A section consists entirely of four- measure phrases that are grouped into eight-measure periods. The first phrase opens with a unison declamation of Gloria on a C before breaking into four-part harmony. The second phrase begins with the same unison statement before cadencing on the dominant, forming a parallel period with the first. The dotted rhythm that opens these two phrases is used throughout the movement and unifies the movement much like the dotted figure in the “Kyrie.” Gounod changes the mood in the next two phrases, marking the dynamic piano and writing a more legato melody. The third phrase consists of an initial two-measure theme that is immediately repeated with new text, and the fourth phrase, while maintaining the soft dynamic, becomes more active and expansive. The next two phrases, mm. 18–25, form a parallel period and return to the opening jubilant character as the choir sings Laudamus te. Gounod opens the next period with the basses singing a tonic pedal with different rhythm and text underlay than the other three

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parts. He also uses the dotted quarter-eighth-quarter rhythm, drawing upon rhythmic material

from the “Kyrie.” The final period rounds off the section by returning to the double dotted

unison theme of the opening phrase.

The B section, marked Andante, contrasts the A section in tempo, dynamics, and texture.

It opens with a slow, muted duet between tenor and baritone singing in parallel thirds. Despite

this contrast, Gounod reuses the double dotted rhythm from earlier to open the section. This

restful mood is interrupted three times during the movement as the choir forcefully sings qui

tollis peccata mundi. While the first and second of these declarations are thematically similar, the

third is contrasting. After only four measures of this fortissimo interjection, the restful mood

returns each time with the duet gently singing miserere nobis, providing an excellent example of text painting. The duet material is through-composed with contrasting melodic material for each phrase, though Gounod does often repeat material within a phrase through direct repetition or sequence.

The closing A' section, beginning with the text Quoniam tu solus sanctus, repeats the opening phrase of the “Gloria” with slight rhythmic variation for the new text. The remainder of the movement, though related stylistically, is different from the “Gloria.” The second phrase, mm. 88–94, is the only phrase in the allegro section that is not four measures long. The closing twenty measures are marked by considerable repetition. The initial two measures, mm. 95 and

96, are immediately repeated to create a four-measure phrase, and the initial material is repeated again to open the next phrase. This entire eight-measure period is then repeated in its entirety before the movement ends in a four-measure Amen.

The “Sanctus” is the only movement of the mass where Gounod makes consistent use of irregular phrase lengths. It is also the only movement without a recapitulation of the opening

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material, with an ABC form. As in the “Gloria,” Gounod begins the movement with a one-

measure tonic chord to establish the key. The A section consists of two similar seven-measure

phrases that form a parallel period, with the second phrase modulating to G major. The B section

contains two five-measure phrases in which the second is a repetition of the first with the melody

harmonized a third above. The tenors sing a slowly ascending opening phrase alone and are

joined by the basses in the second phrase, creating a textural and timbral contrast with the other

two sections. The entire B section is an elaboration of a G major chord with a G pedal

throughout. The final C section sets the Hosanna text. Gounod borrows the rhythmic structure,

containing a triumphant dotted-sixteenth motive, from the parallel Hosanna section in the Missa

angeli custodies, except he omits the repeated second phrase found in the earlier model, reducing the form from three phrases to two.

Gounod substitutes the motet text “O Salutaris” for the “Benedictus.” Its form is ABB'A', with each section being built from short, two or three-measure phrases. The opening A section resembles the beginning of the “Kyrie” in several ways. First, the organ introduction contains independent melodic material that is never repeated by the voices. Second, the first phrase is sung by a unison women’s section, followed by a repetition of the phrase harmonized a third above by the sopranos. Third, the opening section is built from three phrases rather than the more common two or four phrase structure. Unlike the “Kyrie,” the phrases of the “O Salutaris” are only two measures long and the men do not join in the third contrasting phrase, but wait to join until the opening of the B section. This section, while containing new melodic material, is also structured with two similar two-measure phrases followed by a third contrasting phrase. Gounod modulates from F to Bb in the second phrase, but returns to F immediately in the third phrase.

The B' section clearly begins with the same material as B, yet shortens the second phrase to a

75 single measure, omitting the material expected in the first measure. The third phrase is related to the closing measure of B, yet extends the dominant harmony to prepare for the perfect authentic cadence that closes the section. The final A' section seems to reverse the dramatic direction of the A section. Rather than beginning with the melody and adding a voice above, its first phrase harmonizes the melody in the upper voice and the second phrase places the melody as the highest voice. Gounod expands the opening melodic material with a slower harmonic rhythm, creating three-measure phrases rather than two-measure phrases.

The “Agnus Dei” also opens with the tenor-baritone duet, recalling the same mood and using nearly the same melodic material as the opening of Domine Fili. This movement, like the

“Kyrie,” is built from a small number of motives, using repeated melodic gestures. However, the dotted motive from the “Kyrie” and “Gloria” is conspicuously absent from this movement, and gives the melodic material a smoother contour to enhance the tranquility. Its form is AA'A'' with a coda. The A section is sung by tenor and bass soloist. The first phrase immediately repeats the opening measure and its chant-like melody meanders between an E and a G. The second phrase, an irregular seven measures in length, is built from an ascending sequence that climaxes in m. 11 and decays to a half cadence in m. 13. Differing from the duet in the “Gloria,” when the choir enters in m. 14 it reinforces, rather than contrasts, the reverential mood set by the soloists.

Initiating the A' section, the women repeat the soloist’s first phrase while the tenors fill in harmony and the basses sing a tonic pedal. Like the soloists, the choir next sings an ascending sequence, but with only two statements of the theme rather than three. The following phrase, which gradually diminishes the energy from the preceding climax, is built from a descending sequence based on the opening measure, with the tenors singing an evocative ascending figure.

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The A'' section reiterates the first phrase, with the tenors continuing the ascending figure in the first two measures. The second phrase is again sequence based, only this time descending.

The final phrase is a variation of the first phrase, resolving to the first perfect authentic cadence of the movement. In the coda, the choir slows to half and whole notes, singing dona nobis pacem while alternating between dominant four-three chords and tonic chords with a tonic pedal throughout. The “Agnus Dei” contains the only divisi writing in the mass. In the climax, the basses and baritones divide to form an octave G pedal, providing a more powerful harmonic foundation for the soprano and alto duet and the tenor’s dramatic ascending countermelody. The divisi in the coda adds richness and warmth to the closing reverent mood. A four-measure organ postlude, characterized by a tonic pedal, passing supertonic chords, a melody centered on an E, concludes the mass.

The mass’s simplicity and understatement keep it outside the realm of Gounod’s operatic sacred works (eg. his oratorios and the St. Cecilia Mass) and give it a soothing and sweet effect.

Unfortunately, these same traits reflect a lack of freshness often associated with his later years.

Its simplicity makes it effective for a church service, but places it outside the highest realms of artistry.

Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc , SATB soloists, SATB chorus, org., 1887 (Paired with a Prelude, SATB chorus, 8 tpt., 2 trbn., org.)

The Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc was written in 1887 for SATB soloists and

SATB chorus. Gounod wrote the work in honor of France’s patron saint, and it was first performed in the Rheims Cathedral on the anniversary of Joan of Arc’s arrival at Rheims and the coronation of Charles VII.105 In composing the mass, Gounod drew, in part, from his own incidental music written in 1873 for Jules Barier’s play, Jeanne d’Arc. André Cœuroy points to

105James Harding, Gounod (New York: Stein and Day, 1973), 213. 77

this mass as the clearest example of Gounod’s approach to the early traditions represented by

Palestrina.106 It provides insight into Gounod’s nineteenth-century adaptation of this style that so

deeply impacted him in his early career.

The “Prelude,” scored for organ, eight trumpets, and three trombones, sets a triumphant

mood that clearly evokes Joan of Arc’s heroic bravery, noble spirit, and religious fervor. It

consists of a sequence of independent sections with contrasting performance forces, including

organ, brass, organ with brass, and choir and organ, and sopranos and organ. The piece opens in

F major with a contrapuntal organ prelude and is followed by a brass fanfare. These sections are

then repeated in C major. Beginning in m. 27 the organ accompanies the brass fanfare with full,

sustained chords. Next, a cappella chorus sings a Latin hymn, followed by the fanfare theme

accompanied with a melodic organ accompaniment. After an intervening organ solo, the same

melodic accompaniment section is repeated. The soprano section then sings the hymn text with

new musical material, accompanied by organ, and the “Prelude” ends with an extended organ

and brass section featuring both melodic and chordal accompaniment.

The “Kyrie” alternates between chorus and soloists and is unaccompanied throughout. It

opens with a cappella chorus singing a soft, five-measure phrase with dynamic swells. The tenor

soloist’s melody in mm. 6–10 shares the same rhythm as the opening choral statement but has a

different melody and is sung forte rather than piano. The chorus enters forcefully in m. 11 and

quickly decays. This sighing gesture is immediately repeated one step lower. The chorus

continues with a duet between soprano/tenor and alto/bass. The contralto soloist next sings the

tenor’s melody a fourth higher, followed by the choir singing an extended variation of their

sighing phrase.

106André Cœuroy, “Present Tendencies of Sacred Music in France,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 13 (October 1927): 584.

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In the “Christe,” unaccompanied vocal duets alternate with a cappella choral phrases.

Soprano and contralto open the section with a duet in parallel thirds, followed by a short three- measure choral phrase. This music is then repeated a third higher. In mm. 46–55 a soprano and tenor duet, again in parallel thirds, draws upon the earlier duet material and contains choral

Christe interjections. A bass solo, which concludes the “Christe,” combines musical material from the “Christe” duets and the “Kyrie” solos. Gounod then repeats the opening “Kyrie,” varying the harmony of the final choral section with minor melodic changes.

The “Gloria” begins with the text Et in terra pax, requiring an intonation of Gloria in excelsis deo. It consists of five sections: Andante, Allegro moderato, Andante, Allegro, and

Andante. Unaccompanied choir opens the movement with a soft melody sung by altos and basses in parallel thirds with sopranos and tenors. When the solo quartet enters in m. 8, they sing a new musical phrase while continuing in parallel thirds. Gounod repeats the choral and solo phrases, though he expands the vocal parts to four-part harmony and doubles the vocal lines with organ accompaiment. The Andante section closes with a double quartet singing a phrase of new, unaccompanied musical material one dynamic lower than the preceding phrases (pianissimo).

The remainder of the movement largely consists of polyphonic phrases that resemble points of imitation and then evolve into homophony to prepare for a concluding cadence. The voices imitate tonally, and the length of the imitation before the voices break into free counterpoint varies from phrase to phrase, sometimes lasting three measures, sometimes lasting only one (see Example 5.3). Gounod also varies the order of vocal entries and the intervallic relationship between them. Gounod’s melodic ingenuity is clearly displayed in the variety and contrast of the numerous themes. The Allegro, mm. 34–69, is sung entirely by the choir with organ doubling the voices. It opens and closes with homophonic phrases and contains three

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Example 5.3. Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc, “Gloria,” mm. 75–84.

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Example 5.3 (continued). Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc, “Gloria,” mm. 85-94.

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imitative phrases in between. The second Andante, mm. 70–146, is the longest section and

alternates between solo quartet and chorus. It opens with an imitative organ interlude and then

establishes a pattern of imitative and homophonic phrases. Gounod writes two sets of three

imitative phrases followed by a homophonic one, and then writes one sets of two imitative

phrases followed by homophony. The Allegro, mm. 147–68, opens with an imitative phrase, is

followed by a phrase of antiphony between the basses and upper three voices, and closes with a

phrase of four-part homophony. In the concluding seven-measure Andante, the choir sings a two-

measure Amen gesture in ascending sequence, starting on D minor, then F major, then A minor, and ending on an F major perfect authentic cadence.

The “Sanctus” opens with a sustained F major chord in the organ, followed by three one- measure statements of Sanctus on F major, Bb major, then F major. The next line of text opens

with a sustained D minor chord on Dominus, followed by a lyrical homophonic phrase with

interweaving rhythmic activity between the voices, ending on a half cadence on C major.

Gounod sets Pleni sunt coeli with an imitative theme sung first by the basses in m. 9, then passed to tenors, altos, and then sopranos, each beginning a half measure apart. The voices sing free polyphony in mm. 11 and 12 then unite in homophony in m. 13 and cadence on Bb Major in the next measure. A brief, four-measure “Hosanna,” characterized by legato descending scales, finishes the movement. The organ doubles the voices throughout.

The “Benedictus” once again alternates between solo and chorus. Following a four- measure organ interlude, the soloists each sing a two-measure melodic motive, sung first by bass in Bb major, tenor in Eb major, alto in Ab major, and soprano above a Bb dominant seventh chord. They all enter in m. 13, sing a descending sequence, and reach a half cadence on F major in m. 14. In mm. 15–24 the choir sings the text homophonically, modulating to Db major. In

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mm. 25–51, Gounod repeats the opening solo and chorus sections with variation, creating an

ABA'B' form. Each soloist once again sings the opening two-measure phrase, this time passing it

from soprano to bass, alto, and then tenor with different harmonies. The following homophonic

phrase, mm. 33–37, draws upon same motives as their earlier one, and while the harmonies are

different, they still arrive on an F major authentic cadence. In the choral section, mm. 38–51,

Gounod varies the pitch material considerably yet preserves the rhythmic structure. He also

extends the form by reiterating the last three measures of the phrase two times in varied forms.

The closing “Hosanna” is different from that found in the “Sanctus.” The soloists sing a forceful

three-measure phrase that the choir repeats and extends by one measure. The accompaniment is

more independent in the “Benedictus” than in the rest of the mass. While the organ continues to

double the voices in the choral phrases, it supports the two-measure solo motives with an

autonomous chordal accompaniment and does not strictly double the phrases sung by the solo

quartet. Furthermore, Gounod adds harp to the texture, which plays an accompanimental line of

arpeggiated eighth notes.

The “Agnus Dei” contains three contrasting settings of the text Agnus Dei qui tollis

peccata mundi, yet preserves the same motivic material for each miserere nobis. It opens with the same introductory chord as the “Sanctus,” followed by a homophonic Agnus Dei setting. The organ resumes its previous role, doubling the voice parts for the entire movement. In the miserere nobis material, alto, tenor, and bass are echoed by soprano. This echo pattern is then repeated twice, beginning a step lower each time. The third statement is extended two measures and cadences on tonic F major. The second Agnus Dei, mm. 16–23, is polyphonic, eventually

giving way to homophony in m. 21 to prepare for a Bb major authentic cadence. The second

miserere begins on Bb major, a step higher than earlier, and while the bass voice is slightly

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varied, it is clearly a repetition of the earlier material. Because he starts one pitch higher, Gounod

inserts an additional step to the downward sequence in order to again arrive at an F major

cadence. In the third Agnus, Gounod again sets the choir in imitation, and while the theme is

different from before, the choir again cadences on Bb. The dona nobis pacem maintains the same

basic harmonic structure as the second miserere, though the vocal lines are varied. The tenor,

instead of the soprano, echoes the other voices, and the soprano and bass lines are more active

then before. Gounod repeats the last three measures of the earlier miserere sections in mm. 47–

49, but chooses to extend this section beyond these measures. He adds four additional measures

by repeating the dona text one final time and varying the preceding cadential formula.

Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de la liturgie catholique, SATB chorus, org., 1888 (preceded by a Te Deum)

In his Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de la liturgie catholique, also known as the

“Messe chorale,” Gounod incorporates a single line of Gregorian chant throughout. The chant, a

Credo intonation found in the Editio Medicaea, migrates between the organ and the various

voices, is harmonized in a wide variety of ways, and is surrounded by a variety of textures.

The chant opens the composition, being played in octaves by the organ in mm. 1–4. The organ then plays it in imitation, beginning on G in the top voice and echoed two beats later on C in the pedals. The inner voices fill in harmonies. In the next six measures the organ plays a six- step ascending sequence, rising a fourth with each step. The phrase then descends quickly using a downward-leaping motive from the sequenced theme before closing the organ introduction with a G minor authentic cadence.

The “Kyrie” is composed of seven imitative sections three to six measures in length, with organ interludes between the second and third sections and the fifth and sixth sections. The

84 second section slightly varies the theme from section one, and the sixth section recapitulates this opening theme. The other sections each have independent thematic material. The chant reappears in the third point of imitation. The tenor sings its first five pitches (m. 18) before breaking into free polyphony, and the entire chant theme is sung by sopranos in mm. 19 and 20 against a polyphonic background. In m. 41 the texture changes for the first time in the movement. The men and women sing antiphonally, tossing a descending, two-note motive, sung in parallel thirds, back and forth every beat. In m. 44 the basses sing a D pedal in syncopation against oscillating G minor and D minor chords in the other voices and organ. The movement concludes with a two-fold homophonic statement of the chant, touched with rhythmic variation in the voices that gives the illusion of polyphony. The basses sing the chant on F beginning in m. 47, followed by the sopranos on C in m. 49. Gounod raises the third of the final chord, closing the movement with a G major plagal cadence.

In the “Gloria,” Gounod includes the chant theme eleven times, embedded in both homophonic and polyphonic textures. In the opening phrase the voices sing Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis homophonically while the organ plays the chant in augmentation as a slow cantus firmus on D. This occurs again in the second phrase, with the chant beginning on

A, set against different harmonies. Gounod alters tempo to convey the various textual moods of the Gloria. In m. 23, at Laudamus te, the tempo switches from Moderato quasi Andante to

Allegro moderato. The voices become more rhythmically active yet are still primarily homophonic. The alto begins the chant in m. 31, singing in longer durations than the surrounding vocal homophony, and the soprano similarly sings the chant slowly in mm. 41–47. After each of these statements, the choral texture gives way to imitative polyphony. The Andante, from m. 58 to 116, begins with the chant theme harmonized in a four-measure organ interlude. The Andante

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is mainly polyphonic and contains a series of imitative themes. The chant is heard against this

background in mm. 62 (alto), 70 (soprano), 109 (alto), and 113 (tenor). The Allegro resumes a

homophonic texture. The bass sings the chant in slow cantus firmus style in mm. 124 and 132. In

the concluding Amen section, the soprano slowly sounds the chant against a melismatic imitative theme in the other voices. The movement concludes with a Largo homophonic phrase with the chant in the alto voice.

The “Credo” resembles the “Gloria” in its contrasting tempo divisions and alternation between homophonic and polyphonic textures, though it tends to be slightly more homophonic, due in part because its imitative sections give way to homophony more rapidly than the

“Gloria’s” polyphonic phrases. The “Credo” is different from the Gloria in that it only includes

the chant three times, much less than the “Gloria’s” eleven occurrences. The movement opens

with a highly chromatic Andante organ interlude with the chant in the soprano and tenor voices.

The altos and basses sing an unusual line of descending half steps, and while suspensions in the

altos offset them from the basses by one beat, the voices essentially move in parallel fifths. The

same chromatic treatment is found again in mm. 6–10, with the bass and alto motion forming

parallel major thirds. In m. 11 the voices enter and the tempo changes to Allegro maestoso.

Gounod treats a four-measure theme imitatively in mm. 11–25. After a five-measure

homophonic phrase, a new imitative theme is introduced in m. 31, again followed by a chordal

phrase in mm. 42–45. With the exception of one imitative phrase, mm. 58–60, the remainder of

the Allegro maestoso section is declamatory. The Andante, which begins in m. 74, is likewise

homophonic, with only one imitative phrase. In mm. 92–97 Gounod sets the Crucifixus text with

a slow, chromatic descending theme, passed from bass upward, that intensifies the mournful,

somber mood. At Et resurrexit, m. 110, the tempo changes to Allegro moderato. The voices

86 begin a triumphant melody in octaves. Gounod again uses octaves in m. 123 for the same triumphant effect. He uses a touch of imitative contrast at Qui cum Patre in mm. 156–61. A bold organ interlude, mm. 169–82, plays the chant theme twice in the soprano voice, doubled an octave lower, and supported throughout with a D pedal. The voices resume polyphonic imitation in m. 183 and unite rhythmically in m. 188 on catholicam. One final section of imitative polyphony, crystallizing into homophony, occurs in mm. 206–21. An extended melismatic Amen section leads to the final bold, homophonic statement of the chant theme in the soprano voice, supported by divisi men’s parts, for a full, rich, six-voice conclusion.

The Sanctus, written with Gounod’s typical delicate sweetness, is notably short. The organ introduction has a sustained G pedal below a threefold lyrical sequence. The voices open with two brief melodic gestures of two measures each, followed by an extended six-measure consequent phrase. The next phrase begins with a three-measure gesture completed by a two- measure conclusion, completing the brief setting of the Sanctus text. In the “Hosanna,” organ interludes, containing the chant theme in the top voice, alternate with homophonic vocal sections.

The “Benedictus” opens with an organ interlude stating the chant theme with simple chordal accompaniment. Like the “Sanctus,” the “Benedictus” is brief, consisting of only three phrases: an imitative phrase, a homophonic phrase, and a third phrase that starts with an imitative theme and transitions into a chordal texture. The organ plays the chant in the soprano voice during the middle homophonic phrase. As the “Hosanna” opens, the organ again sounds the chant in the upper voice. Gounod surprisingly extends the “Hosanna” with a fugato containing a three-measure subject and three-measure counter subject. He writes an additional imitative theme in mm. 47–51 and closes the movement with a six-voice organ harmonization of the chant.

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The chant is again heard in the organ at the opening of the “Agnus Dei,” this time set against parallel thirds and sixths in faux bourdon style. Gounod again makes prominent use of points of imitation concluding with a homophonic cadence. He uses the theme from the initial point, first heard in mm. 8–12, again in the fourth point of imitation, mm. 50–65. In the only two homophonic phrases of the first seventy-seven measures, mm. 24–32 and 70–77, Gounod sets the chant in the organ as a cantus firmus against the voices. A calm, repetitive coda concludes the mass. Gounod alters the final chant statement of the mass, achieving a highly dramatic effect through simple means. The chant melody that permeates the mass descends a fourth, rises to its initial pitch, and concludes one note above this pitch. In the final statement, sounded by basses and organ pedal, the chant finally finds tonal resolution. Rather than ascending in the final two notes to rest a whole step above the first pitch, the final chant descends a fifth, coming to rest on

G in the final G major authentic cadence.

Messe dite de Clovis, d’aprés le chant grégorien, SATB chorus, org., 1895

The revival of chant is clearly apparent in Gounod’s two posthumous masses, the Messe dite de Clovis and the Messe de St. Jean, which use chant themes throughout. Gounod’s use of chant in the Messe dite de Clovis is most apparent in the “Kyrie,” “Benedictus,” and “Agnus

Dei.” The “Kyrie” begins with organ playing a single G, expanding to an E minor four-two chord, and resolving to a tonic C major chord at the entry of the tenor voice in m. 5. Tenors sing antiphonally with the other voices until m. 11, where free counterpoint enters with the women singing in parallel thirds against freer men’s lines. Gounod initiates another section of free counterpoint in m. 18. The “Christe,” mm. 24–36, opens with the first imitative polyphony of the mass. Basses introduce a stepwise theme, imitated by tenors, altos, and then sopranos. In the ensuing free counterpoint, Gounod passes a descending gesture of two half notes around the

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voices and then sets the tenors in parallel thirds with sopranos in m. 32 and altos in m. 33. The

“Christe” ends with a perfect authentic A minor cadence. The closing “Kyrie” is a twelve-

measure free contrapuntal section that opens with a three-fold ascending sequence. Gounod

concludes the movement with a brief organ postlude outlining a descent back to tonic via triads

in descending thirds: A minor, F major, D minor, and B diminished (in first inversion) resolving

to C major.

In the “Gloria,” Gounod shifts to a homophonic texture. He introduces a wide variety of

themes to express the contrasting textual moods and alternates between Andante and Moderato

tempos. The opening Andante, mm. 1–47, begins with a three-fold statement of Gloria in

excelsis Deo with the melody sounding a step higher with each repetition. The organ introduces

the opening harmony of each statement with an isolated chord, first in C major (m. 1), then G

major (m. 6), and again in C major (m. 11). The next phrase is built from a two-fold sequence,

the first moving from F major to D minor and the second moving from G major to E minor. The

section is closed in mm. 20–25 with a perfect authentic cadence on C major. Gounod then

repeats the first twenty-five measures in mm. 26–47, omitting the introductory organ chords in

the first three phrases.

The tempo increases to Moderato in m. 48 with the introduction of Laudamus te to create a mood of praise. Though the section, lasting through m. 81, begins with two contrasting, four- measure melodic phrases, the majority of the Moderato is marked by melodic repetition. The six- measure phrase from mm. 57–62 is repeated three times, containing new text with each repetition. The second and third repetitions are slightly varied to cadence on E minor rather than

G major. The next large section, the Andante, mm. 82–105, inverts the Moderato’s form, beginning with phrase repetition and concluding with contrast. It repeats the opening eight

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measures with new text in mm. 90–97 and concludes with two contrasting phrases. This section’s

harmony is interesting because it never firmly establishes a key center. Its key signature and final

chord is A minor, but Gounod avoids the tonic triad completely in the first four phrases and only

touches it in passing on its only other occurrence in the fifth phrase (m. 99). Furthermore, the

section contains no dominant-tonic chord relationships. The final A minor chord is preceded by

E minor rather than the E major dominant, weakening its tonic strength. The majority of the

section hovers around an E minor chord, creating a Phrygian modal effect.

The Gloria ends with two short sections, a ten-measure Molto moderato and a seven-

measure Andante. The Molto moderato is a single phrase with internal repetition. It opens with a

declamation of Quoniam on F major in the first measure, followed by a two-measure gesture on

Tu solus Sanctus. This gesture is repeated twice, setting the parallel texts Tu solus Dominus and

Tu solus Altissimus and extending the phrase for four measures. The phrase, and the section, closes in mm. 113–15 with a concluding gesture leading to a C major authentic cadence. The final Andante broadly states the Cum Sancto text. The sopranos remain on a C for the entire phrase, reciting the text for a falsobordone effect, while the other voices change pitches below to progress the harmony toward a concluding C major plagal cadence (see Example 5.4).

The Credo is divided into five major sections: Moderato maestoso, Andante, Adagio,

Moderato maestoso, and Molto maestoso. The first twenty-four measures of the opening

Moderato maestoso contain a single melody sounded in octaves. The organ opens the movement with two descending gestures in octaves, the second a variation of the first. The voices enter in the fifth measure and sing five four-measure phrases in octaves. The first two are identical, with different texts, the third shares the same ending material as the first two, and the last two contrast the previous material. The melody lingers around a C in the first four phrases, and each phrase is

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Example 5.4. Messe dite de Clovis, “Gloria,” mm. 158–69.

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punctuated in the final measure by an organ chord to reinforce the cadence. In m. 25 the voices

break away from their octave melody and split into four parts, doubled by organ accompaniment.

Gounod writes another five-phrase unit in mm. 25–44 with a form similar to the first. The first

two measures are identical, with different texts, the third is a slight variation of the first two, and

the fourth and fifth are again contrasting. The fourth phrase borrows the concluding motive from

the first three phrases, altering the harmony and repeating it twice. In mm. 45–49 Gounod builds

an open fifth sonority through staggered vocal entries on the word Genitum. He maintains this

sonority through m. 54 as the voices chant additional text without changing pitch. The Moderato

maestoso section closes with a four-measure phrase and a C plagal cadence.

The Andante is brief, lasting only ten measures and containing only two phrases. The

slow-moving harmony, which changes only once every two measures, modulates to Eb major.

The Adagio opens with the same slow harmonic rhythm, homophonic texture, and Eb major

tonality as the Andante. The harmony meanders around a first inversion Eb major chord and

comes to rest on the chromatic mediant G Major in m. 81. Though non-diatonic, this chord does

not sound out of place, but is used as a secondary dominant to modulate to the relative minor

key, C minor. The next section, in this new C minor tonality, begins with staggered entries of a

simple step-wise motive on Crucifixus and continues homophonically to a half cadence in m. 90.

Gounod next writes three vocal statements of passus, echoed by organ chords. He changes a single pitch by one half step in each repetition, resulting in three chords: Eb major, E diminished, and E minor (see Example 5.5). The Adagio closes with an E minor plagal cadence, establishing the final passus chord as the new tonality.

Like the opening of the Andante and Adagio, the second Moderato maestoso opens with slow harmonic changes and homophony, though the mood is much more exultant. Through a

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Example 5.5. Messe dite de Clovis, “Credo,” mm. 92–101.

93 circle of fifths progression, Gounod prepares the return to C major (E minor, A minor, D minor, and G major). In mm. 110–18 the choir sings a point of imitation in C with voices entering every two measures, from bass upward, followed by a three-measure cadential gesture. The next twenty-one measures present a dialogue between organ and choir, alternating every two measures. Every four measures follow a similar pattern. The organ opens with a three-note descending bass line, mostly in half steps, followed by a full chord above the third bass pitch.

The choir enters in the third measure, intoning text on repeated C’s at a fortissimo dynamic. By the fifth repetition of the pattern, the organ has descended an octave, from C to C (see Example

5.6).

The remainder of the Credo is marked by frequent repetition. In mm. 143–52, 153–60, and 174–79, Gounod introduces a two-measure motive for each and repeats it thereafter, producing an effect somewhat like an ostinato. Also, mm. 169–72 are a varied repetition of the preceding four measures. Lastly, in mm. 180–87 Gounod again repeats the first two measures of material. However, each repetition is a variation. They all contain the same harmonic structure and nearly the same organ accompaniment, but each has revoiced vocal parts that build to the movement’s dramatic concluding C major authentic cadence in m. 187. The movement closes with a varied recapitulation of the movement’s introduction. The first descending gesture is the same as in the beginning, maintaining the opening octave texture, while the second gesture is harmonized and its final C major chord is restated twice.

The Sanctus opens with the organ building an open fifth with the pitches C and G. When the voices enter in m. 4, the men and women sing antiphonally in eight parts, with four-part women echoing four-part men. This continues until m. 17, where the women enter after the men, but on a different harmony, heralding the end of antiphony. The voices sing eight-part

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Example 5.6. Messe dite de Clovis, “Credo,” mm. 119–28.

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Example 5.6 (continued). Messe dite de Clovis, “Credo,” mm. 129–39.

96 homophony for the next seven measures, but again in mm. 25–27 the women echo the men, this time on Hosanna. The movement concludes with a fortissimo, homophonic C major plagal cadence on in excelsis.

As in the Credo, the Benedictus opens with a four-measure organ interlude built from a two-measure phrase and its variation. In the first two measures, the top and bottom voices begin a fifth apart, on D and A, and expand outward as the organ sounds D minor, A minor, and D minor chords. In the third and fourth measures, the bottom and top voices begin an octave and a fifth apart, on F and C, and again expand outward, sounding the harmonies F major, C major, and F major. The women enter in the fifth measure, singing a polyphonic duet. As their duet closes in m. 10, the men join the polyphonic texture. They begin a new, four-voice point of imitation using the women’s duet theme. Gounod uses uncharacteristic irregular rhythms in mm.

18–22. He repeats a melodic gesture in ascending sequence, but because the gesture is only a measure and a half long it has the effect of a metric shift from 4/4 to 6/4. The closing Hosanna is also unusual because it is marked piano rather than the much more typical forte.

The “Agnus Dei” is highly polyphonic, and unlike much of Gounod’s contrapuntal writing, the phrase material after the imitative entries is most often free counterpoint rather than homophony. The movement is divided into three major sections corresponding with the three- fold repetition of the text. The twelve-measure organ introduction presents a four-voice point of imitation, reminiscent of a renaissance ricercare, with a disjunct theme passed from bass to tenor, alto, and then soprano. It closes with free counterpoint from mm. 9–12 and ends on a C major chord. When the voices enter in m. 13, they repeat the first five measures of the introduction, but change course in the sixth measure. The soprano voice enters two beats later than before, and the counterpoint changes from this point through the end of the phrase to close on a G major half

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cadence. A point of imitation sets miserere nobis with a new theme in mm. 24–30. A four-

measure organ postlude, composed of stretto entrances of the opening theme, closes the first

section. The second section contains two contrasting points of imitation, the first building from

the lowest voice up, and the second from the top voice down. The opening motive of each theme

matches the direction the order of entries, highlighting the contrast between the two points. The

first theme starts with an ascending motive while the second starts with a descent. The final

section, mm. 51–70, sets the Agnus Dei text as a nine-measure point of imitation, but closes with the first and only homophonic phrase of the movement. The phrase contains two repetitions. The first two measures are repeated in mm. 3 and 4, and the sixth measure is a repetition of the fifth.

The movement closes with a C major authentic cadence followed by three measures of sustained

C major chord in the organ.

Messe de St. Jean, d’après le chant grégorien, SATB chorus, org., 1895

The Messe de St. Jean, like Gounod’s other posthumous mass, the Messe dite de Clovis, is different from Gounod’s earlier masses because it is based on a chant melody throughout. An examination of this mass will reveal yet another aspect of Gounod’s diversity and creativity as a composer.

The opening of the “Kyrie” immediately reveals the mass’s basis in chant. The brief organ introduction begins with a meandering, step-wise theme treated in four-voice polyphonic imitation. The organ’s second phrase provides a microcosm of the entire mass’s nature—it is a blend of renaissance counterpoint and French Romantic lyricism. The rhythmically unified bass and soprano voices duet against the slower-moving tenor and alto voices polyphonically, while the overall texture and harmonic motion constitute a three-fold descending sequence with a charming melodic line.

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The voices continue the imitative texture beginning with the basses in m. 10. Rather than

reiterating the opening organ theme, the bases sing a new, four-measure melody that only shares

its first three pitches with the opening theme. The tenors enter one measure later, imitating the

basses a fifth above, followed by altos an octave above in m. 15 and sopranos a twelfth above in

m. 16. Following four measures of free counterpoint, Gounod begins a new point of imitation in

m. 24, starting with the soprano in m. 24, followed by the alto, tenor, and bass each entering one

measure after the previous voice. Unlike the harmonically stable tonic and dominant entrances

earlier, each voice now begins the theme a fourth below the previous voice, with sopranos

beginning on G, altos on D, tenors on A, and basses on E. While each voice initiates the previous

theme, it only sings the first measure before dissolving into free counterpoint. After another

section of free counterpoint from m. 28 to 32, the organ plays a condensed version of the introduction to segue into the “Christe.”

The “Christe” text is introduced with a new theme sung by tenors in m. 38, then imitated by basses a fifth below, sopranos an octave above, and altos a fourth above, staggered by one measure throughout. This theme, like the introduction and the “Kyrie” theme, also opens with three step-wise quarter notes. Gounod introduces two other imitative themes in the “Christe.” In m. 44 the tenors begin a melody with a leap up a fourth, departing from the stepwise scalar pattern used to open the previous themes. It is imitated two beats later by basses a fifth below, two measures later by sopranos an octave above, and by altos, two beats after sopranos, a fourth above. Gounod maintains the same relationship between starting pitches and the same order of voices as the previous point of imitation. The last theme of the section, again introduced by the tenors, resumes the conjunct ascending contour, but with a much different rhythm. Rather than three consecutive quarter notes, the first pitch lasts three beats, followed by two eighth notes.

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Gounod slightly alters the pattern of imitation. The basses follow the tenors a fifth below, but

then the altos enter a fourth above, followed by the sopranos a seventh above rather than an

octave. The “Christe” closes with a fermata in m. 54.

The closing “Kyrie” section is preceded by an organ interlude that sets yet another theme

imitatively. As with the opening introduction, the theme from the organ interlude is altered by

the voices when they enter in m. 61, yet this time only slightly. Rather than descending a fifth,

the voices drop only a fourth, and the theme is shortened to only one measure, rather than two.

The tonal relationship between the voices is rather unusual, with the altos imitating a seventh

below the sopranos, the bases singing a fifth below the sopranos, and the tenors a ninth below. A

section of free counterpoint, mm. 65–68, concludes homophonically in mm. 69 and 70. The

movement ends homophonically with a duet between tenors/basses and sopranos/altos followed

by a plagal cadence in m. 73 and 74.

The “Gloria” makes less consistent use of imitative textures, alternating between

homophony and polyphony. The opening two measures are notably curious. They function as a

lead into m. 3, where the first clear melodic material begins, but the harmony is ambiguous. The

organ builds a chord by introducing pitches in descending order, first playing a B, then G, E, and

finally D. The final sonority is therefore a mediant seventh chord in third inversion, but functions as a dominant chord in second inversion resolving to a C major tonic chord. The first twenty-five measures are a small-scale ABA' form. In mm. 3–6, Gounod introduces two short phrases in the organ that are sung antiphonally between the sopranos/altos and tenors/basses in mm. 7–14 (A).

A new, three-measure phrase is sung antiphonally in mm. 15–20 (B), followed by an organ reiteration of mm. 3–6 (A'). Up to this point, the simple textures and gentle melodic gestures have been sung at an Andante tempo. Gounod introduces an imitative texture and Allegro tempo

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in m. 26 to express the praiseful mood of Laudamus te. The new two-measure theme, sung first

by the basses, begins with a leap up a perfect fourth and is rhythmically active. Tenors, altos, and

then sopranos sing the theme, followed by homophony in mm. 33–36. In m. 37 the sopranos

begin a new point of imitation with a new theme also beginning with a perfect fourth. Yet

another theme, begun by the basses in m. 44, makes prominent use of the fourth, outlining a

descending fourth in step-wise fashion. To emphasize the glory of God, Gounod switches to a

declamatory homophonic texture and places accents above the pitches at propter magnam

gloriam tuam. This texture, without the accents, persists through Pater omnipotens.

Between m. 62 and m. 108, Gounod introduces six imitative themes that he relates and

unifies motivically. The first theme opens with an arpeggiated descending fifth figure followed

by a stepwise ascent back up to the third of the triad. This closely resembles the melody

introduced in m. 44, only with a different descending pattern. The next point of imitation,

starting in m. 70, simply reuses the theme from m. 44, and the next point again uses this theme,

varying the final pitch in the bass and tenor, but keeping it the same in the alto. The imitated

melody in m. 83 is new, but, like m. 62, contains a descending fifth followed by upward stepwise motion. It also shares the half-quarter-quarter-half rhythm from m. 70. While a fairly distinctive theme emerges in m. 92, the melody in m. 99 is basically an inversion of m. 83. Gounod concludes the “Gloria” with an extended homophonic section marked by dramatic dynamic contrasts and an expansive Adagio Amen in the closing four measures.

The “Credo” opens with a regal, trumpet-like theme in the organ, heard first in the bass register and then twice in the soprano. In m. 11 the voices pick up the theme, beginning with basses, altos, and then sopranos. As in the “Gloria,” Gounod introduces a rapid succession of imitative themes, in this case four, in mm. 11–42. The first and third themes draw upon the

101 opening organ melody. The last three each follow the same format—they pass the theme upward from bass to tenor, alto, and soprano with a measure between each entrance. A lengthy homophonic passage, characterized by extensive repetition, spans from m. 43 to the Andante in m. 74. In mm. 43–52 Gounod repeats the first two measures two more times at the same pitch level, and twice more a step up with different harmonization. He then sequences a new two- measure phrase upward twice, diatonically, before concluding with a three-measure cadential gesture in mm. 59–61. In mm. 62–73, a coda, the harmony oscillates between only two chords, the tonic and subdominant, closing in an inevitable plagal cadence.

The Andante section, mm. 74–118, is quite similar to the corresponding section of the

Messe Chorale. Each setting shares the following traits. First, the tempo slows at Qui propter nos homines, where the voices sing the text homophonically in a hushed dynamic. Second, at

Crucifixus, the basses in both masses introduce a forte theme that is imitated first in tenors, altos, and then sopranos. Third, the voices become declamatory at sub Pontio Pilato, with a fermata separating this phrase from the following statements of passus, which Gounod set to half-quarter rhythms separated by quarter rests.

The remainder of the “Credo” bears much less resemblance to the Messe Chorale. An organ interlude introduces a two-measure imitative theme that is picked up by the voices beginning in m. 127 on Et resurrexit. The theme ascends on resurrexit to depict the text. Gounod uses word painting again in mm. 136–41, building the vocal texture imitatively from bass upward through soprano on Et ascendit. The vocal line within this phrase also leaps a sixth on the word coelum. Following four homophonic phrases, mm. 142–57, Gounod writes an organ interlude with a G pedal and a new imitative theme that builds from the bottom voice upward, leading to an emphatic G major cadence in m. 164. Unlike the other interludes, the organ’s

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theme is not picked up by the voices in the following section. Instead, the tenors sing yet another

new melody that is imitated by basses, sopranos, and then altos in mm. 165–70.

An extended homophonic section that concludes the movement contains a number of

noteworthy features. Gounod repeats mm. 178–81 in the next three measures, changing the text

underlay. This technique of phrase pairing is employed often in the masses. He uses the

polyphonic melody from mm. 165–71 declamatorily in mm. 186–89, slightly altering the original

contour. The sopranos intone text on a repeated G in mm. 191–98, in a manner resembling the

baroque falsobordone technique. The other voices, however, do change pitches beneath the

sopranos, varying from the falsobordone tradition, to sound G major, C major, and E minor chords within the phrase. The following phrases, mm. 199–212, contrast this harmonically static section, changing keys from C to F major, A minor, D minor, and back to C minor in thirteen measures. He slows the rhythmic motion in mm. 213–17, adding emphasis to Et vitam venturi saeculi by setting it in mostly half notes. A seven-measure Andante coda sets the Amen at a fortissimo dynamic, adding dramatic emphasis to the Credo’s conclusion.

The “Sanctus,” excluding the “Hosanna,” is only three phrases and occupies only eighteen measures. Like the “Credo,” the “Sanctus” begins with a polyphonic organ interlude whose theme is echoed at the vocal entrance. However, the vocal phrase differs from the organ introduction in two significant ways. First, the voices enter in a different order than they did in the organ, as soprano, alto, tenor, bass rather than tenor, alto, soprano, bass. Second, rather than cadencing in G major, the vocal phrase modulates to D major after the imitative entries. The second phrase is also imitative. Because the three-measure theme is composed of repeated rhythms and longer durations (two half-quarter-quarter note measures followed by a half-half note measure), the layering of the voices has the cumulative effect of homophony. The final

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three measures of the six-measure second phrase include the entire alto imitative entry, two

measures of the soprano theme, and one measure of the bass theme, yet the three measures have

the appearance of a four-voice homophonic phrase balancing the first three polyphonic measures.

The third and final phrase contains a pair of antecedent-consequent, two-measure gestures with

parallel rhythmic material, adding formal and thematic transparency to the musical material.

In the first of two Hosanna statements, Gounod employs an interesting polyphonic

technique to enhance harmonic interest. In m. 28 the basses introduce a syncopated theme

beginning with an ascending fourth leap followed by a syncopated scalar descent of a fifth. The

tenors imitate this a fourth higher in mm. 30 and 31. In both cases, Gounod sets the sopranos

against these lines. By augmenting the first two pitches of the theme in the soprano voice,

making them half notes rather than quarter notes, Gounod creates a chain of 2-3 suspensions with the bass and tenor. The altos sing a free contrapuntal line to harmonize against this polyphonic structure. The second Hosanna statement is a straightforward homophonic declamation using only tonic and dominant harmonies.

Unlike in any other of Gounod’s masses, the “Benedictus” is not its own movement, but is incorporated into the “Sanctus.” A fermata rest, double bar line, and a change of key from G major to C major separate the two sections. To begin the “Benedictus,” Gounod brings back a theme from the “Gloria,” an uncharacteristic reuse of thematic material within his polyphonic writing. The Benedictus consists of two points of imitation using the same polyphonic theme. It starts with an ascending triad in first inversion and continues with a syncopated quarter-half- quarter downward figure. The first point ends homophonically in G major, modulating from C major, and the second modulates back to C major.

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Gounod composes new material for the second “Hosanna.” The first statement is a unison statement in the men that begins with the quarter-half-quarter rhythmic motive from the preceding section. This phrase is then heard in the sopranos with harmony supplied by the other voices. One last four-measure, homophonic Hosanna concludes the movement, closing with a C major plagal cadence.

The “Agnus Dei” opens with organ playing a threefold sequence of a two-measure melody beginning on G, then E, and then C. It cadences first on A minor, then F major, and finally on C major the third time. As he did in the “Credo” and “Sanctus,” Gounod uses this material for the first vocal entry, varying the harmonies of the first two sequences slightly and writing the third sequence on A rather than C, cadencing in A minor instead of C major. The next phrase, on miserere nobis, begins with sopranos singing a new ascending theme alone, which is imitated in parallel thirds by tenors and altos. This initiates a duet between soprano and bass and alto and tenor that persists throughout the remainder of the phrase, up to the C major cadence in m. 26. Gounod uses the opening theme again for the second statement of Agnus Dei, setting it as a point of imitation with the theme being passed from basses upward. After a G major half cadence in m. 34, a new theme appears in the soprano. It is passed downward, leading to a C major cadence to close the second Agnus Dei. The third occurrence once again sets the opening melody polyphonically, beginning with tenor, alto, soprano, and then bass. The phrase modulates from C major to A minor, and the following threefold statement of dona nobis pacem hovers around A minor, vacillating between A minor, E minor, and G major chords. Not until the concluding pacem does Gounod come to rest on C major. A seven-measure organ postlude contains a C pedal in the bass and contrary scalar motion between the treble voices, set in

105 parallel thirds, and the tenors. Two chromatic tones in the tenor, Bb and Ab, hint at a C minor modal shift and darken the emotional color of the mass’s conclusion.

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CHAPTER 6

THE MASSES WITH ORCHESTRAL ACCOMPANIMENT—MESSE SOLENNELLE DE SAINTE CÉCILE

Gounod’s most lasting sacred work, the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, is one of five

masses for chorus and orchestra. This work holds a central position among these masses in

Gounod’s compositional career. He wrote two early orchestral masses during his student days, in

1839 and 1841, and two more in the final two decades of his career, 1876 and 1883. The St.

Cecilia Mass was written in 1855, only four years before Faust, during a period of particularly

productive and inspired creativity near the middle of his career.

While the two orchestral masses written later in Gounod’s career have not remained

within the performance repertoire, they contain fine examples of Gounod’s lyrical and dramatic

gifts. These masses, together with the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, reflect Gounod’s

interest in orchestral color, a musical trait that, according to Cooper, deeply fascinated Gounod:

“His great desire was to discover a beautiful color on the orchestral palette…. ‘Sonority’, as he

once said to me, ‘is still an unexplored country’.”107 Gounod’s orchestral masses exemplify his

own exploration into orchestral sonorities.

Messe à grand orchestra, chorus and orchestra, 1839; Messe à grand orchestra, A, T solo, TTB chorus, orch., 1841

Gounod’s first two orchestral masses were written in his early years and remain

unpublished. The Messe à grand orchestra, written in 1839 for chorus and orchestra, was written

before Gounod’s studies in Rome, and the “Sanctus” received praise from Hector Berlioz. The

107Martin Cooper, “Charles Gounod and His Influence on French Music,” Music and Letters 21 (January 1940): 55. 107

Messe à grand orchestra, written in 1841 for alto and tenor soloists, TTB chorus, and orchestra, was written in Rome and performed during Gounod’s stay in Vienna.

Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, SATB soloists, SATB chorus, orch., 1876

The Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, composed shortly after Gounod’s return to France following his troubled years in England, is the first of two orchestral masses written toward the end of Gounod’s career. The “Kyrie” is highly integrated thematically. Gounod introduces the primary thematic material of the movement in the twelve-measure orchestral introduction (see

Example 6.1). The first two measures contain a musical gesture that permeates the entire “Kyrie” movement. It is immediately repeated in the next two measures, and returns in a slightly varied form in mm. 7 and 8. The fifth and sixth measures contain contrasting material of contrary scalar motion between soprano and bass. A chant-like melodic motive in octaves contained in mm. 9 and 10 is repeated and harmonized in mm. 11–14 and then returns in the “Christe” section.

The opening “Kyrie” section, mm. 15–42, begins with a literal repetition of the first eight measures of the orchestral introduction. These repeated measures are followed by four measures that sequence the opening two measures. Gounod finally departs from this limited thematic scope in m. 27, writing two phrases built from descending sequences and chains of suspensions. The second of these, mm. 31–38, is a duet between sopranos/tenors and altos/basses constituting a three-fold sequence of a new two-measure theme. In the second measure of this theme, the tenors and basses recall the chant-like motive from mm. 9 and 10 and the sopranos and altos sing this motive in contrary motion, resulting in voice exchange. Gounod concludes the initial “Kyrie” section with a unison statement of the opening motive, altered to minor mode, which is echoed by the orchestra in the final two measures. The “Christe” section begins emphatically, with a forte chordal declamation of Christe in G major. The chord is repeated and leads into a five-

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Example 6.1. Messe du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, “Kyrie,” mm. 1–18.

109 measure phrase in which tenors sing divisi in the third and fourth measures. The sopranos, altos, and tenor I section sing the chant-like motive in parallel motion and the tenor II section and basses sing in contrary motion. The phrase softens to piano, and after a two-measure organ interlude, the voices repeat the previous phrase in Eb major. The close of the “Christe” develops the main motivic material from the “Kyrie.” From m. 59 until m. 70, the orchestra plays the mass’s opening motive on a new pitch level in each measure. The voices join in these statements in the first three measures, but otherwise sing Christe eleison in slow-moving homophony independent from the orchestra. The return of the Kyrie text is accompanied by a recapitulation of the first phrase of the opening “Kyrie,” but Gounod alters the rest of the section. The two-fold sequence of the opening theme is found after, rather than before, the sequenced phrases containing chains of suspensions. Furthermore, he omits the first suspension chain phrase and sets the second suspensions chain phrase in C major rather than C minor. Gounod rounds the section off with a five-measure phrase drawing from a new descending scalar motive. The movement closes with a sixteen-measure coda that states the main theme twice and concludes with a restatement of the organ introduction, altered at the end to sound a final plagal cadence.

The opening of the “Gloria” is somewhat unusual. Its ¾ meter and Allegretto tempo create a lilting, waltz-like feel. For all but the final two phrases of the section, the voices intone the text on G in octaves while the orchestra plays joyous and somewhat sprightly musical material. The first eight measures function as a fanfare introduction, with the voices joining in the fifth measure as the dynamic softens from forte to pianissimo. Between m. 9 and m. 48, the orchestra plays a dance built from two periods, with an ABA'BA'' form. The A phrase is an eight-measure parallel period, while the B phrase is a four-measure phrase and its literal repetition. At each repetition of the A material, Gounod enhances the overall texture by

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expanding the orchestral texture. The Allegretto section concludes with another fanfare,

interestingly at a piano dynamic, in which the voices sing harmony for the first time.

In m. 69, at Laudamus te, Gounod increases the tempo to Allegro, the dynamic to forte, and sets the text in energetic imitative polyphony. The counterpoint quickly gives way to declamation in m. 77, where Gounod writes an extended series of four-measure phrases lasting through m. 111. Each of the phrases is similarly constructed, containing a two-measure gesture and a two-measure variation. By varying the thematic character, orchestral background, and harmonies of the phrases, Gounod achieves considerable contrast within the section. The first two of these, in mm. 79–86, are calls and responses between orchestra and chorus. The final phrase, mm. 108–11, is a broadly declaimed, disjunct theme of half notes sung by the voices with

agitated sixteenth and eighth note figures in the orchestra. An orchestral interlude in mm. 118–27

transitions into alternating points of imitation and homophony from mm. 128–87. The orchestral

accompaniment becomes the unifying feature, containing frequent staccato articulation and rests

between beats that thin the orchestral texture. Octave recitation on a single pitch, similar to the

opening of the movement, returns in m. 188, set against active sixteenth note tremolo figures in

the orchestra that continue through the end of the Allegro section in m. 211.

Gounod sets the Miserere nobis text in an Adagio tempo, adding F natural and E flats to

the G major tonality to elicit a penitential mood through a minor color. After only eight measures

Gounod again changes the tempo to Andante and abandons orchestral accompaniment for an a

cappella texture. The orchestra interjects pianissimo C major chords between the choir’s forte

phrases in six-part homophony. The orchestra joins the choir with contrasting material in m. 232

and unites colla parte with the chorus in m. 236 to close the Andante section. The final Allegro section recaps the first Allegro’s opening imitative theme from m. 69, varying from the original

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at the soprano entrance in m. 246. A three-fold ascending sequence leads to a concluding Amen section built almost exclusively of sequenced figures. Sequence gives way to homophony in the final phrase of the Allegro, which expands from quarters to half notes, and then to whole notes to bring the movement to a dramatic conclusion. A four-measure coda passes a four-note ascending motive upward through the voices, which are doubled in the orchestra, effecting a sweeping scalar gesture of over two octaves before coming to rest on a final C major chord.

The “Credo” begins Andante molto maestoso with a driving, forte motive in the orchestra. This motive is stated four times at various pitch levels before being rounded off with a contrasting motive of similar rhythmic persistence, creating a two-measure phrase. Gounod then sets the chorus and orchestra antiphonally, with the voices declaiming the text in homophonic fortissimo for two measures and the orchestra interjecting with its introductory two-measure theme overlaid with a broad, chant-like melody. In m. 23 the voices take up the orchestral motives, creating a colla parte texture where motives are passed between voices. Despite this weaving of materials among the various voices, they continue singing the text together, creating a hybrid texture of both counterpoint and uniform declamation. In m. 28 the voices once again break free from the orchestral material, singing repeated homophonic chords while the orchestra

develops the previous phrase’s material through an ascending sequence. The orchestra and

voices build to three points of climax between m. 28 and m. 45, with the drama being enhanced

by syncopated rhythms in the orchestra beginning in m. 35 and octave declamation in the voices

beginning in m. 40. At facta sunt Gounod lowers the dynamic suddenly to piano, preparing for a

chromatic descending gesture in the voices and orchestra to depict the text descendit de coelis. In

mm. 53–70 Gounod proceeds with hushed, sustained choral writing and staccato

accompanimental material. An orchestral interlude characterized by sighing eighth-sixteenth

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gestures serves to modulate from G major to C minor. The weeping gestures continue in the

orchestra as the voices sing the Crucifixus text.

Gounod treats the Et resurrexit without the usual fanfare. The sopranos and tenors duet

with the altos and basses in a subdued piano dynamic. An ascending arpeggio in the orchestra,

marked by dotted rhythms, depicts the resurrection while sixteenth note, Alberti bass figures

portray the underlying excitement of the event. Each ascending arpeggio defines a two-measure

phrase that is set first in Ab, then F, Bb, G, C, and A major, all the while gradually building until

reaching a forceful fortissimo on et ascendit in coelum in m. 104. Gounod drops the dynamic to

piano again at Vivos et mortuos, where he prepares for a recapitulation of the movement’s

opening material with an extended D dominant chord. In m. 121 the orchestral introduction

returns with choral homophony added. The antiphonal texture that began in m. 6 returns in m.

126 with varied choral material and a much briefer orchestral response. A full return of this

antiphonal section is cut short by the entry of a fugal subject sung by the basses beginning in m.

132. The ensuing fugal exposition passes the theme from bass to tenor, alto, and then soprano

and lasts through m. 144. In m. 145 the voices sing in fortissimo declamation at Confiteor.

Gounod maintains this texture through the remainder of the movement, but drops down to piano again at Et expecto resurrectionem in m. 149. He postpones a final climactic crescendo until m.

158, where the voices build from piano to a forte in a measure and a half to proclaim a forceful

Amen. The movement closes with a four-measure Adagio codetta that once again recalls the introductory orchestral theme and the broad, chant-like melody from mm. 8–9, sung in octaves in the voices and doubled in the orchestra.

The “Sanctus” opens with a four-measure orchestral introduction of broad, forte chords that change with each measure and reach a plagal cadence in the fourth measure. The chorus

113 continues in the same expansive manner in m. 5, singing a four-fold ascending sequence of a four-measure phrase, with the last phrase extended one measure to cadence on Eb in m. 21. At the cadence, the orchestra enters with an arpeggiated sixteenth note figure that continues throughout the next eight measures. The voices sing two phrases, each made of a two-measure gesture and its immediate variation. In mm. 30–35 Gounod sets the first three of four Hosanna statements in similar two-measure units. Each consists of one measure of octave Bb’s in the voices and orchestra, followed by a second-measure expansion into five or six-part chords in the voices and a sixteenth note arpeggio in the orchestra that rapidly rises and falls. The second- measure chords in each phrase contain Bb as a common tone: Gb major in m. 31, Gb augmented in m. 33, and Eb in m. 35. One final, four-measure vocal phrase inverts the textures of the previous gestures, beginning with the orchestral arpeggiation in the first measure and changing to the unified vocal/orchestral rhythms in the second. The final climax and cadence come in mm.

38 and 39. Gounod concludes the movement by repeating the orchestral introduction.

Gounod sets the “Benedictus” in an unusual form. While the traditional solo quartet sings the Benedictus text, Gounod interrupts the solo texture and text with four tutti Hosanna statements rather than reserving this text for the end of the movement. The final Hosanna phrase is a variation of the first, and the third is a variation of the second. Gounod unifies the movement by beginning each solo passage with the same theme. It is first introduced in the orchestral interlude, where it is treated in imitation. This same imitative treatment is used in the first three statements of the Benedictus text, and it is set homophonically in the last two. The orchestral accompaniment makes use of a syncopated eighth-quarter-eighth note rhythm throughout. It is one component of the rhythmic texture during the Benedictus text, but during the Hosanna statements, the entire orchestra plays this rhythm.

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The “Angus Dei” begins with orchestra playing four unison, arc-shaped melodic gestures.

The instruments finally break into harmony at the close of the final gesture in mm. 8 and 9. The voices repeat the introduction for the first statement of Agnus Dei, with colla parte orchestral doubling. The second Agnus Dei begins with an imitative theme that is a varied inversion of the opening phrase, passed from soprano downward. The remainder of the section is homophonic.

The orchestra accompanies with a staccato C pedal sounded on beats two through four, with sustained harmonic and colla parte writing above the pedal. The instrumental texture changes at

Miserere nobis with the appearance of sustained quarter notes in the lower voices, colla parte in the middle voices, and eighth note arpeggiation in the upper voices. After a legato orchestral interlude built from repetition and sequence in mm. 35–38, Gounod sets the third Agnus Dei in a harmonization of the first, unison Agnus Dei, with colla parte accompaniment. Dona nobis pacem is first stated within this recapitulation and is set homophonically afterward. Within this concluding homophony, Gounod includes three sets of repeated two-measure phrases and a three-fold statement of a one-measure gesture, augmented in its third statement. The mass closes with a final statement of the first two phrases of the introduction sung and played against a C pedal in the orchestra. The last three notes of the second phrase are augmented to slow the harmonic rhythm into the final cadence.

Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques, SATB chorus, orch., 1883

From the opening of the “Kyrie’s” orchestral introduction, the Messe solennelle no. 3 de

Pâques exhibits a range of musical inspiration. The first phrase is a chant-like, meandering, five- measure melody in octaves. Phrase two, however, is a traditional four-measure phrase charmingly warmed with harmonic support. Changing styles again in m. 15, the voices begin

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with a choral fugue, complete with subjects, answers at the fifth, and a countersubject (see

Example 6.2).

The “Kyrie” has an ABA form. The orchestral introduction, opening fugue, and its

homophonic resolution, mm. 1–42, constitute the A section. The fugue’s four-measure subject is

heard first by basses, then tenors, altos, and sopranos. The B section begins in m. 43 with the

voices singing a new imitative theme. The mode shifts from Eb Major to Eb minor. Interestingly,

this four-measure theme is imitated with only two measures between voice entries, creating a

stretto effect upon the first hearing. The majority of the B section develops the motives from the

second and third measures of this imitative theme. These musical ideas now occupy the first and

second measures of the following phrases, though the altered rhythmic stress gives these motives

a new character. In m. 61 the second measure of the theme, a descending half-quarter motive,

becomes the prominent motive and is treated chromatically until the return of the A section in m.

85. The fugal recapitulation only occupies eight short measures, with the subject treated in stretto

in the four voices. The following twenty-six measures again use the half-quarter motive

prominent in the B section, sustained, in part, by major-minor seventh chord pedals. As the

orchestra closes the movement, the fugal theme is heard one final time in a slightly altered

version.

While many of Gounod’s “Gloria” movements begin with celebratory zeal, the opening

of this “Gloria” is unusual in its Andante tempo and subdued character. The orchestral interlude,

with soft, yet insistent D pedal, is followed by an antiphonal choral section, with the men

echoing the women’s phrases an octave lower. Plagal cadences reinforce the solemnity created

by the tempo and dynamics. The mood relaxes in m. 26, where the tempo quickens to Moderato.

Throughout this new section, mm. 26–88, the orchestra plays the most prominent musical

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Example 6.2. Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques, “Kyrie,” mm. 1–26.

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material and the voices play a secondary role. The principal theme, introduced by the orchestra

three separate times, opens the section. In this first statement the voices come in and out of the

melodic line in a duet between soprano/tenor and bass/alto. In the orchestral theme’s second

hearing the voices sing homophony, and the final time the orchestra plays alone. Gounod writes

contrasting material, marked by sequences, between these thematic entries.

A jagged, fanfare-like dotted rhythm permeates mm. 89–100, creating a sober, fearful

mood reinforced by a shift to C minor and a slowing of tempo to Andante. Again, the orchestra

carries the musical interest with the choir singing less active material. After a ten-measure

declamatory introduction in chorus and orchestra, the mood turns more reverential with a change

to Eb Major in ninety-nine. The orchestra plays a more lyrical theme in mm. 99–106, with tenors

and sopranos singing a slower-moving countermelody in octaves. The theme is immediately

heard again with the same texture, this time modulating to Bb major. A developmental section

follows, building twice to a forceful climax before giving way to the final return of the lyrical

theme. Gounod rounds off the entire movement by recalling the movement’s opening antiphonal

theme, this time sung in a full, eight-voice texture.

The “Credo,” like the “Kyrie,” opens with a chant-like melody in orchestra. Sounded in

octaves at a fortissimo dynamic, the theme is broad and majestic, supported by the Molto moderato e maestoso tempo. The opening chant-like melody is next sung by the voices three times, each time a whole step higher. A fourth phrase rounds off the three stated themes to form a cohesive structural unit that returns two other times during the movement. A contrasting, sensitive theme follows, treated in ascending sequence, again by whole step, and rounded off by material similar to the preceding chant section. The chant-like theme then returns, but is treated differently. It is found only in the orchestra, while the voices deliver text homophonically, and it

118 is only heard twice, the first time in the dominant key of Bb and the second time a minor third higher in Db. A closing codetta in mm. 55–70 extends the tonic, colored with a creeping chromatic bass line below, before closing with a modal (iv-I) plagal cadence.

Two brief slower sections interrupt the Moderato tempo, which returns in m. 114. At et incarnatus est, beginning in m. 71, Gounod slows to Adagio and softens to pianissimo. The first phrase is repeated a half step lower, symbolizing Christ’s descent to earth. A dominant extension closes this brief section. A dramatic dotted figure, reminiscent of the “Gloria’s” dotted Andante motive, announces the beginning of a new Andante section in mm. 93–113, declaring the crucifixion. Two levels of syncopation in the orchestra, both a quarter-half-quarter motive and an eighth-quarter-eighth motive, enhance the emotional intensity.

The Molto moderato tempo returns in a through-composed section marked by fortissimo declamation in the voices and tremolo in the orchestra. It opens with a falsobordone-type text delivery on the tonic chord, followed by the return of the rounding fourth phrase found in the opening section. The opening chant-like theme returns in m. 147 and is repeated in the same three keys as the opening. A striking new chant-like melody is sung and played in octaves beginning in m. 175, further emphasizing the importance of chant on Gounod’s sacred style. The

“Credo” climaxes with a fragmented canon of the chant-like theme in the orchestra and fortissimo declamation in the chorus. The movement closes with one final, broad harmonization of the opening chant-like theme in the orchestra.

The “Sanctus” is set in three contrasting sections. It is introduced by a beautiful, stepwise ascent in the orchestra that builds from piano to forte and is set against a B pedal. The choir repeats this phrase, which is altered at the cadence to a B dominant chord (see Example 6.3). The

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Example 6.3. Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques, “Sanctus,” mm. 1–18.

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second phrase begins with a descending, highly disjunct melody, followed by a contrasting

melody that modulates to F# major. The second section, mm. 25–44, begins with two four-

measure phrases constructed from a two-measure theme in ascending sequence. The sopranos

and tenors sing the theme, a descending triad and an upward leap of a sixth, and the altos and

basses imitate the sopranos and tenors a fifth below one measure later, creating an overlapping

antiphonal effect. In mm. 33–44 the paired imitation continues with a variation of the preceding

theme in descending sequence, followed by a step-wise theme using the same rhythm as the two

preceding themes. The section concludes with forceful homophony. The Hosanna, mm. 45–55, begins with a new theme, again in an ascending sequence of four repetitions, supported harmonically by a B pedal and subdominant six-four harmony and followed by a cadential resolution to the tonic. The movement concludes with the orchestra playing the Hosanna theme in ascending sequence.

In the orchestral introduction of the “Benedictus,” Gounod modulates from B major to Eb major using a German seventh chord in m. 2. The opening choral phrase, heard twice in Eb major and once in F# major, has an archaic feel due to its modal harmonies and repeated, falsobordone style chordal reiterations (see Example 6.4). The following “Hosanna” is somewhat unusual. While Gounod does repeat the “Sanctus” Hosanna material, he surrounds it with new music. He first adds a six-measure introduction of three homophonic, sustained statements of

Hosanna on F# major before the “Sanctus” Hosanna and also adds a concluding section marked by antiphony between chorus and orchestra.

The “Agnus Dei” contains frequent repetition through exact reiteration, slight variation, sequence, and recapitulation. Its overall form is ABA' with a coda. The six-measure introduction begins with a one-measure theme heard three times in an ascending sequence. The first two

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Example 6.4. Messe solennelle no. 3 de Pâques, “Benedictus,” mm. 1–10.

measures of chorus are also treated in sequence, and the first three beats of the fifth measure are repeated exactly in m. 6. Examples of sequence and exact repetitions can be found throughout the remainder of the A section and the B section. The recapitulation in m. 48, which restates the

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melody and harmonies with revoiced choral parts, is another layer of repetition. The nineteen-

measure coda also makes use of repetition, starting with a two-measure theme set in ascending

sequence. Finally, the concluding Amen phrase slightly varies the harmony of the phrase’s first measure when repeating it in the second measure, changing the embellishing vi chord to a flat VI augmented chord. Despite the frequent repetition of material, Gounod varies his means of repetition and introduces a variety of themes to create a concluding movement that is both interesting and musically unified.

Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, STB soloists, SATB chr., orch., org., 1855 (new 2nd Offertory added in 1874)

The Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile represents an effort by Gounod to improve the

lamentably low standard of Catholic church music in mid-century France. Georgiades describes

the importance of these efforts: “In the second half of the century significant works arise out of

this new spirit. Masses such as those by Liszt and Gounod seem to be trying to lift up the dome

of the church and lure down Heaven from above.”108 According to Cooper, the St. Cecilia Mass

“presented a great improvement on contemporary church music, not only in craftsmanship but in musical taste.”109 Because it is part of the modern performance repertoire, it is hoped that the

following analysis will prove particularly useful to the choral conducting profession.

Kyrie

Like the Messe Solennelle no. 3 de Pâques, the Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile begins with the orchestra playing a chant-like melody in octaves in the first phrase. However, unlike the

108Thrasybulos Georgiades, Music and Language: The Rise of Western Music as Exemplified in Settings of the Mass, trans. Marie Louise Göllner (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982), 119–20.

109Martin Cooper, “Gounod, Charles,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed., vol. 7, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: MacMillan, 1980), 585. 123

wandering chant-like theme of the Messe Solennelle no. 3, this four-measure melody lends itself

to periodic structure. The second phrase harmonizes the tune and changes the final pitch to create

an eight-measure parallel period. As often occurs in Gounod’s masses, the chorus echoes the

introduction. The sopranos and altos sing the chant-like melody a cappella, joined by the tenors

and basses in the harmonized second phrase. The orchestra introduces a three-layered texture in

m. 16 consisting of upper strings, lower strings, and winds that will continue through m. 33, with

the two string layers remaining for nearly the entire movement. The upper strings play

ascending, arpeggiated eighth note figures marked by staccato articulation with slurs on beats

one and three. The bassoons and horns, which are replaced shortly by clarinets, provide sustained

harmonic support. Chords are initiated on beat four, and when the harmony changes on the

following downbeat, common tones are tied over the bar line, enhancing the sostenuto. Celli and

contrabassi define harmony by playing pizzicato notes in octaves on each downbeat. They vary

from this pattern only twice. They play arco in mm. 65–70, sustain a C in seventy, and play arco

again in mm. 95–103. They also play on beat three in mm. 78–85.

Against this orchestral backdrop, the sopranos and tenors sing a simple call and response,

first in two-measure phrases in mm. 18–25, and then in four-measure phrases in the next eight

measures. Both sets of eight measures form parallel periods. The rhythm is dominated by a

dotted half note followed by either a quarter note or two eighth notes. The solo trio, which enters

in the pick-up to m. 34, continues homophonically with the same rhythms and style, singing their

own parallel period in mm. 34–41. The chorus very softly interjects Kyrie on pianississimo D’s in m. 37 and eleison in m. 40 (see Example 6.5). The tympani, rarely used in the movement, reinforce this muted expression. Gounod alters the wind’s harmonic support, calling on horns III

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Example 6.5. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Kyrie,” mm. 37–41.

and IV and Bassoons I and II, with flute and clarinet doubling the soprano melody in the second phrase.

The choir enters on Christe eleison in m. 42, with the sopranos singing a melody characterized in the first two measures by arpeggiated leaps and half-quarter rhythms that stress beats one and three. This emphasis on strong beats, together with the disjunct line and a sudden switch from G major to Eb major, creates a more insistent mood, though still sung piano (see

Example 6.6). The choir sings a four-measure phrase, doubled in the organ, and the winds punctuate the cadence in m. 4 with an echo of the third-measure melody. The chorus sings this phrase two more times, sung a step lower each time and growing louder during the third phrase.

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Example 6.6. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Kyrie,” mm. 42–46.

At its close, the choir suddenly takes up an echoed statement of eleison to extend the phrase and

come to rest on a dominant Bb major chord in m. 56. The orchestra, rather than echoing the end

of the third phrase as before, joins the resurgence, with bassoons and oboes playing sustained

harmonies and flute I and clarinets doubling the melody.

In the solo quartet’s second appearance, beginning at the anacrusis of m. 57, they sing an

eight-measure variation of their first entry, once again echoed by pianississimo choral whispers.

Gounod modulates back to D major with a German seventh chord in m. 61. In the orchestra, horn

III, bassoons I and II, clarinets, and oboes play sustained, whole note harmonies while the upper

string arpeggios and cello and bass pizzicato continue. The chorus next sings eleison three times, gaining energy through ascending parallel thirds in the sopranos and altos and also through a crescendo in all voices, reaching a climax on a C major chord in m. 70. Flutes, clarinets, and

126 bassoons double the voices on beats four and one, resting on beats two and three, while the organ doubles with whole notes. Horns I and II sustain D’s in octaves while the tympani help build intensity by striking the downbeat of every other measure. The trio returns in m. 71, once again singing the same thematic material, this time marked by diminished harmonies used to modulate via common tone from C to Eb major, Ab Major, and then to G major, creating a chromatic scale in the celli and bassi. For much of the phrase, oboes double the soprano and bassoons I and II double the baritone, while clarinets and horns fill in harmonies.

At the return of the Kyrie text in m. 79, the choir sings thematic material related to the opening. Its first phrase recalls the antiphonal material beginning in m. 18, while the second phrase is reminiscent of the initial solo section. The tympani become more active, playing on beats one and four. They are joined by the cornets in one of their four rare appearances, and the only appearance longer than two measures. Once again, the melody is doubled by clarinets and flutes, with bassoons and horns playing sustained harmonies. The subsequent trio entrance, mm.

87–94, recalls the ascending phrase sung by the chorus in mm. 64–70, but is rounded off by the standard closing gesture from previous trio sections. The winds thin to bassoons I and II, which sustain the bass pitch, and oboes, which interject brief melodic figures between the Kyrie statements. Clarinets and horn III and IV join in the second phrase. The chorus echoes this phrase in the next eight measures, though with a closer adherence to rhythmic features in the first five measures than to specific pitches and harmonies. Oboes, bassoons, and horns sustain harmonies, while clarinets and flutes take up the countermelody played by the oboes in the preceding trio section.

To conclude the movement, Gounod restates the opening chant-like theme in the chorus in mm. 104–11, doubled by upper strings and double reeds in the first phrase and strings in the

127

second phrase. By reestablishing the three-part orchestral texture in m. 111, Gounod suggests a

recapitulation of the A section, but after only two measures the orchestra drops out and the choir

sings an a cappella concluding phrase, joined by full orchestra in sustained harmony at the arrival

of the concluding G major authentic cadence.

Gloria

Gounod begins the “Gloria” in a spirit of awe and muted anticipation rather than

triumphant declamation. The first twenty-six measures feature a soprano soloist singing a broad,

noble melody at a Larghetto tempo. Her entrance is prepared by an opening horn solo in the

same expansive style. The horn melody, doubled by the harp’s top pitches, is accompanied by

chords in the harp, tremolo in the upper strings, and whole note harmonies in lower strings and

organ. A full orchestral chord is sounded at the beginning and end of the solo phrases. A six-part

SATTBB humming chorus is added to the harp, string, and organ accompaniment when the soprano enters in m. 10. The horn solo returns again in m. 27, doubled by solo flute and solo oboe and enhanced by the addition of sustained chords in the winds, creating an ABA form in the

Larghetto section. Beneath the horn, the women of the chorus sing the Gloria text on subordinate

musical material while the men continue humming. The strings and organ continue as before,

while the harp plays a sparser accompaniment.

At Laudamus te, Gounod changes to Allegro pomposo and forte, expressing joyous

praise. The chorus sings in forceful homophony, doubled by woodwinds, horns, and upper

strings, and the celli, bassi, and trombones play an energized, active bass line. The four-measure

phrase in mm. 38–41 is repeated a whole step higher in the next four measures. The next phrase

consists of a two-measure gesture and its varied repetition in which soprano and tenor exchange

parts and the doubling woodwinds are revoiced from parallel sixths to parallel thirds. The upper

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strings join the moving bass line in octaves, while the horns and trumpets play sustained A’s in a

fanfare rhythm. In mm. 50–53 Gounod completes an eight-measure period sung by the chorus

and leads into the first trio entrance of the movement. Within this phrase, the violins break free

from the bass line to play active eighth note figures in octaves.

The trio introduces new thematic material. A repetition of their first two measures creates

the first phrase, followed by a contrasting second phrase which closes in an A major half

cadence. In the first phrase, celli and horn IV sustain a D while upper strings double the trio. A

solo oboe plays a colorful arpeggiated gesture, supported by chords in horns I and II and

bassoons I and II, to smooth the seams between phrases. In the second phrase, the celli play a

melodic bass line while clarinets, bassoons, and upper strings double the trio and occasionally fill

out the harmony. The choir repeats the trio music in the next eight measures, accompanied by

orchestral elements. The violin I section plays running eighth note figures dominated by

arpeggios and bassi join the cello line. Horns join the clarinet and bassoons, which double the

choral parts in both the first and second phrases in the choral repeat. A solo flute doubles the soprano melody an octave above, adding a sonic sheen to theme.

In m. 70, trio and choir begin singing antiphonally, alternating every measure on Domine

deus. The trio is joined by woodwinds and horns while the choir is joined by bassoon III and IV,

horn III and IV, brass, strings, and organ. Each of the four exchanges between trio and choir is

supported by a single harmony. The first is in A major, then A minor, C major, and F major. In

two measures of transition, seventy-eight and seventy-nine, the choir sings Rex coelestis in D major while the orchestra plays two sweeping eighth note scales in contrary motion. The flutes, clarinets, and violins ascend and bassoons, trombones, celli, and bassi descend, building energy into a dramatic fortissimo dynamic in the next phrase. The chorus closes the Allegro pomposo

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with a rousing declamation of Deus Pater omnipotens. Gounod begins the phrase on the

subdominant, arriving on the dominant six-four chord in m. 82. Rather than resolving to the

cadence, Gounod extends the harmony by repeating the second and third measures a third higher

in the next two measures, building intensity toward the return of the dominant six-four in m. 85.

Gounod continues to increase intensity by suspending the cadential resolution expected in m. 87, extending the dominant seventh chord an extra measure. Using a dotted half noted tied to an eighth note to sustain the syllable “ni” of omnipotens, Gounod puts off the resolution to D major until the very last moment. Upon arriving at D major in m. 88, the orchestra plays a grand postlude with a prominent bass line like that found at the opening of the Allegro pomposo.

The vocal trio sings throughout the majority of the Andante section spanning mm. 96–

155. The orchestra establishes a sweet and delicate mood in the first four measures. A solo cello plays a melody that will become the baritone’s opening phrase, and the oboe plays a countermelody that will be repeated when the baritone enters. The upper strings play a pizzicato arpeggio figure that will continue throughout the baritone’s solo. In the measure before the baritone’s entrance, the flutes and clarinets join the oboe’s countermelody, adding harmonies in parallel motion. The baritone’s solos are marked by a falling half-quarter note motive and two- measure themes repeated at higher pitch levels. His line gradually ascends, and it rises and falls dynamically three separate times. Clarinets, bassoons I and II, and horns join in the third phrase with sustained whole note harmonies, and flutes double the baritone’s final phrase one and two octaves above.

When the tenor enters in m. 116 the orchestral accompaniment changes. The upper strings change from pizzicato arpeggios to arco repeated eighth notes, resting on each downbeat.

The sustained accompaniment thins to a solitary sustained B in Bassoons I and II during the first

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two measures of the solo, but fills out somewhat as bassoons are joined by solo oboe and

clarinets in the third and fourth measures. Celli join the bassoons in the fifth and sixth measures,

and clarinets replace the bassoons in the final two measures of the tenor solo. In mm. 124–27 the

baritone imitates the first four measures of the tenor theme a fourth lower, with bassoons and

horns sustaining whole note harmonies and solo oboe and clarinet again joining in the third

measure. The tenor joins in the second phrase, singing homophonically with the baritone, and

unlike the preceding tenor phrases, the oboe and clarinets continue playing throughout this

second phrase, doubling the baritone and the tenor lines.

The soprano solo joins the other two voices in m. 131 as they restate the tenor’s theme in

octaves. Gounod once again changes the orchestral texture and character with the entrance of a

new voice. The upper strings now play tremolo in lines with frequent quarter note scalar motion.

Celli and bassi play arco dotted half-quarter note rhythms while horn I plays a countermelody doubled by the violin I section. Flutes and oboes double the voices in mm. 132–35. In mm. 136–

43 the clarinets take over the oboes’ doubling role while a solo oboe plays a countermelody with ascending scales in eighth notes. After nine measures of unison, the voices finally break company in m. 141, harmonizing in preparation for the B minor cadence in m. 143.

At the cadence, the altos and divisi men enter at a piano dynamic on Miserere nobis,

crescendoing and decrescendoing over two measures. The soloists and sopranos enter a measure

later with the same text and rhythm as the altos, tenors, and basses. The call and response

happens again in mm. 145 and 146, and all voices join in homophonic half notes in mm. 147 and

148. The rhythmic pace increases to quarter notes in m. 149 for a final statement of Miserere

before a B minor authentic cadence in m. 151. In a four-measure postlude, the combined voices

whisper a pianissimo Domine on a B minor chord two times, energized by a double-dotted

131 quarter-sixteenth note rhythm. Rather than allowing the Andante section to ebb away, Gounod writes a sudden forte in the penultimate measure, supported with dominant harmonies, which quickly decays back down to pianissimo for the final cadence.

An exact recapitulation of the opening of the Allegro pomposo occurs in mm. 156–70, marked Tempo I, with a few very minor changes. The choir’s rhythms are adjusted to accommodate different text, and the organ doubling matches these adjustments at times. The organ’s right hand is also slightly altered in m. 170, with two quarter notes in the first two beats and no G in the last chord of the measure. The tympani line is more active in mm. 164–70, and the assignment of pitches between tuba and trombone is slightly altered as well. In m. 171

Gounod evades the D major cadence by moving surprisingly to a G# fully diminished seventh chord, postponing the cadence until m. 174.

The Cum Sancto Spiritu is set by two contrasting themes, each treated sequentially (see

Example 6.7). In the first theme, the voices sing polyphonically. The sopranos and tenors duet, delivering the text together. The basses sing the soprano melody in inversion one measure later, while the altos sing a contrasting syncopated line, creating 2-3 suspensions against the soprano line. This two-measure phrase is first heard in D major and is repeated three times in ascending sequence. The orchestra doubles this polyphonic texture. The flutes, oboes, and violin I section double the sopranos, the bassoon I and II, and violas double the tenors, the clarinets and the violin II section double the altos, and the bassoon III and IV and celli double the basses. The organ doubles all voices, and the upper strings double while playing tremolo. The horns, contrabassii, and organ pedal play a D pedal throughout. The second theme sets the in Gloria Dei patris homophonically, first heard in D major and, like the previous theme, repeated three times in ascending sequence. The winds sustain chords on beats one through three throughout the

132

Example 6.7. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Gloria,” mm. 164–79.

133

Example 6.7 (continued). Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Gloria,” mm. 180–94.

134 sequence, with the flutes doubling the sopranos continually. While bowing sixteenth notes, the violin I section plays an arpeggiated eighth note line while the violin II section and violas play an arpeggiated quarter note line in parallel sixths. The lower strings play a distinctive sequenced theme with both melodic and rhythmic independence from the voices. A four-measure phrase of contrasting material rounds off this sequential section, cadencing on a D major chord in m. 194.

In m. 190 the violin II section joins the violin I section in octaves for four beats, and in 191 the violas and lower strings join the winds’ sustained chords while the flutes, clarinets, and the violin

II section double the sopranos and altos until the cadence in 194. Gounod then repeats the sequential themes and closing cadence from mm. 174–94 in the next twenty measures with very few orchestral changes. Notably, the trombones and tuba double the lower strings’ countermelody during the second theme in mm. 203–8. The “Gloria” concludes with three statements of Amen. The first two are each undergirded by a B minor chord resolving to D major.

Within these statements, the full orchestra sustains harmony, with trombones, tuba, lower strings, and organ alternating with the violin I section in a measure-long ascending D major scale. The last Amen is fully homophonic and is harmonized by a plagal G major to D major resolution.

Credo

The “Credo,” marked Moderato molto maestoso, begins with pomp and grandeur. A broad, noble melody is sounded in the flutes, oboes, clarinets, cornets, and trombone, with trumpets joining until m. 13. The bassoons, celli, and bassi play an accompaniment of dotted quarter-eighth note rhythms that begins mostly stepwise but becomes more disjunct in measures nine through sixteen due to the sequencing of a four-beat motive. The upper strings play single eighth notes on beats two and four, with the violin I section in octaves and the violin II section and violas in broken chords. As the winds complete their majestic melody in m. 17, the chorus

135 enters, beginning the unison melody anew at the moment of the cadence and weakening the closure of the introduction. The winds drop out, entering only to punctuate each four-measure choral phrase with a sustained chord in the fourth measure. The organ also enters in m. 17, doubling both the choir and the lower strings, which repeat their introductory accompaniment.

The upper strings also repeat their broken chord figures. The delayed repose caused by the chorus’s elided entry in m. 17 is realized in m. 33 (see Example 6.8). Here the orchestra enters at a forceful fortissimo dynamic. The bassoons and brass sustain chords while the flute, oboe, clarinet, and upper strings play a descending theme using the rhythmic dotted motive of the earlier bass line. Lower strings, in turn, adopt the upper strings’ previous rhythm in a legato form, playing a syncopated, quarter-half-quarter G pedal.

In m. 37 the chorus introduces a variation of the opening melodic phrase that maintains the rhythm and the same regal character as the earlier melody. It is first heard in C major and then repeated in B minor and A minor. It is extended to six measures in its third appearance, mm.

45–50, and modulates to G Major. Within these phrases the celli and bassi reassert their dotted rhythmic line, this time arpeggiating the harmonies. The upper strings assume their syncopated rhythms, but play them in the sustained style introduced by the lower strings in the previous four measures. Bassoons and horn III and IV play solitary sustained whole notes in the final two measures of each phrase. At the cadence in m. 50, the winds and upper strings reassert their descending dotted theme, sustained by a G pedal in horns III and IV, trumpet, and lower strings.

When the chorus enters in m. 53, the dynamic drops suddenly to piano for the first phrase, begins to crescendo in the second phrase, and intensifies to crescendo molto in the third phrase to reach forte by m. 63. In the first four measures the voices sing the four-measure theme from the previous section, changing the melody’s final pitch by descending a third rather than a sixth. It is

136

Example 6.8. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Credo,” mm. 1–22.

137

Example 6.8 (continued). Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Credo,” mm. 23–39.

138

repeated in mm. 57–60 and varied in mm. 61–64 as it traces an ascending G major triad in the

second measure and splits into four-part harmony in the final two measures. In these measures

the strings resume their accompanimental material from mm. 37 to 48. The winds participate

more fully than in the previous section, starting with bassoons and clarinets in sustained

harmonies, then adding oboes in m. 57, flutes in m. 59, and horns in m. 61. Trumpets sound a G

pedal between the wind entries, reinforced rhythmically by the tympani. Gounod prepares for a

recapitulation of the opening material by building energy in a variety of ways. In addition to

using an eight-measure crescendo, in m. 64 he writes a ritard, an eighth note descending scale in

the celli, and marcato accents over all except the flutes’ notes.

In m. 65, Gounod restates the opening theme. Whereas the orchestra and choir sounded

the theme independently at the beginning, here Gounod unites choral and orchestral forces in

grand effect, with the cornets, trumpets, and trombones doubling the theme in the voices. Rather

than playing the melody as before, flutes, oboes, and clarinets join with horns in sustaining

harmony. They recall the quarter-half-quarter motive in the first two phrases and join the upper

string’s rhythm in the last phrase of the melody, playing on beats two and four. Gounod alters the last phrase, slowing the harmonic rhythm to postpone the cadence for four measures, in which the melody mounts a climactic octave ascent. The descending transitional scale from m. 64 returns in m. 84 to prepare for the C Major authentic cadence in the following measure.

The Moderato molto maestoso closes with a muted postlude in mm. 86–100, initiated with a diminuendo to pianissimo in m. 85. The choir delivers the closing text in somewhat slower and less active rhythms than the section’s main theme, contributing to the hushed mood.

The sopranos sing a chromatic descending line, while the basses move upward in contrary motion in the first seven measures. The violins double the sopranos and the violas and celli

139 double the basses, with the organ doubling all choral parts. The orchestra has three antiphonal themes with instrumental groups alternating every measure. Flutes, clarinets, bassoon I and II, and trumpet play on the odd measures and contrabassi, tympani, and horn III and IV play on the even measures. Flutes and clarinets play ascending eighth note scales in parallel thirds and sixths, complimented by contrabassi playing a leaping, dotted-rhythm octave figure on C. The trumpets and tympani alternate playing eighth note C’s on beats one and three. Lastly, bassoons I and II take turns playing sustained pitches with horns III and IV. As the choir reaches their final cadence in m. 97, the flutes and clarinets switch from ascending scales to descending arpeggios for two measures. The oboes join the texture for the first time in the postlude, playing an eighth note on beat one in these two measures. The orchestra sustains a pianississimo C major chord in mm. 99 and 100 to conclude the section.

Gounod sets the Et incarnatus est in an Adagio tempo, continuing the pianississimo established in the previous measure. The soloists and chorus alternate phrases, beginning with a set of four-measure phrases, and followed by two sets of two-measure phrases. Each exchange between vocal forces outlines the same harmonic progression: the solo voices sing a root position major chord (ex. F major in mm. 101–3) that moves to the second inversion major mediant chord

(ex. A major six-four in mm. 105–7). The chorus enters on this chord and resolves to its dominant in the last measure of the phrase (ex. E major in m. 108). This chord becomes the soloists’ new opening chord, with the overall harmonic effect of a descending half step with each antiphonal exchange. The orchestra plays a chord on beat three of each phrase’s last measure, but the texture is otherwise a cappella. The upper strings play pizzicato while the woodwinds sustain for two beats. Horn III and IV, trombones, and tuba sustain harmony throughout the chorus’s final phrase, which is extended one measure longer than the solo companion phrase. In mm. 116

140 and 117 the violin II section and violas (m. 117 only) begin repeated eighth note figures that continue in the upper strings in the following Crucifixus, smoothing the seam between the two sections.

Gounod begins the Crucifixus section in G minor, using the D major cadential chord in m. 117 as the dominant or the new key. Against the backdrop of the upper strings’ repeated eighth note chords and sparse cello and bass harmonic support, the solo bass sings a new motive in mm. 119–20 that is passed on to the tenor in mm. 121–22 and the soprano in mm. 123–24.

The bassoon I adds half-quarter gestures every other measure, enhancing upper string lines with its distinct color, while the remainder of the winds remain silent. The clarinet I and II join with sustained homophony in mm. 125–31. The chorus then repeats mm. 119–30, with varied harmonies and revoiced vocal lines in the homophonic phrase to accommodate the added alto voice. The orchestra plays a much larger role in the choral recapitulation. The winds, silent before, sound piano chords on beats one through three in the first, third, and fifth measures, with trombones continuing to play the same figure in measures two, four, and six. In the first six measures, the violin II section and violas continue with repeated eighth note figures, and the bassi continue with their occasional bass pitches, now in pizzicato. The violins and celli play pizzicato with the bassi, but also double the vocal line with bowed descending gestures every other measure. In the homophonic phrase, mm. 137–43, the woodwinds and strings double the voices at the cadence in mm. 138–39. Horn III and trombones join the cadential doubling in mm.

142–43 while oboes remain silent. In the opening measure, flutes, oboes, and the violin I section double the soprano. Between the two cadences, bassoons, trombone III, and lower strings double the basses, oboes, horn III, the violin II section, and violas sustain pitches, and the violin I section plays legato descending arpeggios that echo the soprano melody.

141

Gounod sets passus et sepultus est antiphonally in mm. 144–50. The sopranos and altos

sing a half-quarter note sighing motive and the tenors and basses echo with pianissimo eighth

notes, separated by an eighth rest, on the first two beats of the following measure. Oboe, clarinet,

and bassoon double the soprano and alto, and trumpet and trombone sustain pianississimo and

pianissimo chords, respectively, with the tenors and basses while tympani strokes double their

rhythm. The violin I section has its own call and response with cello, bass, and bassoon I and II

as they exchange arpeggiated quarter notes. Woodwinds, trombones, strings, and chorus unite in

a concluding cadential gesture in mm. 151–53. In the next two measures Gounod condenses the

antiphonal exchange from two measures to one, alternating between winds playing the sopranos’

and altos’ earlier sighs and combined chorus singing the tenors’ and basses’ eighth note figure on beats three and four. The Adagio section comes to a close with another cadential gesture in mm.

156–58, in which the dotted rhythms of a horn pedal on E hints at the rhythmic character in the following section.

Gounod returns to Tempo primo, Moderato molto maestoso, in m. 159 and writes an eight-measure crescendo on Et resurrexit. The altos introduce a dotted motive on the pitches E and G in the first two measures, supported by sustained E’s and G’s in the upper strings. The motive is repeated three times, heard a third higher each time. The sopranos repeat the motive on

G and B (in E minor), the tenors on B and D (in G major), and the entire choir sings the theme in four-part, D major harmony, with the sopranos singing the motive on D and F#. Gounod uses the addition of instruments to enhance the vocal crescendo. Upper strings play with the altos in their entrance. Sustained clarinets and bassoon I and II join at the tenors’ statement, and sustained woodwinds, horns, cello, and organ join when the choir sings the theme in mm. 165–66. The crescendo reaches its fortissimo goal in m. 167 as choir and full orchestra alternate between a G

142 major chord and a first-inversion A minor seventh chord. While most instruments play whole or half notes, the celli and bassi resume their dotted rhythm from the opening section and the horns and organ play a quarter note ostinato. Gounod heralds the return of the opening theme in much the same way as he did in its return in m. 65, slightly varying the material he used in the preceding two measures. Similar to m. 63, m. 171 sounds a forceful G major with identical voicing in the choir and altered voicing in the orchestra. The descending scale and marcato articulation from m. 64 are found in m. 172, but it is different from the earlier measure in its voicing of chords and in its use of a passing harmony on beat three that maintains the alternating pattern from the previous measures.

In mm. 173–241 Gounod repeats the entire opening choral section, mm. 17–85, with considerable variation. He changes the melody in the first twelve measures of the return to one that reaches upward rather than descends, increasing the energy and drama of the thematic return. Tympani rolls also enhance the excitement. Aside from one other melodic change in mm.

235–36, the rest of the section maintains the same melodic contour as the original. However,

Gounod alters the orchestral accompaniment considerably. The cornets, trumpets, trombones, tuba, and organ again double the melody as in mm. 65–85. The lower strings resume their dotted bass line, no longer doubled by bassoon or organ. The upper strings play a new ascending arpeggio figure using the lower strings’ dotted rhythms, offset by one beat, which creates an energetic antiphonal interplay between strings. The woodwinds and horns adopt the sustained syncopated rhythm previously played by the upper strings in mm. 65–85. They shift rhythms in m. 181, sustaining beats one and two and restating the sustained chord on beat four, and change again in m. 185, playing the upper strings’ original rhythm of eighth notes on beats two and four.

Lastly, Gounod adds harp to the theme’s accompaniment for the first time.

143

In the transitional theme, first introduced in mm. 33–36, Gounod has the flutes, oboes, and clarinets join the sustained winds rather than play the assertive dotted melody with the upper strings. Bassi adopt the offset dotted rhythm played in the previous phrases by the upper strings, perpetuating the rhythmic interplay. With the entrance of the thematic variation in m. 193, first heard in mm. 37–52, the strings resume their syncopated material from mm. 173–88. The flutes, clarinets, and horn III and IV play the winds’ previous sustained and syncopated rhythms, but this time in an arpeggiated, melodic guise. This counter theme is passed among various wind combinations through m. 206, where the transitional theme once again enters, this time with the flute, oboe, and clarinet again joining the strings in the dotted descending theme. The bassoons are added to this textural layer, while the brass sustain a G pedal. When the reiteration of the theme in G major begins in m. 209, the horns III and IV take up the slow syncopated rhythms, playing a G pedal in octave leaps. The woodwinds and trumpets alternate between straight and syncopated sustained pitches. Bassoons and trumpets play a mostly stepwise octave ascent from

G to G over the next twelve measures. Clarinet II, joined by oboe II in m. 213, ascends in parallel thirds with the bassoons and trumpets, while flute joins in parallel sixths in m. 215.

Clarinet I and oboe I play a G pedal against this ascent, entering the texture with clarinet II and oboe II respectively and finally moving to new pitches in m. 217 for clarinet and 219 for oboe. In m. 220 Gounod once again uses marcato articulation and the descending scale from m. 64 to lead into the return of the original theme in m. 221.

Upon the theme’s final appearance in the “Credo” in mm. 221–41, Gounod adds new orchestral features. Most notably, no instruments double the choir in the first twelve measures.

They are finally joined in the last eight measures by the brass. The upper strings play divisi eighth note triplet figures. The organ right hand plays chords on beats two and four while the left

144 hand again doubles the cello and bass dotted line. In the winds, Gounod introduces a new, broad arpeggiation in half notes that foreshadows, by a few beats, the downward arpeggiation in the voices. This wind feature is played in alternation between woodwinds and horns III and IV and the brass, creating a stretto effect. These forces exchange every two measures at first, and then alternate every measure when a new half-quarter-quarter note gesture is played from mm. 229–

32. In m. 233 the brass join the choir’s melody while the other winds join the right hand of the organ playing quarter note off-beats. One final appearance of the concluding measure of marcato markings and descending scale occurs in m. 240, containing the same A minor seventh passing harmony as in m. 173.

The mood changes drastically in m. 242. At a pianissimo dynamic, Gounod expands the vocal forces to six voices. He slowly builds a chord over six measures by adding a new voice in each measure, resulting in a third-inversion D minor seventh chord in m. 247 (see Example 6.9).

The choir is doubled by the strings and organ. A tympani roll adds hushed anticipation to the et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum text. Beginning in m. 248 the choir sings a four-measure phrase, marked by the addition of the trumpets to the orchestral soundscape, which cadences on the G major dominant. In mm. 252–61 Gounod repeats the previous passage a fifth higher, building a third inversion A minor seventh chord by m. 257 and concluding with another four- measure phrase, adjusted to cadence on C major.

While the hushed dynamic persists at m. 261, the orchestral color changes dramatically at

Et vitam venturi saeculi. Gounod initiates an accompanimental fabric that continues for the remainder of the movement. The winds enter on a sustained C major chord and play sustained chords throughout. The flutes double the soprano melody. The harp plays ascending thirty- second note arpeggios, the upper strings play whole notes with tremolo, and low strings and

145

Example 6.9. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Credo,” mm. 242–52.

146 organ sustain with the winds. Horn III and IV and celli sustain an open fifth in the first phrase, with trumpets holding a G pedal and contrabassi holding a C pedal. The organ and contrabassi continue sustaining the C pedal through the second phrase.

Gounod concludes the movement with three Amen statements, each one preceded by a measure-long orchestral chord. The first two Amen statements, which are both on C major and last one measure, are preceded by chromatic mediant chords, the first by an E major chord and the second by an Ab major chord. The final Amen, preceded by a diatonic A minor chord in the orchestra, is lengthened to two measures for emphasis. Gounod writes an F major chord in the first measure and resolves to a C major chord in m. 276, creating a final plagal cadence. To emphatically prepare this cadence, the choir and orchestra crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo in the preceding two measures. The orchestra concludes the movement with two final measures of C major harmony. In the penultimate measure, the harp, strings, and organ recall the dotted quarter-eighth note motive one last time while the other instruments play quarter notes on beats one and three. All come to rest on a C major chord in the closing measure.

Sanctus

The “Sanctus,” set in 9/8 in an Andante tempo, features a well-known tenor solo. It opens with a sustained, mezzo forte chord in the orchestra. In the second measure, all but organ and upper strings drop out, and these instruments diminuendo to piano. In the third measure, solo flute, oboe, and clarinet introduce a meditative theme that becomes the first phrase of an extended tenor solo. Bassoons and low strings sustain pitches while upper strings continue with repeated sixteenth notes. In m. 7 the brass enter with a soft, lilting fanfare, extending the cadential chord an extra measure. The tenor enters in m. 8, repeating the orchestra’s introductory phrase, while harp, upper strings, and celli continue their accompanimental figures. At the close

147 of the first phrase, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn I and II, and trumpet play the fanfare-like cadential extension. The tenor’s second phrase begins with the first phrase’s opening two measures, sounded a third higher, and cadences on a deceptive Ab major minor seventh chord after five measures. This chord, functioning as a German sixth chord in the dominant key of C, resolves to a G major dominant six-four chord and reaches the C major cadence three measures later. Within the following fanfare measure, played this time by woodwinds and brass, the Bb is reintroduced, returning the tonality to F major in m. 22.

The tenor solo is repeated among the woodwinds and horns in mm. 22–35. The chorus joins as a homophonic background texture. The melody’s first phrase is played by flute I, clarinets, bassoons, and horn III. The second phrase begins with the theme in all woodwinds except flute II and piccolo, but in the third measure, horn I takes over for the clarinet. The final three measures are played by flute I, oboe I, and clarinet I. In addition to the choir, other instruments provide accompaniment. The low strings continue with sustained pitches, though their line becomes more active in the last three measures of the second phrase. Horns sustain an

F in three octaves in the first phrase, and the brass and bass drum join them in the fanfare response recalled from mm. 11–13. Trumpets sustain a C pedal in mm. 29–31, and are joined on a G pedal by the bassoons in mm. 32–34. The tympani play on the downbeat of most measures and reinforce the trumpet pedal rhythms. The woodwinds and low strings join the brass to close the melody with another soft fanfare.

The tenor soloist sings a new, five-phrase melody in mm. 37–56 (see Example 6.10). It is more disjunct than the opening tenor theme, which is immediately manifest in the first measure’s ascending F major arpeggio. The first two phrases form a contrasting period that ends as it begins, with an F major arpeggio, this time in descending eighth notes, followed by a resolution

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Example 6.10. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Sanctus,” mm. 36–58.

149 from A to G in m. 43. The fourth and fifth phrases form a parallel period. The first two measures of each phrase traces a pitch contour of an inverted arc, beginning on a high A, descending a seventh to a B, and ascending for the phrase climax. The third phrase acts as an independent bridge between the two periods. An ascending step-wise gesture in its first two measures is repeated a third higher in the next two measures.

Beginning in the second phrase, the winds take turns doubling the soloist: clarinet I in m.

42 and 43, bassoon in mm. 44 and 45, oboe I in mm. 46–51, clarinet I in mm. 52 and 53, and oboe I and horn I and II in mm. 54–56. Throughout the second solo section, harp and strings supply harmonic support. The strings play tremolo chords and the harp plays left hand chords and right hand, repeated sixteenth note arpeggios that give way to chords in m. 46. Other instruments also accompany the soloist at various times and in a variety of ways. In the first phrase, the cello and horn I and II sustain an F pedal, joined by a sustained Bb in the bassoon and contrabassi at the cadence in m. 39. In mm. 40–42, horn III and IV and trumpets add color to the melody by playing in parallel thirds with the tenor line. A trumpet echo of the melody in m. 51 shares a similar function. Clarinets, bassoons, and horns supply harmony in mm. 42 and 43 to close the second phrase. The fourth and fifth phrases are accompanied harmonically by clarinets, bassoons, and horns, with the flutes joining in the final three measures of the solo section. The celli play in fairly melodic counterpoint in the last three phrases. The contrabassi double the celli in pizzicato in the second phrase and join their contrapuntal line in the final phrase.

Gounod uses the soft wind fanfare in mm. 57–59 to transition into a contrasting choral section at Pleni sunt coeli. The choir sings three similar phrases, each phrase sequenced up by a half step, followed by a fourth, varied phrase. The first three each begin with the basses singing the text on a single pitch, joined by the tenors on the same pitch one measure later, and the

150 women in the third measure, once again on the same pitch. In the fourth and fifth measures of these three phrases, the choir breaks into five-part harmony (divided in the tenor voice) that shifts the harmonic center up one half step. In the varied fourth phrase, which elides with the third phrase, the basses sing an arpeggiated theme rather than a single pitch, which is imitated first by the tenors and then by the sopranos and altos in the following measures (see Example

6.11). Whereas the other phrases were marked pianissimo and piano, the fourth phrase crescendoes throughout, reaching forte in m. 81. Only one chord, an A major-minor seventh chord, is heard throughout the phrase. The rhythm and text suggest a cadence in m. 78, but the harmony never resolves to the expected D major. Instead, Gounod extends the fourth phrase two additional measures and avoids the expected resolution, changing the harmony by altering individual pitches by a half step. He first changes the A to Bb, creating a C# diminished chord, and then changes the C# to C, creating a C major-minor seventh chord whose resolution to F major in m. 81 initiates the closing section of the movement.

Throughout the section described above, the upper strings and harp continue their accompanimental material from the previous section. The lower strings play pizzicato on each beat, leaping octaves during the phrase and playing a descending arpeggio on each cadence. The winds are less present and play a similar role in each phrase. A single voice plays a pedal tone and a variety of winds join at the cadence to reinforce the harmonic resolution. In the first phrase, mm. 59–63, the oboe plays a Db pedal, entering with the sopranos and altos in m. 61, with bassoon, horns, and cornets joining at the cadence. The oboe enters with the sopranos and altos again in the second phrase, initiating a D pedal in m. 66. Flutes, clarinets, bassoons, and horn I and II join at the cadence in mm. 67 and 68. In the third phrase, mm. 69–73, horn I and II introduce the D# pedal in the first measure, two measures earlier than the previous phrases.

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Example 6.11. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Sanctus,” mm. 71–84.

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Rather than entering homophonically at the cadence as in the previous measures, the winds have

staggered entrances in the third phrase. Bassoons enter in m. 70, oboes enter in m. 71, and flutes,

clarinets, and horns enter in m. 72. In the fourth phrase, mm. 73–77, horn I and II play an A

pedal. While the pedal was the only wind element in the first three phrases, additional winds are

heard at the opening of this phrase. The flutes play an A major arpeggio in mm. 74 and 75, and

the oboes and clarinets repeat the flute’s rhythm and melodic shape on a C# diminished arpeggio in the next two measures. Bassoons enter in m. 75, doubling the vocal melody. The organ joins the orchestral texture in m. 73, sustaining chords in the right hand and doubling the vocal line in the left hand. The pizzicato celli and bass also double the choir. In mm. 79 and 80, Gounod adds full woodwinds, horns, trumpets, and tympani help the chorus, strings, and organ crescendo to fortississimo by m. 81.

Gounod concludes the “Sanctus” with an expansive, dramatic recapitulation of the tenor’s

opening melody. Gounod uses full choral and orchestral forces at a fortissisimo dynamic to

accomplish the grand effect, enhanced considerably by a continuous tympani roll. The melody in

the first two phrases, mm. 81–89, is sung by soprano and tenor I and is doubled by a large

number of orchestral instruments: flute I, oboe I, clarinet I, bassoon I, cornet I, trumpet I,

trombone I, and organ. Upper strings continue their tremolo bowing, sustaining chords rather

than doubling the melody. The melody is frequently harmonized in parallel thirds. In the first

phrase, mm. 81–85, the alto and tenor II sing harmony, mostly in parallel thirds, with the soprano

and tenor. Their parallel thirds, and often their other pitches, are, like the melody, doubled by a

number of instruments: flute II, oboe II, clarinet II, bassoon II, cornet II, trumpet II, trombone I,

and organ. These voices part ways with the melody in the second phrase, mm. 86–89, though the

tenors still sing in parallel thirds for the first two measures.

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Gounod departs from the original melody in m. 91, a change that was suggested by a

slightly varied close of the second phrase’s melody. The choir sings a four-measure phrase in

mm. 91–94. The voices slow to a dotted half-dotted quarter rhythm in the first three measures,

repeating Sanctus three times while building to the climax of the phrase in m. 94. The winds, low strings, and organ sustain pitches, outlining one chord per measure, while the horns play a repeated fanfare rhythm on octave F’s.

In mm. 95–98 Gounod recalls melodic material from both the opening solo and the contrasting Pleni sunt coeli section. In m. 96 he uses the descending arpeggio from the penultimate and final phrases of the Pleni sunt coeli, while in mm. 97 and 98 he uses the rhythm and descending triplet motive from mm. 19 and 20, which concluded the opening solo section, to set the final portion of the “Sanctus” text and lead into the Hosanna.

Given the expansiveness of the “Sanctus,” Gounod’s treatment of the Hosanna is somewhat surprising. It lasts only four measures. The chorus sings in straightforward homophony, sounding an angular rhythm in mm. 99 and 100 that is similar to the horn fanfare introduced eight measures earlier. The organ doubles the choir, the upper strings continue with their omnipresent tremolo, and the winds and lower strings enter forcefully on beat two in each measure. In the third and fourth measures of the phrase, the rhythms broaden as chorus and orchestra sound an F major plagal cadence.

A six-measure postlude concludes the movement. Gounod states the opening theme of the tenor solo one last time using a pianissimo solo flute. All accompanying instruments are marked pianississimo except harp, which achieves the same effect with its piano dynamic marking. In the first three measures the horns I and II play an F pedal in octaves. The harp plays chords on each downbeat in the first three measures and on each beat in the final three measures.

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The upper strings finally relinquish their tremolo bowing for sustained divisi pitches, and celli sustain a divisi open fifth on F and C in all measures but the third, where they change to a major sixth F and D. The bassi play pizzicato on each downbeat of the first four measures. The woodwinds, trumpets, tympani, and bass drum join in the final two measures to enrich the final F major cadential chord.

Benedictus

Gounod continues the vocal solo texture, so prominent in the “Sanctus,” in the opening of the “Benedictus.” The soprano soloist sings a chant-like, Adagio melody centered on D in mm.

2–13 (see Example 6.12). The chant-like melody’s three phrases constitute an additive structure, the first with three measures, the second with four measures, and the third with five measures.

Gounod enhances the static quality of the chant-like theme in two ways. First, he places stressed syllables on non-stressed beat two, giving greater equality to each syllable by robbing the text of its natural growth and decay. Second, the accompaniment is slow moving, placid, pianissimo, and almost entirely homophonic, with its rhythms reinforcing the offset stress of the vocal line.

Third, Gounod changes the scoring considerably to enhance the serenity of the solo soprano.

Only strings and organ play throughout the entire movement, and each string section is divided into two separately scored parts.

The chorus enters in m. 14 and sings a harmonization of the chant-like melody. Gounod divides the tenor and bass lines, creating a six-voice texture. At the choral entrance, Gounod

further divides the violin I part 2, violin II part 2, and cello II, which remain divided for the rest

of the movement. Whereas the violin I part 1 played in unison with the soprano soloist, they play

an octave above the soprano section in the choral repetition, enriching the timbre of the vocal

155

Example 6.12. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Benedictus,” mm. 1–20.

156 line. The violin I part 2 also plays above the sopranos. Both viola parts also divide in mm. 19 and

20, and the viola II part 2 remains divided from m. 23 to the end of the movement.

The chant-like theme concludes in m. 25, and the chorus then sings three two-measure gestures that are even more static than the preceding theme. In the first two gestures, the sopranos begin on Bb, move down a third to G, then return to Bb. The other parts each begin on a B major chord tone, move to a pitch of an intervening chord, except in the case of common tones, and return again to their original pitch. All but the basses and sopranos move by step. The choir moves to G minor in the first gesture and Eb major in the second. In the third gesture, the choir begins on C minor and returns to Bb major. The roots of the three intervening chords trace a descending C minor triad. The strings and organ reinforce the final Bb chord of each two- measure unit, entering two beats after the choir sounds the chord, with the same voicing each time. The movement closes with a statement of Hosanna in excelsis that does not repeat the

“Sanctus” Hosanna. It does share, however, the same abbreviated length as the first, lasting only four measures. Gounod suddenly changes from pianisissimo to fortissimo. The chorus, doubled by the organ, sings a homophonic, syllabic delivery of the text in half notes, broadening to whole notes in the final two measures. The strings, divided in four parts per section except in the bassi, join in the final two measures to add brilliance to the cadence.

Agnus Dei

The “Agnus Dei,” marked Andante moderato, is set in a lilting, 12/8 meter. It opens with a seven-measure orchestral introduction that begins with a horn call on A by horn I that is answered by a slurred eighth note run in the upper strings and celli and a sustained A by horn II.

This measure-long exchange occurs two more times, with the strings playing each response at the next higher pitch level. In the fourth measure the violin I section dominates the texture with

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continual eighth notes, joined by the violin II section in the fifth and seventh measures. The

clarinets, bassoons, and contrabassi enter in m. 4, playing single eighth notes on beats two, three and four. The accompanying instruments become increasingly more sustained in the next two measures. They are joined by the flutes and oboes at the end of m. 6, right before the winds drop out after the downbeat of m. 7. In unison, the violin I and violin II sections play a solitary, ascending scalar line in m. 7 to prepare for the choral entrance in the next measure.

The chorus enters at a piano dynamic in m. 8, singing two phrases of lilting homophony that form a nine-measure period. The second phrase’s harmonic rhythm slows at the cadence, extending it to five measures. In these phrases the violin I section continues with eighth note running figures while the other string parts play slower lines of dotted half and dotted quarter

notes. The winds reenter gradually, beginning with the clarinet and bassoon in m. 10, which

enter on a sustained A and mostly double the choral parts thereafter. The clarinets and bassoon I

double the sopranos, altos, and tenors in m. 11, and in mm. 12 and 13 a flute solo and clarinet

solo double the soprano and bassoons I and II double the alto. Bassoon I and II shift to the tenor

voice in m. 14, joined by bassoon III and IV. In m. 15 the clarinet splits to double both soprano

and alto and the oboe joins, doubling the soprano in oboe I and playing in parallel sixths and

thirds in oboe II. Gounod transitions from chorus to tenor solo in m.16. The chorus drops out

after beat one, the violins play octave D’s in eighth notes, and the oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and

violas play chromatic, stepwise lines to modulate from D major to G minor.

In mm. 17–26, the tenor sings two contrasting phrases on a non-liturgical text: Domine

non sum dingus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum die verbo, et sanabitur anima mea. The

first phrase, mm. 17–21, hovers closely around D. The tenor starts on D, sings the upper

chromatic neighbor, Eb, the lower chromatic neighbor, C#, then dips down to C natural and Bb

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before returning by step back to D. The second phrase begins as if it will continue to linger

around D. In the first measure the tenor begins on D, dips below to C natural, and then sings Eb.

Rather than returning to the D, however, the tenor leaps down a diminished seventh to F#, which

resolves to G, the new central pitch of the phrase. The tenor rises to G an octave higher in the

next measure, and then gradually descends back down to the lower G by the cadence.

The tenor melody is doubled by flute, oboe, and clarinet. The celli and contrabassi take

over the violin I section’s role of moving eighth notes, only they play pizzicato on their line.

Bassoon I and II play a countermelody, doubled by the violas starting in m. 23. At the close of

the tenor’s first phrase, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horn III and IV interject with an active

response in the character of the bassoons’ countermelody. The strings complement the winds in

this measure with slurred eighth note figures. At the tenor’s final note in m. 26, the violins play a

transitional eighth note line similar in form and function to m. 7. The woodwinds, horn I and II,

trumpet, and tympani join on beat three of this measure, playing sustained harmony that

crescendoes and descrescendoes in only two beats.

The choir enters in m. 27, repeating their opening period in mm. 27–35. The orchestra

also plays identical material, with only a few minor rhythmic changes and pitch omissions in the

organ doubling. The transitional material in m. 35, leading to a soprano solo in m. 36, is

somewhat different than the earlier transition (m. 16) into the tenor solo. The oboe and clarinet

chromatic descending line and the bassoon and viola chromatic line are omitted. The violas and

horns join the violins on repeated D’s, and the celli and bassi sustain a half note D followed by a

half note C natural. Unlike before, where oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and viola prepared the new G minor tonality, the C natural in the lower strings is the only clue to a tonal shift to Bb major.

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The soprano solo, mm. 36–45, is a variation of the preceding tenor solo, maintaining the

same rhythms throughout. The first four measures are identical, but the fifth through seventh measures contain some differences: the soloist sings a step below the tenor pitches, leaps upward rather than downward into the seventh measure, and resolves downward rather than upward in this measure. He or she falls in line with the tenor melody again in his or her tenth measure (m.

51), the only difference coming on beat two where the soloist repeats the D, postponing the leap to the G by one beat. The soloist’s last two pitches, C and Bb, are a third higher than the tenor’s,

A and G, to allow him or her to cadence in Bb major rather than G minor.

The orchestral accompaniment during the soprano solo is different from the tenor solo.

The soloist is again doubled by solo flute and clarinet, but no longer by the oboe. In the first four measures the bassoon plays a downward chromatic scale rather than the earlier more melodic material. The horn also joins the texture, playing sustained Bb’s in the first two measures. Harp joins as well, playing eighth note arpeggios throughout. Abandoning their combined line of running eighth notes, the celli and bassi play independent from each other. The bassi play an arpeggiated pizzicato line and the celli and violas join forces, playing a unison countermelody.

At the close of the first phrase, m. 40, the orchestra fills in the texture much like they did in the tenor solo. The oboe and the violin I section join the viola and cello line, and bassoons, horns, and the violin II section play harmonies in rhythm with this line. In the final phrase, bassoon I and II and horn III and IV sustain harmonies and the violin I and violin II sections interject with a downward scalar motive in m. 42 and with quarter notes on beats two and four in m. 43 and beats two, three, and four in m. 44. At the close of the phrase, violins play triplets and winds sustain an A dominant seventh chord to prepare the choir’s D major entrance in m. 46.

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The choir once again repeats its earlier music during the third Agnus Dei statement, mm.

46–56, only this time the form is slightly altered and the texture is enhanced with full orchestral accompaniment. The second phrase is extended internally by the insertion of two measures between the third and fourth measures, delaying the arrival of the dominant chord until the sixth measure. The longer phrase, as well as a new, higher melodic ascent to F#, adds emphasis and finality to the third and final Agnus Dei statement. A greatly enriched orchestral accompaniment does the same, with every instrument of the orchestra playing throughout the section. Despite these larger forces, Gounod still marks the dynamic pianissimo to maintain a reverential mood.

The horns sustain tonic pitches in the first phrase and play repeated pitches in the second phrase.

Though the harmony changes within the measures of the second phrase, the horns stay on a single pitch in each measure by playing repeated common tones. The violins play a countermelody in octaves and eventually join the soprano melody in m. 52. The harp, viola, and cello unite on a running eighth note line throughout.

Much of the orchestra doubles the voices, and while there are minor exceptions on specific pitches, individual instruments double specific parts most of the time. The sopranos are doubled by the flutes, clarinet I, cornet I, and trumpet I in the first phrase, and in the second phrase clarinet II joins clarinet I on the soprano line for the first three measures. The altos are doubled by oboe, clarinet II, cornet II, and trumpet II in the first phrase. In the second phrase, clarinet II joins the soprano line, oboe and cornet II drop out, and trumpet II plays a D pedal in the first three measures, but they all resume the alto line in the fourth (oboe in the fifth) measure of the phrase. Tenors are only doubled in the final two measures, by bassoon I and II and oboe II.

Basses are doubled by solo trombone, contrabass, and octobasso (a large, three-string contrabass

161 built in 1851 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume).110 The bassoons are the only instruments that do not consistently double a single part. Bassoon I and III begin on soprano, switch to alto in m. 50, play mixed parts in mm. 52 and 53, and join the tenors in mm. 54 and 55. Bassoon II and IV double altos first, switch to basses in m. 50, play mixed parts in mm. 52 and 53, and resume the bass part in mm. 54 and 55. The organ doubles the voice parts throughout.

Gounod writes a two-part coda to conclude the movement. The first part, mm. 56–64, reiterates the previous text, Agnus Dei, dona nobis pacem. It begins on beat three of m.56, which causes its phrases to begin and end mid-measure rather than on the expected downbeat (see

Example 6.13). Part one opens with four, measure-long figures that have identical rhythms and similar pitch structures. The first two set Agnus Dei and the second two set dona nobis. Each figure begins on a D major chord (the first two on a D major-minor seventh) and moves to a different chord for the third and fourth beats. The section is rounded off with a two-measure conclusion on dona nobis pacem, which is then repeated in the last two measures of the section.

Gounod adds two beats of transitional material in m. 64, which postpones the beginning of the next phrase until the downbeat of m. 65 and once again aligns phrase structure with the written measures. Harp and the violin I section accompany each measure-long gesture with an ascending scale figure, joined by the oboe on the first two scales. The violin plays a running eighth note figure through the two concluding cadential gestures, while the harp plays an A pedal for the remainder of the section. Cornet I, clarinets, and flutes echo the soprano melody in mm. 61 and

62. The woodwinds, the violin II section, and violas double the top three choral parts, while the horns, trumpets, trombones, and tympani reinforce the D pedal found in the bass voice. The trumpets, trombones, and tympani join the harp on an A pedal in m. 60.

110Rodney Slatford and Alyn Shipton, “Double bass [bass, contrabass, stand-up bass, string bass, upright bass],” Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 21 April 2009), http://www.grovemusic.com. 162

Example 6.13. Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile, “Agnus Dei,” mm. 55–63.

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The second part of the coda is a closing, four-measure Amen followed by a four-measure orchestral postlude. Gounod begins each of the three Amen statements with a progressively lower tonic pitch: the first begins on B minor, the second on A major, and the third on G major. Each chord resolves to D major, resulting in a plagal cadence (G major to D major) in m. 68. The choir is doubled by winds (with the exception of horns), celli (in the first two measures), contrabass, octobasso, and organ. Horn I and II are silent while horn III and IV, along with tympani, echo thechoral Amen’s with repeated A’s. The harp, upper strings, and cello (in the third and fourth measures) play triplet figures mixed with dotted quarter notes. Their combined lines create two arc-shaped accompanimental figures sounded in octaves.

In the final, four-measure orchestral postlude, the woodwinds, horn I and II, cornets, trombones, and lower strings continue with choir-like homophony. Horn III and IV, trumpet, and tympani play an ostinato rhythm on a D pedal, supported by a sustained D pedal in the upper strings. All come to rest on a sustained D major chord in m. 71, gently articulated with a pizzicato D major arpeggio in the lower strings and organ pedal.

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CHAPTER 7

THE REQUIEM MASSES—REQUIEM (1893)

Gounod wrote four requiem masses, three of which date from the last twenty-five years of his life. The requiems are more stylistically and texturally diverse than the three groups of masses discussed above. For example, two are accompanied by orchestra, one by organ, and one with organ ad libitum. Two have four movements and one has six. One is scored for double chorus while the others are in the standard four parts. Given the contrast among the requiems, their texts, more than a unifying musical approach, define them as a group.

Requiem à grand orchestra, chorus and orchestra, 1842

Gounod composed the Requiem à grand orchestra (1842) during his stay in Vienna as a student. Seeing the Vienna public’s warm reception of Gounod’s Messe à grand orchestra

(1841), which he had written while in Rome, Count Stockhammer, the president of the Vienna

Philharmonic, commissioned the Requiem and the a cappella Messe (1843). The Requiem was performed in November of 1842.

Messe brève, pour les morts (Requiem), solo voices, double chorus, SATB, orch., 1873

The Messe brève, pour les morts, was written during Gounod’s stay in England. Unlike any other of Gounod’s masses, the Messe brève pour les morts is scored for a variety of voicings, including double chorus (“Kyrie”), SATTB chorus (“Sanctus”), and SATB chorus (“Pie Jesu” and “Agnus Dei”). Most unique is the double-chorus “Kyrie,” written for two SATB choirs. As expected, the movement contains a great deal of antiphony between the choirs. It contains other vocal textures as well. It reduces to four parts in mm. 29–44 and 51–64, and six parts in mm. 79–

84, the final six measures of the movement. The movement begins with antiphonal exchanges of

165 a homophonic theme introduced in F major by choir II in the first three measures. Choir I overlaps choir II’s cadence, entering with the theme in Bb major. Choir II restates the theme in C major beginning in m. 5, followed by a shortened statement in D minor by choir I in mm. 7 and

8. Choir II enters in m. 8, one measure earlier than the preceding pattern, to reinforce and strengthen choir I’s crescendo into m. 9, a culminating point of arrival. Choir I closes this opening section with a four-measure phrase, once again in F major, which prepares for the first authentic cadence of the movement. Gounod, however, writes a deceptive cadence in m. 12, postponing the first authentic cadence for another sixteen measures.

Choir I initiates the next antiphonal exchange in m. 13, singing a three-measure theme very similar to the first. It maintains the character and overall rhythmic shape of the earlier theme, but replaces a double-dotted-quarter-sixteenth rhythm with a half note and slightly alters the melody and voice leading. While the harmonic motion from choir I’s statement to choir II’s echo is dominant to tonic, the sense of cadence is robbed as choir II repeats the theme in Bb major, making the F major resolution feel like a new dominant chord rather than a tonic point of rest. In mm. 17–21 the choirs build to a forceful F major half cadence. Gounod increases the energy through the phrase in five ways. First, a Bb major chord is the only harmony in the first four measures, creating an urgent sense of cadential release by the fifth measure’s C major chord. Second, Gounod brings back the opening dotted rhythm. Third, the choirs exchange this dotted figure every measure, rather than every other measure. Fourth, the voices crescendo from piano to forte in the second and third measures. Fifth, the exchange in the soprano voices outlines an ascending Bb major triad.

Choir II and the tenors and basses of choir I next sing a two-measure theme that maintains the earlier forte dynamic and echoes the C major cadential harmony. The combined

166 choirs repeat this theme in mm. 24 and 25, resolving to D minor rather than C major. In the next three measures the combined choirs finally reach the first authentic cadence. The cadence’s finality is reinforced by a fermata on the F major chord in m. 28.

Gounod simplifies the texture to four voices in mm. 29–44. The form of this section is clear-cut. It opens with basses singing a four-measure melody, followed by four-part chorus harmonizing the melody. Tenors then sing their own four-measure melody that modulates from F major to Bb major, which, like the bass melody, is set in four-part harmony immediately afterward. The bass and tenor soli are sung forte, and the choral echoes are fortissimo. The choirs break into antiphony again in mm. 45–50. Choir I introduces a three-measure theme in which all but the soprano voice repeats the same pitch throughout. The soprano descends one pitch in each measure, creating three chords: Bb major, Bb major seventh, and G minor in first inversion.

Choir II repeats the phrase a third lower, singing G minor, G minor seventh, and Eb major in first inversion.

The harmonic rhythm slows down in m. 51 as the choirs unite in four-part harmony on the Eb chord from the previous measure. For five measures, the altos and sopranos sing in unison, creating a three-part texture. The voice leading creeps downward slowly, with the sopranos and altos moving down a step in m. 52 and the men descending a step in m. 54. The harmonic motion stops in m. 57 as the choir repeats a D minor seventh chord for four measures, followed by an A minor chord in first inversion for five measures. These falsobordone-like phrases, sung pianissimo, create a still, hushed mood to close the “Introit.”

The “Kyrie” is monothematic. The two-measure theme draws heavily on dotted rhythms and closes abruptly, leaving the final two beats of the second measure silent. Its rhythm is slightly altered on the Christe text. The choirs exchange the theme every two measures, sounding

167 it a total of eight times. After three pianissimo and three piano statements, choir I crescendoes on the seventh statement, reaching forte in m. 79. Rather than passing the theme off in this measure, choir I joins choir II on the theme’s final appearance, creating a six-voice texture that remains through the end of the movement. The final four measures, sung fortissimo, draw upon the theme’s opening dotted motive, using it in the first and second measures, but slowing down to half notes in the third. This rhythmic broadening prepares for the closing C major authentic cadence in m. 84.

The “Sanctus” is in five parts, SATTB. It opens with two eight-measure phrases, each containing six measures of broad, whole note homophony followed by a two-measure conclusion that uses the dotted rhythms from the previous movement. The first eight-measure phrase begins in C major and ends on a surprising, modally borrowed, G minor “v” chord, prepared by its secondary dominant, rather than ending on the expected G major dominant half cadence. The second phrase begins in D minor and modulates, via common chord, back to C major through the use of yet another surprising minor “v” chord, A minor, that functions as the minor “vi” in C

Major.

In mm. 17–32, a four-measure fortissimo theme is heard four times, each time sounding a step higher. The theme opens with staggered entrances. The soprano, alto, and tenor II enter in the first measure, the basses in the second, and the tenor I in the third. The upper three voices move frequently by ascending parallel motion, and the lower two by descending parallel thirds.

In its first hearing, the theme begins in A minor and modulates to D minor. Each repetition begins in the key a third lower than the previous cadence and again modulates to the key a fifth below. Thus, the second modulates from Bb major to Eb major, the third from C minor to F minor, and the fourth from D diminished to G major. Gounod continues to sequence themes in

168 the next ten measures. In mm. 33–37 he sequences material every measure in the upper voices while writing a G pedal in the bass, moving from a G major chord in the first measure to A minor, B diminished, and finally C major in second inversion in the fourth measure. The middle voices move in parallel first inversion chords against a soprano melody in contrary motion.

These four measures build to a climax by m. 37. The next sequenced theme is two measures long and is repeated twice, a step lower each time. The upper voices mostly move down by step while the bass sings repeated pitches, creating frequent passing harmonies. The final five measures do not repeat this theme’s pitches, but relate closely by repeating the theme’s rhythm and text underlay. The final two measures augment the rhythm, slowing into a C major authentic cadence.

The “Pie Jesu” continues in much the same manner as the end of the “Sanctus,” sequencing themes throughout. The choir sings in four parts, with occasional divisi in the tenor and bass parts. It opens with a four-measure piano theme quite similar to the opening of the

“Sanctus,” only truncated to four measures instead of eight. The phrase begins with two measures of repeated half notes on F major, rather than six measures of whole notes as in the

“Sanctus,” and closes with a modal plagal cadence, Bb minor to F major, using the dotted rhythm from mm. 7 and 8 of the “Sanctus.” This phrase is then varied three times, with the same melodic shape but with different writing in the lower voices and altered harmonic motion. It is heard in Ab major, Eb major, and F major. In mm. 17–24 Gounod repeats a two-measure theme that is characterized by descending chromatic motion in the alto and bass, echoed in inversion in the soprano, which ascends chromatically in the second measure. This theme is repeated in mm.

19 and 20, with new text, and then sequenced down twice, a whole step lower each time, in the next four measures. A new two-measure theme is introduced in mm. 25 and 26. Like the previous theme, it contains descending chromatic motion, this time in the sopranos and tenors in

169 the second measure. The theme is repeated a minor third higher in mm. 27 and 28, and a minor third higher again in the next two measures. One final repetition is found in mm. 31and 32, sounding a minor second higher than before. A new two-measure theme in mm. 33 and 34 is immediately repeated, with new text, in the next two measures. Gounod writes an interesting asymmetrical rhythmic figure in mm. 40–42. The text setting and rhythm imply two measures of

3/2 rather than three measures of 4/4. The movement closes with a pianississimo Amen on a modal F major plagal cadence.

The “Agnus Dei” is in three closely related sections labeled Agnus I, Agnus II, and

Agnus III. A point of imitation in F minor opens the Agnus I, with the theme introduced by the sopranos and passed to the altos two beats later, the tenors in m. 3, and the basses in m. 5. The voices sing free counterpoint through m. 12, cadencing on a tonic Ab major chord. The section closes with a four-measure homophonic phrase consisting of two dominant-tonic harmonies a half step apart: Db major to Gb major and C major to F minor. The progression could be viewed as a VI-Neopolitan-V-I progression. The Agnus II repeats Agnus I’s point of imitation in mm.

17–28 and varies the four-measure closing phrase. This phrase retains the tonic-dominant relations, but uses different chords: Ab major to Db major and G major to C major.

The Agnus III also opens with the twelve-measure point of imitation, but it is varied in a number of ways. First, it is heard in a different key than the original. The key signature has one flat, but interestingly, the opening motive outlines a C major triad rather than the expected D minor. Not until the fourth measure does the harmony establish D minor as the pitch center. The free counterpoint section modulates to Bb major rather than Ab major. Second, the voices enter in a different order: alto, tenor, bass, and then soprano. Third, the dynamic is forte rather than piano. The four-measure homophony that follows, which softens to pianissimo, does not follow

170 the same harmonic progression as before. It does lead to a G minor chord in the fourth measure, which is a minor third lower than the preceding cadential Bb major chord, just as in the other two

Agnus sections. However, this is not prepared with a dominant harmony and is not really a cadence but is part of a larger progression toward an F major authentic cadence three measures later. In reaching this F major point of rest, Gounod moves three measures beyond the limit of the earlier sections. An additional fifteen measures of new material finish the movement, making the Agnus III twice as long as the two preceding sections. The basses sing an F pedal in mm. 52–

59, set in an ostinato, half-quarter-quarter rhythm. The upper voices sing descending first inversion chords in mm. 52 and 53, and repeat this theme a fourth higher in the next two measures, creating a fauxbordon effect. In the following four-measure phrase, mm. 56–59, the first two measures are identical, with rhythms mostly in quarter notes, and the last two measures expand through longer note values to come to rest on an F major chord. In the final seven measures, Gounod suspends the final cadence for four measures. The phrase opens on a G minor supertonic chord, but rather than progressing to the dominant, it moves to the D minor subtonic.

This two-measure gesture is repeated in mm. 62 and 63. The G minor in m. 64 finally reaches its dominant goal in m. 65, whose postponement makes its own resolution to the tonic much more resolute.

Messe funèbre (arr. by J. Dormois), SATB, org. ad lib., 1883

The Kyrie draws upon material from the “Prelude” of Gounod’s Les sept paroles de

Jésus-Crist sur la croix (1855). Les sept paroles is a collection of eight motets that set the seven last words of Christ on the cross taken from the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John. Relatively few

Romantic composers set this text. It is unique among Gounod’s a cappella motets, and among his

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works in general, for its strict application of a sixteenth-century contrapuntal style.111 The use of

these techniques provides a clear example of the influence of early music on Gounod’s own

music, an influence which Cœuroy suggests is often overlooked: “The fact has not been

sufficiently considered that he sincerely desired a return to simple and truly religious music.”112

Les sept paroles, and the “Kyrie” of the Messe funébre by association, reflect this desire to return

to the simpler religious style exemplified by Palestrina. The Prelude, the first of the eight a

cappella motets and the movement from which the mass draws, contains examples of the

Renaissance techniques contained throughout the work. These techniques include sixteenth-

century cadential formulas, open-fifth cadences, contrapuntal suspensions, modal harmonies,

points of imitation, and a through-composed motet form. Like the sixteenth-century polyphonic

motet, the Prelude is through-composed. There are three main sections: the opening and the

conclusion are mainly homophonic, while the middle section is imitative and polyphonic. This

mixture of homophonic and polyphonic textures is a quality of Renaissance music.

The “Kyrie” only includes the opening homophonic material from the “Prelude.” Gounod

repeats the opening Kyrie text, setting the repetitions with related, but never repeated, musical

material. The first two phrases begin with a major chord followed by a minor subdominant.

While modal borrowing was common in the Romantic period, the slow chord changes, grave

tempo, and plagal cadence evoke the mood of Renaissance modality. The next three cadences

use stylistic features typical of earlier music. Gounod subtly evokes a Renaissance style in m. 12

by using a four-three suspension in the alto. The resolution contains a recognizable gesture that

111Julien Tiersot, “Charles Gounod: A Centennial Tribute,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 4 (July 1918): 423.

112André Cœuroy, “Present Tendencies of Sacred Music in France,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 13 (October 1927): 584. 172

passes through the F-sharp resolution to its lower neighbor, and then back. The next two phrases

contain double suspensions with the same resolutions.

Gounod departs from his “Prelude” model in m. 23, where he writes a very brief closing

Kyrie of only four measures. The first two measures introduce a new theme that contrasts the

previous material with faster rhythms and greater melodic motion. The third and fourth measures repeat this material a whole step lower. The “Kyrie” has a feature unlike any other of Gounod’s

mass movements. At the close of m. 26, Gounod writes a repeat sign with the instructions

“Reprise ad libitum,” allowing the performers to repeat the preceding material if they wish. The repeated material does not include the opening organ chord, but returns directly to the choral entrance in m. 2. Following the repeat, the movement closes with a four-fold statement of

eleison. Each two-measure statement shares a common rhythm and similar harmonic and

melodic motion. In each, the harmony maintained throughout the first measure resolves to a

sustained chord in the second measure. In the first two statements, the resolving root motion

descends one step, and in the last two it descends down a fourth, yielding a closing plagal

cadence from Bb major to F major in m. 34.

The Sanctus opens with a strong, descending organ gesture outlining a tonic C minor

chord that prepares the forte choral entrance in m. 2. Gounod states the majority of the text only

once, creating a compact, mostly through-composed musical form. The chorus opens with two

dramatic statements of Sanctus that each begin forte and decrescendo quickly to piano. In the

next phrase, mm. 6–9, the choir sings more active material and modulates to the relative Eb

major, though the strength of the cadence is weakened because the dominant seventh is in second

inversion. The third phrase strengthens the Eb tonality with emphatic fortissimo homophony and

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an extended plagal gesture to Eb in mm. 10–14. A high G in the soprano in the final measure,

together with a double bar line, highlights the power and finality of the cadential effect.

The remainder of the movement maintains the same triumphant character, but expressed

through flowing imitative counterpoint. The only two repeated words of text, gloria tua, are set polyphonically in mm. 15–26. The tenors open with a descending line from high G to C, which is imitated by sopranos, basses, and then altos entering two beats apart. Tenors and sopranos each sing the descent again in mm. 17 and 18 before the voices align for a C minor half cadence on G major in m. 20. In the next six measures Gounod repeats this material but switches the tenor and soprano lines, revealing his use of invertible counterpoint between these parts in the previous phrase. The Hosanna begins in the same way as the two previous phrases, but the voice parts are changed after each part’s initial descent, with the altos not achieving their full descent before moving to new material. Gounod alters the second half of the phrase to reach a final C minor authentic cadence, rather than a half cadence, in m. 31. After twenty-four measures of forte or fortissimo singing, the choir finally diminishes to piano in m. 30 and pianissimo in the final m.

31.

The “Pie Jesu” is entirely homophonic and is mostly piano or pianissimo. Fermatas, at the ends of all phrases four measures or longer, create a ponderous pace within the movement. Short gestures of two and three measures, separated by rests, enhance this effect. An opening pianissimo G major chord in the organ introduces the movement’s tonality. The voices sing a slow-moving, four-measure phrase mainly in half notes, modulating to E minor and closing with a half cadence in m. 5 that is sustained by a fermata. The next four measures are a variation of this first phrase, with the same text, rhythms, and cadential figure, but with altered harmonies, modulating to F major and closing again on a sustained half cadence in m. 9. The next seven

174 measures continue mostly in half note rhythms and restore the G major tonality. The voices sing a circle of fifths progression in the first four measures, with the second two measures being a repetition of the first a whole step down. The choir concludes the phrase with a G major authentic cadence sustained by a fermata.

The rhythmic pace increases in the next six measures as the choir sings mostly quarter and dotted-quarter-eighth note figures in shorter, two-measure gestures. The first two gestures are marked with a crescendo over the first measure and decrescendo over the second, providing dynamic contrast and energy. This is dramatically amplified in the third gesture, marked forte throughout. Gounod also contrasts harmony within these measures. He shifts to an Eb major chord in m. 17 and tonicizes this chord with an uncharacteristically daring augmented dominant chord in first inversion in the next measure, which resolves immediately back to Eb major. It is only in the closing two-measure gesture, mm. 21 and 22, that the Eb chord is put in a broader context. Gounod writes a C minor chord resolving to G major, creating a modal plagal cadence back to G major. The next phrase, mm. 23–26, continues the modal coloring, beginning with a C minor chord and containing material clearly in G minor, concluding on a half cadence on D major in m. 27. Within this measure, the voices resume the half note motion and piano dynamic found in the first three phrases, again concluding on a fermata. The movement ends with three similar gestures. Each begins with a G major chord followed by a C major chord, each identically voiced. The first gesture returns to a G major chord for a plagal cadence, the second moves unexpectedly to an F major chord, and the third moves to a D major dominant chord to prepare for the concluding G major authentic cadence in m. 34. While the first gesture is piano,

Gounod builds quickly from piano to forte in the first measure of the second gesture. The third restfully closes at pianissimo.

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The “Agnus Dei” contains frequent repetition in its formal structure, repeating both long phrases and shorter gestures. It opens with the same introductory organ chord as the “Kyrie” and

“Pie Jesu,” this time on A minor. In the first choral phrase the choir sings a pair of two-measure phrases followed by a four-measure phrase. In the first five and a half measures, the altos, tenors, and basses stay on the same pitches while the sopranos ascend by a half step at the beginning of each phrase, creating three chords: A minor, F major in first inversion, and F# diminished in first inversion. This resolves naturally to G minor in m. 7, which is established as the tonal center at the half cadence in m. 9. Gounod crescendoes into the cadence and diminuendoes at the phrase’s close. In mm. 10–17 this material is repeated a whole step down, closing on an F minor half cadence on C major. In the next measure Gounod shifts modally to F major. He introduces a new theme in mm. 18–21, which is repeated a whole step up in mm. 22–25. The first four-measure phrase sustains and embellishes the initial F major harmony for two measures, then closes with a highly unusual cadential progression. In the third measure the chord roots descend by step. The harmonies are F major, Eb major, and D major, which resolves to G minor at the cadence, making the preceding harmonic motion an unusual VII-VI-V progression in the new key. In the repetition, mm. 22–25, the G minor chord is sustained, followed by G minor, F major, and E major chords leading to an authentic A minor cadence in m. 25, creating a vii-VI-V-i progression.

The dynamic, which has been soft except for the crescendos at the end of the first two phrases, is marked forte in m. 26. The choir sings a two-measure phrase in F major with step- wise descending motion in the bass and step-wise ascending motives in the tenor and soprano, imitated by the alto in the second measure. This material is repeated with variation in mm. 28 and 29. The tenor and alto lines are changed, and it is heard a fifth lower in the key of Bb Major.

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In mm. 30 and 31 Gounod inverts the motives of the preceding measures and opens with descending motion in the sopranos and tenors and ascending motion in the basses. The dynamic in these measures drops to mezzo forte, and drops further to piano in the next phrase, mm. 32–

35. The music finally reaches a clear cadence in m. 34. This F major cadence is prepared with a full two measures of dominant pedal and passing harmonies. The movement closes with echoes between altos and the remainder of the choir in measures thirty-five through the end. The alto enters alone on F in m. 35, followed in the next measure by choir. The next alto phrase elides with the choir’s textual cadence and harmony change in m. 38, with the choir entering again in m. 40. In m. 42 the two textures are again elided, but the altos unite with the other voices when they enter for the final cadential gesture in m. 45. The harmonic motion slows dramatically within this closing section as the choir sings F major in mm. 35–37, D minor in first inversion in mm. 38–41, and Bb major in mm. 42–47, which resolves to F major in the final measure for an ending plagal cadence.

Requiem, SATB soloists, Chorus, pn./org., 1895 (Gounod’s last work, arr. and ed. H. Busser)

Gounod wrote his last composition, the Requiem (1893), to grieve the death of his grandchild, Maurice, who died on 12 March 1891. The work was completed in 1893, shortly before his death, though the orchestration was left unfinished. On October 15, two days before he died, Gounod invited his friend, Henri Busser, to his home to collect the score to arrange it for organ. He slipped into unconsciousness later that day while looking over the score and passed away on the morning of October 17.113 Busser finished the orchestration, scoring the work for clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, contrabass, and organ, and the Requiem was published in

1895.

113James Harding, Gounod (New York: Stein and Day, 1973), 222–23. 177

Introit and Kyrie

The opening measures of the “Introit and Kyrie” hint at the highly chromatic harmonies

found throughout the movement. The clarinet, bassoon, and organ open forte on a sustained

unison G, but in beat three the bassoon breaks away and plays a descending chromatic scale from

G to Db against the G pedal, resulting in a sustained tritone in the second measure, at which

point all instruments have decrescendoed to piano. This figure is repeated in mm. 3 and 4, with

the clarinet doubling the bassoon’s descending line an octave higher. In mm. 5–8 Gounod finally

establishes a pulse with a repeated chord in the strings and organ on beats one, two, and four of

each measure. The orchestra continues to establish G as the harmonic center, playing sustained

G’s and D’s in clarinet and bassoon above the more rhythmic supporting chords.

In m. 9 the organ and contrabassi introduce a C pedal that persists throughout the remainder of the movement and redefines the prominent G in the preceding measures as the dominant pitch rather than tonic center of the movement. The sopranos also enter in m. 9, singing a sustained theme of repeated pitches that slowly ascends by half step over the next eight measures. The alto enters in m. 7 and imitates this theme a fifth lower, creating augmented harmonies every other measure. The two voices merge into homophony in m. 17, singing a five- measure phrase, with the soprano descending by half step from C to F#, which cadences deceptively on a C dominant seventh chord to modulate to F major. The strings play repeated eighth notes to accompany the voices, while winds and organ sustain harmony. The violin and clarinet double the soprano, cello and bassoon double the alto through m. 17, and viola doubles the alto from mm. 18–21. The organ doubles the voices and supplies additional harmony throughout.

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The tenors and basses repeat the soprano and alto imitation a fifth lower in mm. 22–29.

Like the sopranos and altos, they close their duet with a homophonic phrase, but with altered harmonies that allow bass and tenor to both descend by half step in parallel sixths. They reach a

C major authentic cadence in m. 34, surprisingly the first of its kind, given the ongoing C pedal.

The strings switch to arpeggiated eighth notes for the men’s duet, the clarinet doubles the tenor and octave higher, bassoon plays harmony, and organ doubles the voices and supplies additional harmony.

The choir sings four-part homophony for the rest of the movement with frequent phrase repetition and variation. In mm. 35–46 the choir sings two closely related six-measure phrases.

The first sustains an Ab chromatic mediant harmony, which is tonicized by a G fully-diminished chord in the third measure. The orchestra echoes this cadential theme in mm. 39 and 40. In the next six measures, this phrase is heard in the key of F. Gounod uses the same diminished chord, this time spelled as an E fully-diminished chord, before the F major cadence in m. 44 and in the orchestral repetition in m. 45. The organ doubles the chorus and the strings play repeated eighth note C’s in the even measures of each phrase and in the first m. of the second phrase.

The next set of phrase variations follows immediately in mm. 47–55. In the first three measures the voices sustain the E fully-diminished seventh chord from the preceding phrases.

Voice exchange in the soprano and tenor in the second measure results in a passing C major six- four chord. The voices repeat this theme a half step higher in the next three measures, on an F fully-diminished seventh, though the passing chord this time is minor (F) rather than major. The third variation, mm. 53–55, is another half step higher (F# fully-diminished), once again has a major passing harmony, and has orchestral material that is very similar to the second variation.

Repeated arpeggio figures, which run continuously in the violins and violas, are varied slightly in

179 each phrase repetition. Organ doubles the voices and clarinet and bassoon punctuate the cadences with dotted-quarter figures in contrary motion.

Gounod uses this third fully diminished chord as a neighboring diminished chord of C major to resolve to C major in m. 56. The violins slow to arpeggiated dotted-quarter notes while the violas continue at a faster pace with repeated eighth notes. The next four measures are harmonically tame, containing two measures of tonic and two measures of dominant harmony.

The next twenty-two measures, however, are quite adventurous. The choir sings a long series of two-measure gestures that either repeat the same chord throughout the two measures or change chords only once at the beginning of the second measure. Within this span of phrases, the sopranos, altos, and tenors creep slowly downward while the bass slowly rises. Most of the motion is by half steps, and the soprano descent is entirely by half step. Surprisingly, Gounod begins the new section of text, the “Kyrie,” within this larger formal unit rather than setting it off with its own independent musical material. The rhythm of the two-measure units is similar throughout, due in part to the repetition of text. From mm. 56 to 75, clarinet and celli exchange dotted quarter note arpeggios with bassoon and violin, alternating every measure. Bassoon changes to dotted half notes in m. 69. In m. 76 the celli and clarinet exchange these figures, with bassoon and violins sustaining pitches. The music reaches a momentary point of arrival in m. 76, upon the return of the Kyrie text, but it again dissolves into an enigmatic G half-diminished harmony in m. 78. By lowering the bass one half step in the next measure, Gounod once again sounds the E fully-diminished chord used earlier. This chord leads into the closing cadential phrase. It resolves to Ab major in m. 80, where the choir truncates the expected two-measure gesture by omitting the eleison. This one-measure gesture repeats on a D minor seventh chord, which resolves to a first-inversion tonic C major chord in m. 82. The dominant enters in eighty-

180 three, upon the return of eleison, and resolves to a root position tonic in m. 84. The orchestral postlude sustains this harmony for two measures, then sounds one final chromatic tone, and Ab together with the C and E, in m. 87, before finally resting on C major again in m. 88. A quiet, isolated, low C pedal tone, which had paused momentarily, is heard in celli, contrabassi, and organ in the final two measures, reasserting the resolute hold it enjoyed over the entire movement.

Dies Irae

The “Dies Irae” opens with the orchestra playing the pitches G and Eb. The organ plays four half note diads that leap downward an octave on each occurance. The clarinet sustains G, the violin I section plays a tremolo G, and the violas play a tremolo Eb, with each instrument leaping down an octave after four beats. The tempo is Allegro moderato and the dynamic, which begins fortissimo, decrescendoes quickly to piano in the second measure. The C is added to the sonority in the third measure, clarifying the key as C minor rather than Eb major. The tenors and basses enter in this measure and sing G and Eb, respectively, for four measures. The orchestra has accented eighth notes in the bassoon, cello, contrabass, and organ, accented sixteenth notes in upper strings, which repeat G and Eb, sustained G in the clarinet and G and Eb in the organ, and a chromatic bass line in the bassoon, low strings, and organ. These four measures are repeated in G minor by tenor and bass in mm. 7–10, D minor by soprano and alto in mm. 11–14, and A minor by soprano and alto in mm. 15–18. The voices and orchestra crescendo to forte in these four measures, enhanced by an accented, leaping line in the clarinet, an ascending arpeggio in the organ, and ubiquitous sixteenth notes in the upper strings during the last two measures. A new phrase, built from a two-measure theme and its repetition, is sung in four parts in mm. 19–

22. A fortissimo fanfare figure enters in these measures, played by clarinet and bassoon. A

181 climactic G in the soprano opens the following six-measure phrase, which concludes the beginning section with a strong C minor authentic cadence, the first of the movement.

In the next twelve measures, mm. 29–40, Gounod repeats a new two-measure gesture on a variety of pitch levels. The section opens piano and crescendoes to fortissimo over the last eight measures. The theme features a pair of voices descending, by half step, in parallel major sixths. The orchestra doubles this material and also plays ascending parallel major sixths in the celli and violas, with violins doubling the celli an octave above, creating contrary motion. The bassoon and contrabass play an ostinato with octave leaps. The first four measures are sung by soprano and alto, the second four by tenors and basses, and the last four in all voices, with sopranos and tenors in octaves and altos and basses in octaves. In this final statement, the clarinet plays a disjunct, compound melody built from the soprano and alto lines. Gounod writes another section of repeated themes in mm. 41–53. The orchestra opens the section with a two-measure descending arpeggio in accented half notes. The chorus enters in m. 43 and sings a four-measure phrase that is a mixture of unison and two parts. The choir sings an Eb major arpeggio in the first two measures and ends on a Db major sustained chord in the last two measures, modulating down a whole step via common tone modulation. The orchestra sustains an Eb dominant chord in third inversion for the first two measures and then plays the descending arpeggio figure from mm. 40 and 41. Thus, the introductory material also functions as the transition material between the vocal phrases. Gounod repeats mm. 43–46 a whole step lower in mm. 47–50. It is repeated again in mm. 51–53, only this time it is shortened by one measure and modulates up a major third, from Cb major to the chromatic mediant Eb major. Much like he did in mm. 23–28,

Gounod closes this section with a four-measure phrase that begins on a climactic high G in the soprano and concludes with a strong authentic cadence, this time in Eb major.

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The mood changes dramatically in m. 57. The orchestra plays a conjunct, chromatic accompanimental figure in sixteenth notes, passed between lower strings and clarinet every four beats in mm. 57–60, and then every two beats in mm. 61–64. Bassoon and organ play half and whole notes while upper strings play tremolo whole notes resolving to a single eighth note every other measure. The choir chants a unison, two-measure motive where a dotted Fb figure falls to

Eb. This figure is repeated three times, with different harmonies in the orchestra each time. In mm. 65–69 Gounod continues to write two-measure gestures, only the choir’s dotted rhythms and the orchestra’s accompanimental figures broaden, and the choir sings different pitch material. The section closes with the orchestra playing a three-measure chromatic, crescendoing ascent in octaves from C# to D and then to Eb.

The tempo slows to Adagio in m. 74, and in the next twenty measures the organ builds a triad every four measures, beginning with Db major, then Eb major, F minor, Gb major, and Ab major. The organ constructs the chords by playing the fifth of the chord in the first measure, adding the third in the second measure, and the root in the third, sustaining it through the fourth.

The other instruments reinforce the chord by joining in the fourth measure. The basses, the only section to sing in these twenty measures, sing the fifth of the chord in the first two and a half measures and then drop to the root on the third beat of the third measure. In the third and fourth segments, the orchestra plays ascending sixteenth notes in the third measure, and in the final Ab segment, Gounod changes the pattern suddenly. While the Eb and C are added in the first and second measures respectively, in the third measure the expected Ab is not played, but the organ plays A natural and F# instead, with the orchestra joining in this measure, creating an F# half- diminished chord. The section closes with a five-measure phrase, mm. 94–98, which sustains a G major chord in the voices in the last three measures, has a descending chromatic scale in the

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organ in the third measure, and alternating G and Ab sixteenth notes in the clarinet in the fourth

measure.

The men duet in parallel thirds in mm. 99–110. These measures function as a prolonged

dominant extension that establishes the key of C minor. In the first two measures of the duet, the

voices sing an upward, D half-diminished arpeggio that resolves downward by step to a G

dominant seventh in second inversion. These two measures are immediately repeated in mm. 101

and 102 and then restated twice, a third higher, in mm. 103–105, with an F minor seventh chord

resolving to a B fully diminished chord in second inversion. Rather than resolving to C minor in

m. 107, Gounod continues to reinforce the dominant harmony in the next four measures, closing

the Adagio section with a half cadence on a G major chord.

The dominant is finally resolved in the next measure, which opens with contrabass and

organ playing a fortissimo C major chord in a new Andante maestoso tempo. The choir and other

instruments echo this chord on beats three and four of this measure. This antiphonal exchange

continues for two more measures, and the instruments and all forces unite in mm. 114 and 115,

concluding this phrase with a C major authentic cadence. The mood changes in m. 116 as a tenor

soloist sings a soft, lyrical melody marked dolce. In his first phrase, he sings a two-measure gesture that is repeated a third higher in the last two measures. The next phrase, mm. 120–123, is built from a single-measure motive repeated four times, a step higher each time, and underscored by a crescendo throughout the phrase. His solo closes with a two-measure gesture that decrescendoes and ends in a half cadence on G major. During the first phrase, the violins double the melody and celli and violas take turns playing in parallel thirds with the melody. The orchestral texture fills out in the second phrase with the addition of contrabass and organ. A soprano soloist continues in the same dolce character, singing a new melody that has much the

184 same form as the tenor solo. The first phrase consists of a two-measure theme and its variation a step higher, the next phrase crescendoes and is built from a single-measure theme repeated at higher pitch levels, and the solo concludes with a two-measure cadential gesture that decrescendoes, this time closing with a C major authentic cadence in m. 135. Gounod adds sixteenth note arpeggio figures in the clarinet and organ during the soprano solo. The choir then repeats the soprano melody in four-part harmony in mm. 136–145 and closes the section with a five-measure phrase that extends the dominant for three measures and returns to C major in the final two measures. The orchestra falls into straight quarter note harmony in the choral repetition, with the violins breaking into sixteenth note and triplet eighth note arpeggios in the final five measures.

In mm. 151 and 152 the violin, viola, and cello play a chromatic line in parallel thirds and sixths, which results in a series of major chords in first inversion. This is followed by a legato orchestral interlude centered on E major that establishes A minor as the new key center. Gounod marks the vocal entrance in m. 156 “Solo ad lib.,” allowing for a choral or solo texture. The voices sing antiphonally with the orchestra for four measures, alternating every measure. The second two measures are a repetition of the first two, sung and played a third higher. The choir then sings two phrases that each open with polyphonic imitative entries that crescendo into closing homophony. The orchestra mainly doubles the vocal parts in these phrases. The first phrase, in C major, ends on a half cadence on G major, and the second, in A minor, cadences on the dominant E major. The second phrase is followed by two gestures that reinforce the E major dominant chord. Gounod shifts to the parallel major, A major, in m. 172, where the tenor soloist sings a six-measure melody. His first measure, a descending scalar gesture, is repeated in the second measure and varied in the third and fourth measures and sung at different pitch levels.

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The phrase closes with a two-measure cadential gesture that rests on E major. The tenor is doubled by alternating violin and clarinet, with viola playing in parallel thirds. A soprano soloist repeats the first four measures of the tenor’s solo in mm. 178–181, doubled by violin and clarinet with parallel thirds in the viola, and the tenor and soprano sing a duet in mm. 182–186 that recalls the imitation from m. 160. Clarinet doubles soprano and violin doubles the tenor for most of the phrase.

The winds and organ enter dramatically in m. 186 with a fortissimo fanfare on octave

A’s, echoed by tutti chorus in the next measure with a slightly different rhythm. The choir sings a series of three two-measure units that begin with a measure of octave A’s, open up to a four- part harmony in the second measure, and return to octave A’s at the end of the measure. The winds and organ plays their octave A fanfare in the second measure of each gesture, while strings and organ sustain the intervening harmony. An extended solo section begins in m. 193 and continues through m. 218, with a variety of instruments doubling the solo voices throughout.

The tenor soloist opens the section, singing his earlier theme from mm. 172 and 173 in F major, in which the second measure is a repetition of the first, followed by two measures that repeat a measure-long A minor theme. The bass soloist then sings a phrase of similar construction, with each two-measure gesture consisting of a measure and its immediate repetition. The soprano soloist joins the bass in m. 201, singing the tenor’s theme from mm. 160 and 161 (mm. 193 and

194) in C major while the bass continues with the thematic material from his previous two measures. The tenor and alto soloists join in m. 203, and the four voices repeat this measure a step higher in m. 204, modulating to E major by m. 205. In the first two measures of the next phrase, mm. 205 and 206, the soprano sings the bass’s theme from mm. 199–202, with homophony in the other voice. By the phrase’s conclusion the voices and orchestra have

186 modulated to A major, and they half cadence in m. 209. The soprano solo melody from mm.

178–86 returns in mm. 210–18, only this time tenor and alto join the soloist in the first two measures, the bass joins the texture in the third and fourth measures, and all voices sing the duet, originally sung by soprano and tenor, in the final five measures of the section. The orchestral accompaniment is somewhat varied from the melody’s first occurrence.

The choir enters in the anacrusis of m. 219, singing a phrase of alternating C#’s and A’s.

Despite the static melody, the harmony changes every measure. In m. 218 the strings introduces a syncopated A pedal that continues through the choir’s first phrase. The violins, violas, and celli continue this syncopated rhythm in the next phrase as the choir opens in octaves and closes with a four-part A major authentic cadence in m. 225. At the cadence, the violins play the rhythm in descending arpeggios. This same syncopated accompanimental rhythm returns in the Pie Jesu. A four-measure orchestral interlude extends the cadential A major with a low A pedal in contrabass and organ, a harmonic return to A major in m. 229, and a series of passing chords a third apart in mm. 226–28, F# minor, D# major, and B minor, that suggest a plagal resolution. An orchestral ostinato, beginning in the next two measures, features parallel sixths in the violin and viola and parallel thirds in contrary motion in the celli and bassoon. Solo baritone joins the violins and octave lower for his first phrase, mm. 232–36, which resolves to a C major chord in m. 236. Tutti choir interrupts this texture for three measures, singing text on repeated C major chords with a single harmonic departure to Bb minor in the first two beats of the second measure, returning to

C major in this same measure. Gounod then repeats mm. 230–38 a minor third higher in the next nine measures, mm. 239–47. The orchestra begins the ostinato yet again in m. 248. It appears that this previous material will repeat again, but Gounod alters the ostinato in m. 249 modulating to G minor.

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Baritone soloist and orchestra unite in a fanfare on G in mm. 250–56 that branches out to

intervening harmonies in beats one and two of mm. 252, 254, and 256, sounding an A half-

diminished seventh, Eb major in second inversion, and G major in first inversion respectively.

The movement concludes with a repetition of mm. 136–49, with slightly altered orchestration

throughout in all instruments but the clarinet and violins. The final C major harmony, an

authentic cadence in m. 271, is reiterated in the orchestra in a three-measure postlude.

Sanctus

The Sanctus, a brief thirty-one measures, opens with an extended F major harmony in the

orchestra. The chord expands upward and downward as voices are added every other beat,

forming ascending and descending F major triads in half notes and whole notes. Violin, viola,

and cello play tremolo while other voices sustain. The choir enters in m. 5 and sings fortissimo

throughout. It states Sanctus three times, moving from F major to A minor in the first statement,

F major to Bb major in the second, and F major to C major in the third. Thus, the second chord in each gesture is a step higher than the previous. The third Sanctus statement is part of a longer, five-measure phrase that closes with an F major half cadence on C major in m. 13. The next two measures are sequenced a step higher, followed by another half-cadence gesture in mm. 18 and

19. The first two measures of Hosanna, mm. 20 and 21, are repeated in mm. 22 and 23. Gounod closes the movement with a four-measure phrase that closes with an F major perfect authentic cadence in m. 27. In this measure, the orchestra repeats F major introduction, with some variation, beginning in the introduction’s second measure and sustaining the fifth measure

sonority.

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Benedictus

The Benedictus features soprano and tenor soloists, joined by tutti sopranos and tenors in

the Hosanna. The two-measure introduction opens with the winds playing octave F’s in the first measure, followed by the organ expanding the sonority to an F dominant seventh chord in the second measure that establishes Bb major as the key center. The tenor enters after the tonic resolution in m. 3, singing a two-measure motive. The soprano echoes this motive a step lower in the next measure, overlapping the tenor. This motivic exchange continues, desending one step with each entry, until m. 9. The violins, violas, and celli accompany with metronomic, portato quarter note chords. The soloists join homophonically in m. 9 and reach a half cadence in m. 11.

The imitation resumes in the following measure, but the tenor begins on the pitch level of the soprano’s first entrance of C, rather than his initial D entry. Thus, the voices trade parts from the earlier section. Gounod changes the supporting orchestral material, writing complimentary lines in half notes in the winds and opening the spacing of the quarter note chords in the strings. The harmony is also altered in mm. 14 and 15, where Gounod changes two diatonic chords into secondary dominants. The closing homophonic cadential phrase, mm. 17–19, is different than the earlier one. Its melody descends, rather than ascends, and rather than half-cadencing on an F major chord, it clearly modulates to F major.

In the next twelve measures the soprano and tenor sing a series of two-measure homophonic gestures that feature voice exchange. The first six measures repeat a gesture with a voice exchange of a sixth, sounding the theme a step higher each time. In the next four measures the voices exchange pitches a third apart and the repeated gesture descends a step. The orchestra plays layered material of running eight-note arpeggios in the violin, an F pedal through m. 25, a

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contrabass rhythmic ostinato that doubles the sustained organ pedal notes, and sustained pitches

in the other instruments.

The tenor sings a variation of the imitative theme in mm. 32 and 33, and is overlapped by

the soprano a step lower, as before, in mm. 33 and 34. In mm. 35–47, Gounod repeats mm. 3–16

with only a few minor changes. The orchestral accompaniment is enhanced considerably. Celli

double the tenor and clarinet doubles the soprano. Bassoon, contrabass, and organ add a new

bass line that mostly descends in half or whole notes. The organ also plays running eight-note triplet arpeggios. Once again, Gounod changes the homophonic closing material, this time to reach a Bb major authentic cadence in m. 51.

The soprano and tenor sections join the soloists for the Hosanna. They sing three

fortissimo, fanfare-like statements of the text in octaves. Each statement begins with a measure

of repeated Bb’s, followed by an upward leap and a return to the Bb in the second measure. Each

statement leaps up to a pitch one step higher than the preceding statement. The first leaps to Eb,

the second to F, and the third to G in m. 57. The orchestra sustains octave Bb’s during the

voice’s fanfare measures, and plays a Bb fanfare rhythm of their own on the second measure of

each statement, creating an antiphonal effect. The organ also adds harmony in the second

measure. Surprisingly, Gounod finishes the movement with a rapid diminuendo to piano, rather

than with driving fortissimo, during the final homophonic in excelsis statement.

Pie Jesu

The “Pie Jesu,” like the “Benedictus,” opens with four measures of harmonic preparation

in the orchestra. It opens with the same F octave figure in the winds, but is followed by different

harmonic material, a three-measure harmonic progression, that leads to tonic A minor. In m. 5

the violas initiate a syncopated ostinato rhythm that was first heard in the “Dies Irae” and that

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persists through m. 21. Featured in mm. 6–21 are imitative exchanges between solo voices, in

which the soprano and alto are doubled by clarinet and the tenor and bass are doubled by cello.

The alto soloist enters in m. 6, singing a chromatic scale from E to A against sustained A minor

harmony. The bass repeats this figure in the next two measures. Sopranos sing the theme next,

this time in the key of C, followed by tenors in the key of E minor. The theme is inverted and

slightly altered in mm. 14 and 15 as the alto sings a descending chromatic scale from Bb to G,

returns to Bb, and resolves down to A. Unlike the earlier theme, supported by a single harmony,

the harmony changes from a C# diminished seventh in the first measure to D minor in the second

measure. The bass repeats the material in the next two measures. Rather than tracing this theme

through each solo voice as before, Gounod returns to the first theme in mm. 18–21, sung by tenor

and soprano in octaves and then alto and bass also in octaves. Clarinet and violin double the

voices during this phrase. In these measures, the harmonies change beneath the chromatic scales,

reaching an F dominant seventh chord in m. 21.

Tutti choir joins in m. 22, and the orchestra plays homophonically, mostly doubling the voices. Clarinet and violin double the sopranos, low strings and organ pedal double the basses, and bassoon and viola switch between doubling the altos and tenors. The soprano sings a two- measure descending chromatic scale, with tenors singing in parallel thirds and altos and basses filling in harmonies. The voices end the descent on an E dominant harmony that establishes A minor as the tonal center in m. 23, and in m. 25 Gounod changes the key signature to A major. In mm. 26–35 the soloists pass around a disjunct motive, with a new voice taking up the motive in every measure. Its rhythm changes slightly with new text. The orchestra accompanies the exchange with triplet eighth note arpeggios passed between clarinet and organ, sustained

191 harmonies in the bassoon and strings that are slightly rhythmicized every other measure, and a low A pedal in the organ that continues for the remainder of the end of the movement.

Tutti basses close the imitative section, singing a variation of the motive in mm. 35 and

36. Altos and tenors overlap this entry in m. 36 and sing an ascending two-measure theme reminiscent of mm. 18–21 in mm. 36 and 37, which is repeated a fifth higher in four parts in the next two measures. The bassoon plays a slow-moving melody reminiscent of the disjunct solo motive from the previous phrase, and strings double the vocal parts and continue to do so through m. 47. Soprano and tenor soloists sing a slightly altered version of the theme in mm. 40 and 41, which is repeated in three-part harmony a step lower in the next two measures and by four-part tutti chorus in mm. 44–47. In mm. 40 and 41 the bassoon clearly states the disjunct motive hinted at in its earlier phrase, and bassoon and clarinet exchange this motive in the next six measures. These instruments echo the choir’s doubled-dotted rhythm from m. 45 in mm. 45–

47. The choir lastly sings two Amen statements in octaves, accompanied in the orchestra by sustained chords and an A pedal rearticulated on every second, third, and fourth beat of each measure. The winds once again exchange the soloistic motive, now enhanced with the double- dotted rhythms, in mm. 48–50 and play descending quarter note duet in mm. 50 and 51. The orchestra closes the movement with a sustained A major chord.

Agnus Dei

The “Agnus Dei” opens with three similar orchestral gestures that all include a fully diminished seventh chord and its resolution. In each gesture, clarinet, bassoon, and cello move in contrary motion to the violins and violas, passing through the diminished chord’s inversions.

After arriving at its root position on the downbeat of the second measure, the chord resolves as a dominant diminished seventh chord to a root position tonic, with the organ entering to reinforce

192 the resolution. The first two measures trace the resolution of an F# diminished seventh to G minor, the second from A diminished seventh to Bb major, and the third from C# diminished seventh to D minor. The instrumental introduction ends with cadential material finally establishing F major as the key center. Contrabass and organ pedal join the texture for these two cadential measures.

The voices enter forte in m. 9 and sing an a cappella four-measure phrase that repeats an

F major chord for the first two and a half measures. A two-measure gesture moves the harmony toward Bb major with a plagal Eb to Bb progression. This is followed by a soft, lyrical five- measure orchestral phrase in Eb major. The celli play a two-measure arching melody, doubled by violins, that is immediately repeated a fourth higher, doubled by clarinet. The violas play the syncopated ostinato rhythm from the “Dies Irae” and “Pie Jesu” while the bassoon, contrabass, and organ sustain pitches. Gounod modulates to G major in the last two measures by treating the

Ab major chord in m. 17 as a Neopolitan six-four chord of the key, which leads to a dominant D major seventh that resolves to G major. In mm. 19–28 the choir and orchestra both repeat their preceding phrases a whole step higher. The choir begins piano in the repetition, but builds back to forte by the end of the phrase. There are also slight changes in the orchestral interlude. The bassoon and viola play the arching melody in the first two phrases, and the clarinet and violin play it in the third and fourth measures. Low strings play the syncopated ostinato, joined by violas in the third and fourth measures, and the violins play ascending eighth note arpeggios in the first and second measures. The choral and orchestral phrases are heard a whole step higher in mm. 29–38, though the orchestral phrase has significant thematic and harmonic changes. The clarinet and violins play the arching melody while the bassoons and clarinets echo the theme in an inverted form in the second and fourth measures of the phrase. The orchestra also changes

193 keys twice, rather than once, during their four measures. A diminished fifth dominant chord, which was sounded through incidental passing motion in the fourth measure of the two previous orchestral phrases, is resolved as a French sixth chord in mm. 36 and 38, lowering the key by one half step each time. Thus, the phrase descends from D major to Db major, and from Db major to

C major by the choral entrance in m. 39. The dynamic also crescendoes to forte by this entrance.

In mm. 39–43, Gounod extends a tonic F major six-four chord with intervening neighboring diminished seventh chords. Clarinet and celli exchange the lyrical theme with its inverted counterpart in the bassoon and violins, and the voices sing a duet between tenor and soprano and the alto and bass. The dominant is finally reached in m. 44, and it resolves to F major in the next measure as the choir decrescendoes to piano.

The voices next begin an extended section characterized by the oscillation between two chords. An F pedal of repeated quarter notes in the violins, violas, and celli persists throughout these oscillations. In mm. 46–53 the harmony alternates every measure between a second- inversion Db Major chord and a first-inversion D minor chord. Interestingly, the text underlay in not grouped in measure-long segments, resulting in an unpredictable pattern of text stress that is unrelated to the harmonic sense of stress and release. The harmony finally departs from the pattern in m. 54, where an F dominant seventh chord resolves to a second inversion Bb major chord in m. 55. Another oscillation pattern, between a G half diminished and a second inversion

Bb dominant seventh chord, lasts from mm. 56–63. This time the text stress matches the changes in harmony. Though the harmonies are different from mm. 46–53, the wind ostinati, octave F’s in the clarinet and Db resolving to D natural in the bassoon, are identical in both harmonic sections due to common tones in the chords from the two sections. In m. 64 the Bb dominant chord finally resolves to Eb major, which is treated as the mediant of C minor in a progression

194 that ends in a C minor half cadence in m. 68. Gounod changes the key signature to C major in the next measure.

To close the “Agnus Dei,” Gounod brings back a prominent theme from the “Dies Irae.”

The theme, heard in mm. 125–35, 136–45, and 257–67 of the “Dies Irae,” returns in mm. 69–79 of the “Agnus Dei.” It is set as a duet in octaves between solo soprano and solo tenor. The clarinet doubles the solo melody, and the homophonic orchestral accompaniment is similar to that found in the first and third “Dies Irae” settings. When the choir reenters in m. 80, they resume an oscillation with the same chord relationship as mm. 46–53, alternating between an Ab major chord and an A minor chord. A sustained C pedal in bassoon, contrabass, and organ takes the place of the earlier pulsing F pedal, and quarter note arpeggios in the violin, viola, and cello outline the harmony. The clarinet plays quarter note arpeggios, in contrary motion to the strings, in mm. 81 and 82 but otherwise plays sustained pitches with the organ. The A minor harmony in m. 85 gives way to G major in m. 86, and the G dominant resolves to C major in the next measure. The choir sustains the tonic chord for nine beats, crescendoing for five beats and decrescendoing for four. The orchestra echoes this dynamic activity in the final two measures, swelling and decaying on a C major chord over its final five beats.

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CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSION

Charles Gounod’s twenty-one masses are a significant part of his sacred output.

Generally, his sacred works are a lesser-known side to his compositional identity. However,

considering his personal history of religious devotion and church service, Gounod’s interest in

sacred music is not surprising. Tiersot summarizes this view: “We should not forget that, while

his last thought was for his art, it was also for his faith…. [His musical productivity] could not

fail to owe a great part of its value to religious inspiration. The ample list of Gounod’s works

discovers a majority of religious compositions, and certain critics have placed them in the front

rank.”114 In the discussion above, I have intended to clarify the significance of sacred

composition within Gounod’s oeuvre.

Gounod’s masses often reflect the influence of conventional church music styles,

including Renaissance polyphony and chant. At the same time, the masses bear the mark of his

dramatic and lyrical gifts that are so well recognized in his operatic works. His masses are

therefore consistent with his overall musical style while including specific conservative elements

from the church. The secular elements in his sacred music are due, in part, to the spirit of the

Romantic age in which he lived, wherein many religious works, designed for concert

performance, drew inspiration from the theater. But the lyrical charm that influences these works

also emerges from his personality, divided between the spiritual and sensual. Dickinson

describes the overlap between Gounod’s secular expressiveness and sacred devotion:

Indeed, there is hardly a better example of the modern propensity of the dramatic and religious styles to reflect each other’s lineaments than is found in the close parallelism which appears in Gounod’s secular and church productions. So

114Julien Tiersot, “Charles Gounod: A Centennial Tribute,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 4 (July 1918): 424. 196

pliable, or perhaps we might say, so neutral is his art, that a similar quality of melting cadence is made to portray the mutual avowals of love-lorn souls and the raptures of heavenly aspiration…. It may well be that his wide human sympathy saw enough correspondence between the worship of an earthly ideal and that of a heavenly—each implying the abandonment of self-consciousness in the yearning for a happiness which is at the moment the highest conceivable—as to make the musical expression of both essentially similar.”115

In reference to Gounod’s sacred music, Tiersot expresses the same sentiment as Dickinson in a

slightly different way: “When we have to do with works truly musical and beautiful, it is fairly

impossible to point out the distinction between those that are sacred and those that “smell of

brimstone.”116 Gounod’s masses, though distinct by genre and performance function, reflect the

craftsmanship, naturalness, simplicity, and immediacy of his overall musical style.

Because of their diversity, high quality, and emotional directness, Gounod’s masses can

be effectively programmed in a variety of settings. The smaller-scale organ masses require

modest forces and can be sung by singers of limited experience. Their immediate accessibility

also makes them appropriate for this level of singer. They may therefore be successfully

performed by high school choirs and community choruses. For the same reasons, they may also

be used by church choirs in religious services, and their texts and subject matter make them an

obvious choice for such a setting. The larger orchestral masses and the Requiem (1893) work

nicely for more ambitious performances requiring longer preparation time and larger forces.

These settings could include choral festivals, major works concerts, and collaborations between

community choirs and community orchestras. Lastly, while the Messe Solennelle de Sainte

Cécile has remained in the performance repertoire of professional level performing

organizations, Gounod’s other large-scale works could also be included on concert seasons of

115Edward Dickinson, Music in the History of the Western Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1928), 216.

116André Cœuroy, “Present Tendencies of Sacred Music in France,” trans. Theodore Baker, The Musical Quarterly 13 (October 1927): 582. 197

such organizations. Of these works, the Requiem (1893) may be the most interesting and could

be nicely paired with the frequently performed Fauré Requiem on a concert of French requiems.

Further research in a number of different areas would better illuminate our understanding of Gounod’s mass settings. First, additional analyses of the masses would continue to reveal aspects of Gounod’s sacred style. Given the nature of this document, as an overview, the most salient features of each mass have been described, but other areas of exploration remain.

Additional analyses may include complete harmonic and formal analyses, Schenkerian analysis,

comparative analysis between masses, a more thorough examination of text to music

relationships, and a more complete study of dynamics and expressive markings.

Second, the masses could be compared with Gounod’s works from other genres, both

sacred and secular, to discover the stylistic similarities and differences. This understanding

would lead to a more specific definition of Gounod’s sacred style, revealing instances where this

style finds its way into secular genres. It would also clarify how Gounod draws upon his secular

style when setting mass texts.

Third, Gounod’s masses could be compared with other mass settings from the Romantic

era, including French settings and those from other countries. Examining them in relationship to

other French settings would build a better understanding of French sacred music from the

century, revealing consistent stylistic features that would help trace a stylistic development

through the century. In so doing, we would gain a clearer vision of Gounod’s inspiration from his predecessors, such as Paisiello, Le Seuer, Cherubini, and Berlioz, as well as his influence upon later composers such as Widor, Dubois, Saint-Saëns, and Fauré. Cooper summarizes Gounod’s influence upon French musical style in the following way: “He was the voice of a deep and permanent strain in the French character. Actual pupils he had none; but a whole range of

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emotion, which had been voiceless before, had found in him its ideal expression, and his

influence will perhaps never quite disappear for that reason.”117 Gounod’s masses possess this

emotional range, and in viewing them alongside other French masses, we could gain a more

direct understanding of how this ideal found its way into the sacred music of the next generation

of French composers. Comparison with sacred music from other countries would also be

beneficial. An exploration of Gounod’s masses in relationship to English sacred music from

around the close of the century may be particularly fruitful, considering the general influence he

exerted on musical style from the time, which arose, in part, from his three-year stay in England,

the success of his oratorios among the English public, and his publishing activity within this

country.

Fourth, Gounod’s mass output could be studied in relationship to the larger historical

context in which it was written. This includes church history, mass tradition, and political

circumstances during his lifetime. Snyder suggests the need for such studies: “Unlike other

attributes of nineteenth-century music the liturgical content of sacred works, considered in the

context of socio-political — including church — history, seems to have attracted little

attention.”118 While Gounod’s personal religious leanings played an important role in inspiring

him to write in sacred genres, the larger cultural forces undoubtedly allowed him the means in

which to engage in these activities. An understanding of these outside influences in Gounod’s

life would further explain why sacred music continued to occupy such a prominent place in his

compositional activity throughout his life.

117Martin Cooper, “Charles Gounod and His Influence on French Music,” Music and Letters 21 (January 1940): 56–57.

118Jane Snyder, “Ritual and Drama in the Nineteenth-Century Requiem” (PhD diss., Boston University, 2005), 9. 199

Fifth, additional studies could explore Gounod’s other sacred choral music, which includes sixty-five motets, six Anglican anthems, three oratorios, four sacred cantatas, and nineteen French devotional partsongs. Like the masses, each genre offers a wealth of musical material for exploration and performance. The small-scale works, in particular, may prove particularly useful as a resource for concert programs and church services. By developing a broader understanding of Gounod’s sacred music through such studies, Gounod’s masses can be placed within a broader context of his overall sacred output.

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APPENDIX A

IPA PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE TO GOUNOD’S MASSES119

KYRIE

(кυριε ελεησον, Kyrie eleison, Lord have mercy)

Kýrie eléison, repeat, repeat Lord have mercy, repeat, repeat [´ki·ɾi·e e·´le·i·zɔn] [´ki·ɾi·ɛ ɛ·´lɛ·i·zɔn] Lord have mercy, ˝ , ˝

Chríste eléison, repeat, repeat Christ have mercy, repeat, repeat [´kɾi·ste e·´le·i·zɔn] [´kɾi·stɛ ɛ·´lɛ·i·zɔn] Christ have mercy, ˝ , ˝

Kýrie eléison, repeat, repeat Lord have mercy, repeat, repeat [´ki·ɾi·e e·´le·i·zɔn] [´ki·ɾi·ɛ ɛ·´lɛ·i·zɔn] Lord have mercy, ˝ , ˝

119Appendix A synthesizes information from three sources: Harold Copeman, Singing in Latin, or, Pronunciation Explor’d (Oxford: H. Copeman, 1990); Robert S. Hines, Singer’s Manual of Latin Diction and Phonetics (New York: Schirmer Books, 1975); and Ron Jeffers, Translations and Annotations of Choral Repetoire: Compiled and Annotated by Ron Jeffers, Vol. 1 (Corvallis, OR: Earthsongs, 1988). In the case of Hines and Jeffers, the format of each source was preserved as much as possible. The French Latin pronunciation, which is the first line of IPA transcription, is a suggested pronunciation based on the author’s application of the principles of Modern French Latin pronunciation as outlined by Copeman. Copeman provided a pronunciation of the “Gloria,” which has been reproduced below in place of the author’s transcription. The Domine Salvum was not included in the Hines or Jeffers, and the author has provided the IPA transcription and translation for this text. 201

GLORIA

(Gloria in excelsis, Glory to God in he highest)

Glória in excélsis Déo. Glory to God in the highest. [glo·ɾi·a in ɛk·´sɛl·siz ´dɛ·o]

[glɔ·ɾi·ɑ in ɛk·´ʃɛl·sis ´dɛ·ɔ] Glory in highest to God.

Et in térra pax And on earth peace [ɛt in ´tɛɾ·a paks] to all those of good will.

[ɛt in ´tɛɾ·ɾɑ pɑks] And on earth peace

homínibus bónae voluntátis. [o·´mi·ni·byz ´bo·ne vo·lɔn·´ta·tis]

[ɔ·´mi·ni·bus ´bɔ·nɛ vɔ·lun·´tɑ·tis]

to men of good will.

Laudámus te. Benedícimus te. We praise thee. We bless thee. [lo·´da·mys te be·ne·´di·si·mys te] We worship thee. We glorify thee.

[lɑu·´dɑ·mus tɛ bɛ·nɛ·´di·tʃi·mus tɛ]

We praise thee. We bless thee.

Adorámus te. Glorificámus te.

[a·do·´ɾa·mys te glo·ɾi·fi·´ka·mys te] [ɑ·dɔ·´ɾɑ·mus tɛ glɔ·ɾi·fi·´kɑ·mus tɛ] We worship thee. We glorify thee.

Grátias ágimus tíbi We give thanks to thee according to thy great glory. [gɾa·si·az ´a·Ʒi·mys ´ti·bi]

[gɾɑ·tsi·ɑs ´ɑ·dƷi·mus ´ti·bi] Thanks we give to thee

propter mágnam glóriam túam. [´pɾɔ·tɛɾ mag·nα ´glo·ɾi·α ´tyam] [´pɾɔ·ptɛɾ ma·ɲam ´glɔ·ɾi·ɑm ´tuɑm] because of great glory thy.

202

Dómine Déus, Rex coeléstis, Lord God, Heavenly King, [´do·mi·ne ´de·ys ɾek se·´lɛs··tis] God the Father almighty.

[´dɔ·mi·nɛ ´dɛ·us řɛks tʃɛ·´lɛs··tis] Lord God, King of heaven,

Déus Páter omnípotens. [´de·ys ´pa·tɛɾ ɔ·ni·po·tɛ̃nz] [´dɛ·us ´pɑ·tɛɾ ɔ·mni·pɔ·tɛnz] God Father almighty.

Dómine Fíli unigénite, Jésu Chríste. Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son.

[´do·mi·ne ´fi·li y·ni·´Ʒe·ni·te ´Ʒɛ·zy kɾi·ste] [´dɔ·mi·nɛ ´fi·li u·ni·´dƷɛ·ni·tɛ ´jɛ·zu kɾi·stɛ] Lord Son only begotten, Jesus Christ.

Dómine Déus, Agnus Déi, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. [´do·mi·ne ´de·ys ´ag·nyz ´de·i] [´dɔ·mi·nɛ ´dɛ·us ´a·ɲus ´dɛ·i] Lord God, Lamb of God,

Fílius Pátris. [´fi·li·ys ´pa·tɾis] [´fi·li·us ´pɑ·tɾis] Son of Father.

Qui tóllis peccáta múndi, Thou who takest away the sins of the world, [kẅi ´tɔl·is pɛk·a·ta mɔ·di] have mercy upon us. Thou who takest away the sins of the [kui ´tɔl·lis pɛk·kɑ·tɑ mun·di] world, receive our prayer. Who take away sins of world, miserére nóbis. [mi·ze·´ɾe·ɾe no·bis] [mi·zɛ·´ɾɛ·ɾɛ nɔ·bis] have mercy on us.

203

Qui tóllis peccáta múndi, [kẅi ´tɔl·is pɛk·a·ta mɔ·di] [kui ´tɔl·lis pɛk·kɑ·tɑ mun·di] Who take away sins of world,

súscipe deprecatiónem nóstram. [´sy·si·pe de·pɾe·kɑ·si·´o·nɛ ´nɔ·stɾam]

[´su·ʃi·pɛ dɛ·pɾɛ·kɑ·tsi·´ɔ·nɛm ´nɔ·stɾɑm] receive supplication our.

Qui sédes ad déxteram Pátris, Thou who sittest at the right hand of the [kẅi ´se·dez ad ´dɛks·tɛ·ɾαm ´pa·tɾis] Father,have mercy upon us.

[kui ´sɛ·dɛs ɑd ´dɛks·tɛ·ɾɑm ´pɑ·tɾis] Who sit at right hand of Father,

miserére nóbis.

[mi·ze·´ɾe·ɾe ‘no·bis]

[mi·zɛ·´ɾɛ·ɾɛ ‘nɔ·bis] have mercy on us.

Quóniam tu sólus sánctus. For thou alone art holy. Thou alone art the Lord. [´ko·n·lαm ty ´so·ly ´sαn·ktys.] Thou alone art the most high, Jesus Christ. [´kuɔ·ni·ɑm tu ´sɔ·lus ´san·ktus.] For thou alone holy.

Tu sólus Dóminus.

[ty ´so·lyz ´do·mi·nys.]

[tu ´sɔ·lus ´dɔ·mi·nus.] Thou alone Lord.

Tu sólus Altíssimus, Jésu Chríste.

[ty ´so·lyz al·´tis·i·mys ´Ʒɛ·zy ´kɾi·ste] [tu ´sɔ·lus ɑl·´tis·si·mus ´jɛ·zu ´kɾi·stɛ] Thou alone most high, Jesus Christ.

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Cum Sáncto Spírítu With the Holy Spirit [kɔ ´sαn·kto ´spi·ɾi·ty] In the glory of God the Father. Amen. [kum ´sɑn·ktɔ ´spi·ɾi·tu] With Holy Spirit

in glória Déi Pátris. Amen. [in ´glo·ɾi·a ´de·i ´pa·tɾis. ´a·mɛn] [in ´glɔ·ɾi·a ´dɛ·i ´pɑ·tɾis. ´ɑ·mɛn] in glory of God Father. Amen.

CREDO

(Credo in unum Deum, I believe in one God)

Crédo in únum Déum, I believe in one God, [´kɾe·do in ´y·nɒm ´de·ɒm]

[´kɾɛ·dɔ in ´u·num ´dɛ·um] I believe in one God,

Pátrem omnipoténtem, The Father Almightly, [´pa·tɾɛm o·mni·po·tɛ̃n·tɛm] maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. [´pɑ·tɾɛm ɔ·mni·pɔ·tɛn·tɛm] Father almighty,

factórem coéli et térrae, [fa·´kto·ɾɛm ´se·li et ´tɛ·ɾe] [fɑ·´ktɔ·ɾɛm ´tʃɛ·li ɛt ´tɛɾ·ɾɛ] maker of heaven and of earth,

visibílium ómnium, et invisibílium. [vi·zi·´bi·li·ɒm ´o·mni·ɒm et ɛ̃·vi·zi·´bi·li·ɒm] [vi·zi·´bi·li·um ´ɔ·mni·um ɛt in·vi·zi·´bi·li·um] visible of all things, and invisible.

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Et in unum Dóminum Jésum Chrístum, And I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, [et in ´y·nɒm ´do·mi·nɒm Ʒe·zɒm ´kɾi·stɒm] the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. [ɛt in ´u·num ´dɔ·mi·num ´jɛ·zum ´kɾi·stum]

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

Fílium Déi unigénitum.

[´fi·li·ɒm ´de·i y·ni·´Ʒɛ·ni·tɒm]

[´fi·li·um ´dɛ·i u·ni·´dƷɛ·ni·tum] Son of God only begotten.

Et ex Pátre nátum ánte ómnia saécula.

[et ɛks ´pa·tɾe ´na·tɒm ´ɑ̃·te ´o·mni·a ´se·ky·la]

[ɛt ɛks ´pɑ·tɾɛ ´nɑ·tum ´ɑn·tɛ´ɔ·mni·ɑ´sɛ·ku·lɑ] And of Father born before all ages.

Déum de Déo, lúmen de lúmine, God from God, Light from Light, [´de·ɒm de ´de·o ´ly·mɛn de ´ly·mi·ne] True God from true God. Begotten, not made, [´dɛ·um dɛ ´dɛ·ɔ ´lu·mɛn dɛ ´lu·mi·nɛ] God from God, light from light, of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made. Déum vérum de Déo véro. Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven. [´de·ɒm ´ve·ɾɒm de ´de·o ´ve·ɾo] [´dɛ·um ´vɛ·ɾum dɛ ´dɛ·ɔ ´vɛ·ɾɔ] God true from God true.

Génitum, non fáctum, [´Ʒɛ·ni·tɒm nɔn ´fa·ktɒm] [´dƷɛ·ni·tum nɔn ´fɑ·ktum] Begotten, not made,

consubstantiálem Pátri: [kɔ̃·syb·stã·si·´a·lɛm ´pa·tɾi] [kɔn·sub·stɑn·tsi·´ɑ·lɛm ´pɑ·tɾi] Of one substance with Father,

per quem ómnia fácta sunt. [pɛr kẅɛm ´o·mni·a ´fa·kta sɔ̃t] [pɛr kuɛm ´ɔ·mni·ɑ ´fɑ·ktɑ sunt] By whom all things made were.

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Qui própter nos hómines, [kẅi ´pɾo·ptɛr nɔs ´o·mi·nɛs] [kui ´pɾɔ·ptɛr nɔs ´ɔ·mi·nɛs] Who for us men,

et propter nostram salútem [et ´pɾo·ptɛr ´no·stɾam sa·´ly·tɛm] [ɛt ´pɾɔ·ptɛr ´nɔ·stɾɑm sɑ·´lu·tɛm] And for our salvation

descéndit de caélis. [de·´sɛ̃n·dit de ´se·lis] [dɛ·´ʃɛn·dit dɛ ´tʃɛ·lis] Descended from heavens.

Et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sáncto And was incarnate by the Holy Spirit [et ɛ̃·kaɾ·´na·tys ɛst de ´spi·ɾi·ty ´sɑ̃·kto] Of the Virgin Mary. And was made man.

[ɛt in·kɑɾ·´nɑ·tus ɛst dɛ ´spi·ɾi·tu ´sɑn·ktɔ] And made flesh was of Spirit Holy

ex María Vírgine. ET HOMO FACTUS EST.

[ɛks ma·´ɾi·a ´viɾ·Ʒi·ne et ´o·mo ´fa·ktys ɛst]

[ɛks mɑ·´ɾi·ɑ ´viɾ·dƷi·nɛ ɛt´ɔ·mɔ´fɑ·ktus ɛst] of Mary Virgin. And man made was.

Crucifixus étiam pro nóbis sub Póntio Piláto: Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, and was buried [kɾy·si·fi·ksyz ´e·si·am pɾo ´no·bis syb ´pɔ̃·si·o pi·´la·to] [kɾu·tʃi·fi·ksus ´ɛ·tsi·ɑm pɾɔ ´nɔ·bis sub ´pɔn·tsi·ɔ pi·´lɑ·tɔ] Crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,

pássus, et sepúltus est. [´pas·ys et se·´pyl·tys ɛst] [´pɑs·sus ɛt sɛ·´pul·tus ɛst] Suffered, and buried was.

207

Et resurréxit tértia díe, And on the third day he rose again, [et ɾe·sy·´ɾe·gzit ´tɛɾ·si·a ´di·e ] according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and

[ɛt řɛ·suɾ·´ɾɛ·ksit ´tɛɾ·tsi·ɑ ´di·ɛ ] He sits at the right hand of the Father. And he rose third day, He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; secúndum Scriptúras. and of his kingdom there will be no end. [se·´kɔ̃·dɒm skɾi·´pty·ɾas] [sɛ·´kun·dum skɾi·´ptu·ɾɑs] according to Scriptures.

Et ascéndit in caélum: [et a·´sɛ̃n·dit in ´se·lɒm]

[ɛt ɑ·´ʃɛn·dit in ´tʃɛ·lum] And he ascended into heaven,

sédet ad déxteram Pátris. [´se·dɛt ad ´dɛks·te·ɾam ´pa·tɾis] [´sɛ·dɛt ɑd ´dɛks·tɛ·ɾɑm ´pɑ·tɾis] he sits at right hand of Father.

Et íterum ventúrus est cum glória, [et ´i·te·ɾɒm ´vɛ̃n·´ty·ɾys ɛst kɒm ´glo·ɾi·a] [ɛt ´i·tɛ·ɾum ´vɛn·´tu·ɾus ɛst kum ´glɔ·ɾi·ɑ] And again going to come he is with glory,

judicáre vívos et mórtuos: [Ʒy·di·´ka·ɾe ´vi·vɔs et ´mɔɾ·ty·ɔs] [ju·di·´kɑ·ɾɛ ´vi·vɔs ɛt ´mɔɾ·tu·ɔs] to judge living and dead;

cújus régni non érit fínis. [´ky·Ʒys ɾe·ñi nɔn ´e·ɾit ´fi·nis]

[´ku·jus řɛ·ɲi nɔn ´ɛ·ɾit ´fi·nis] of whose kingdom not will there be end.

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Et in Spíritum Sánctum And I believe in the Holy Spirit, [et in ´spi·ɾi·tɒm ´sɑ̃·ktɒm] the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son

[ɛt in ´spi·ɾi·tum ´sɑn·ktum] who together with the Father and the Son And in Spirit Holy is adored and glorified, who spoke to us through the Prophets. Dóminum, et vivificántem: [´do·mi·nɒm et vi·vi·fi·´kɑ̃·tɛm] [´dɔ·mi·num ɛt vi·vi·fi·´kɑn·tɛm] Lord, and lifegiver

qui ex Pátre Filióque procédit. [kẅi ɛx ´pa·tɾe fi·li·o·kẅe pɾo·´se·dit] [kui ɛks ´pɑ·tɾɛ fi·li·ɔ·kuɛ pɾɔ·´tʃɛ·dit] who from Father and Son proceeds.

Qui cum Pátre, et Fílio [kẅi kɒm ´pa·tɾe et fi·li·o] [kui kum ´pɑ·tɾɛ ɛt fi·li·ɔ] Who with Father and Son

simul adorátur et conglorificátur: [´si·myl ado·´ɾa·tyɾ et kɔ̃·glo·ɾi·fi·´ka·tyɾ] [´si·mul ɑdɔ·´ɾɑ·tuɾ ɛt kɔn·glɔ·ɾi·fi·´kɑ·tuɾ] together is adored and glorified,

qui locutus est per Prophétas. [kẅi lo·´ky·tys ɛst pɛɾ pɾo·´fe·tas] [kui lɔ·´ku·tus ɛst pɛɾ pɾɔ·´fɛ·tɑs] who spoke through Prophets.

Et únam, sánctam, cathólicam And I belive in one, holy, catholic [et ´y·nam ´sɑ̃·ktam ka·´to·li·kam] and Apostolic Church.

[ɛt ´u·nɑm ´sɑn·ktɑm kɑ·´tɔ·li·kɑm] And one, holy, catholic

et apostólicam Ecclésiam. [et a·po·´sto·li·kam ɛk·´le·zi·am] [ɛt ɑ·pɔ·´stɔ·li·kɑm ɛk·´klɛ·zi·ɑm] and Apostolic Church.

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Confíteor únum baptísma I confess one baptism [kɔ̃·´fi·te·ɔɾ ´y·nɒm bap·´tis·ma] for the remission of sins.

[kɔn·´fi·tɛ·ɔɾ ´u·num bɑp·´tis·mɑ] I confess one baptism

in remissiónem peccatórum. [in ɾɛ·miz·i·´o·nɛm pɛ·ka·´to·ɾɒm]

[in řɛ·mis·si·´ɔ·nɛm pɛk·kɑ·´tɔ·ɾum] For remission of sins.

Et expécto resurrectiónem mortuórum. I await the resurrection of the dead, [et ɛk·´spe·kto ɾe·sy·ɾek·si·´o·nɛm and the life of the world to come. Amen.

mɔɾ·ty·´o·ɾɒm] [ɛt ɛk·´spɛ·ktɔ řɛ·zuɾ·ɾek·tsi·´ɔ·nem mɔɾ·tu·´ɔ·ɾum] And I expect resurrection of dead.

Et vítam ventúri saéculi. Amen. [et ´vi·ta vɛ̃n·ty·ɾi ´se·ky·li ´a·mɛn] [ɛt ´vi·tɑm vɛn·tu·ɾi ´sɛ·ku·li ´ɑ·mɛn] And life to come of age. Amen.

SANCTUS

(Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus – Holy, Holy, Holy)

Sánctus, Sánctus, Sánctus, Holy, Holy, Holy, [´sɑ̃·ktys ´sɑ̃·ktys ´sɑ̃·ktys] Lord God of Hosts. [´sɑn·ktus ´sɑn·ktus ´sɑn·ktus] Holy, Holy, Holy,

Dóminus Déus Sábaoth. [´do·mi·nys ´de·ys ´sa·ba·ɔt]

[´dɔ·mi·nus ´dɛ·us ´sɑ·bɑ·ɔt] Lord God of Hosts.

210

Pléni sunt coéli et térra Heaven and earth are full [´ple·ni sɔ̃t ´se·li et ´tɛɾ·a] Of thy glory.

[´plɛ·ni sunt ´tʃɛ·li ɛt ´tɛɾ·ɾɑ] Full are heaven and earth glória túa. [´glo·ɾi·a ´ty·a] [´glɔ·ɾi·ɑ ´tu·ɑ] of glory thy.

Hosánna in excélsis. Hosanna in highest. [o·´za·na in ɛk·sɛl·sis]

[ɔ·´zɑn·nɑ in ɛk·ʃɛl·sis] Hosanna in the highest.

BENEDICTUS

(Benedictus qui venit, – Blessed is he who comes)

Benedíctus qui vénit Blessed is He who comes [bɛ·ne·´di·ktys kẅi ´vɛnit] in the name of the Lord.

[bɛ·nɛ·´di·ktus kui ´vɛnit] Blessed who comes in nómine Dómini. [in ´no·mi·ne ´do·mi·ni] [in ´nɔ·mi·nɛ ´dɔ·mi·ni] in name of Lord.

Hosánna in excélsis. Hosanna in the highest

[o·´za·na in ɛk·sɛl·sis]

[ɔ·´zɑn·nɑ in ɛk·´ʃɛl·sis] Hosanna in highest.

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O SALUTARIS HOSTIA

O SALUTÁRIS HÓSTIA, O Redeeming Sacrifice, [o sa·ly·´ta·ɾis ´o·sti·a] which opens the gate of heaven:

[ɔ sɑ·lu·´tɑ·ɾis ´ɔ·sti·ɑ] O Redeeming Sacrifice,

Quae caéli pándis óstium, [kẅe ´se·li ´pɑ̃·dis ´o·sti·ɒm] [kuɛ ´tʃɛ·li ´pɑn·dis ´ɔ·sti·um] (You)who of heaven opens gate,

Bélla prémunt hostília, enemies threaten wars; [´bɛ·la ´pɾe·mɔ̃t o·´sti·li·a] give us strength, send aid.

[´bɛ·lɑ ´pɾɛ·munt ɔ·´sti·li·ɑ] wars threaten enemies,

Da róbur, fér auxílium. [da ´ɾo·byɾ fɛɾ o·´ksi·li·ɒm] [dɑ ´řɔ·bur fɛɾ ɑu·´ksi·li·um] give strength, send aid.

AGNUS DEI

(Agnus Dei, Lamb of God)

Agnus Déi, Lamb of God, [´a·ñys ´de·i] who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. [´ɑ·ɲus ´dɛ·i] Lamb of God,

qui tóllis peccáta múndi: [kẅi ´tɔ·lis pɛ·´ka·ta ´mɔ̃·di] [kui ´tɔl·lis pɛk·´kɑ·tɑ ´mun·di] (you)who take away sins of world,

212

miserére nóbis. [mi·ze·´ɾe·ɾe ´no·bis]

[mi·zɛ·´ɾɛ·ɾɛ ´nɔ·bis] have mercy on us.

Agnus Déi, Lamb of God, [´a·ñys ´de·i] who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. [´ɑ·ɲus ´dɛ·i] Lamb of God,

qui tóllis peccáta múndi:

[kẅi ´tɔ·lis pɛ·´ka·ta ´mɔ̃·di] [kui ´tɔl·lis pɛk·´kɑ·tɑ ´mun·di] (you)who take away sins of world,

miserére nóbis.

[mi·ze·´ɾe·ɾe ´no·bis]

[mi·zɛ·´ɾɛ·ɾɛ ´nɔ·bis] have mercy on us.

Agnus Déi, Lamb of God, [´a·ñys ´de·i] who takest away the sins of the world, [´ɑ·ɲus ´dɛ·i] grant us peace. Lamb of God,

qui tóllis peccáta múndi: [kẅi ´tɔ·lis pɛ·´ka·ta ´mɔ̃·di] [kui ´tɔl·lis pɛk·´kɑ·tɑ ´mun·di] (you)who take away sins of world,

dóna nóbis pácem. [´do·na ´no·bis ´pa·sɛm] [´dɔ·nɑ ´nɔ·bis ´pɑ·tʃɛm] grant us peace .

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DOMINE SALVUM

Dómine, sálvum fac, God save Napoléon our Emperor! [´do·mi·ne ´sal·vɒm fak] And hear us in the day we call upon you. [´dɔ·mi·nɛ ´sɑl·vum fɑk] Lord save cause to

Imperatórem nostrum Napoleónem [ɛ̃·pe·ɾa·´to·rɛm ´nos·trɒm Na·po·le·´o·nɛm] [im·pɛ·rɑ·´tɔ·rɛm´nɔ·strum Nɑ·pɔ·lɛ·´ɔ·nɛm] Emperor ours Napoléon

et exáudi nos in díe [et egz·´o·di nɔs in ´di·e] [ɛt ɛgz·´ɑu·di nɔs in ´di·ɛ] And hear us in day

qua invocavérimus te. [kwa ɛ̃·vo·ka·´ve·ɾi·mys te] [kuɑ in·vɔ·kɑ·´vɛ·ɾi·mus tɛ] where we invoke you

INTROIT

(introitus, entrance)

Réquiem aetérnam dóna éis, Dómine: Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, [´ɾe·kẅi·ɛm e´tɛɾ·nam ´do·na ´e·iz ´do·mi·ne] and let perpetual light shine upon them.

[´řɛ·kui·ɛm ɛ·´tɛɾ·nɑm ´dɔ·nɑ ´ɛ·is ´dɔ·mi·nɛ] Rest eternal grant to them, Lord;

et lux perpétua lúceat eis. [et lyks pɛɾ·´pe·ty·a ´ly·se·at ´e·is] [ɛt luks pɛɾ·´pɛ·tu·ɑ ´lu·tʃɛ·ɑt ´ɛ·is] and light perpetual let shine on them.

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Te décet hýmnus Déus in Zíon, A hymn befits thee, O God in Zion. [te ´de·sɛt ´i·mnyz ´de·yz in ´si·ɔn] and to thee a vow shall be fulfilled in Jerusalem. [tɛ ´dɛ·tʃɛt ´i·mnus ´dɛ·us in ´si·ɔn] Thee befits hymn God in Zion,

et tíbi redétur [et ´ti·bi ɾe·´de·tyɾ]

[ɛt ´ti·bi řɛ·´dɛ·tuɾ] and to thee shall be fulfilled

vótum in Jerúsalem:

[´vo·tɒm in Ʒe·´ɾy·sa·lɛm]

[´vɔ·tum in jɛ·´ɾu·zɑ·lɛm] Vow in Jerusalem.

exáudi oratiónem méam, Hear my prayer, [egz·´o·di o·´ɾa·si·´o·nɛm ´me·am] for unto thee all flesh shall come. [ɛgz·´ɑu·di ɔ·´ɾɑ·tsi·´ɔ·nɛm ´mɛ·ɑm] Hear prayer my,

ad te ómnis cáro véniet.

[ad te ´ɔ·mnis ´ka·ɾo ´vɛ·ni·ɛt] [ɑd tɛ ´ɔ·mnis ´kɑ·ɾɔ ´vɛ·ni·ɛt] to thee all flesh shall come.

(Repeat: Réquiem aetérnam . . . lúceat éis) (Repeat: Rest eternal . . . shine upon them.)

SEQUENCE

(sequentia, that which follows)

Díes írae, díes ílla, Day of wrath, that day [´di·ɛz ´i·ɾe ´di·ɛz ´i·la] shall dissolve the world into embers, as David prophesied with the Sybil. [´di·ɛs ´i·ɾɛ ´di·ɛs ´il·lɑ] Day of wrath day that,

215

Sólvet saéclum in favílla: [´sɔl·vɛt ´se·klɒm in fa·vi·la] [´sɔl·vɛt ´sɛ·klum in fɑ·vil·lɑ] shall dissolve world into embers,

Téste Dávid cum Sibýlla. [´te·ste ´da·vid kɒm si·´bi·la] [´tɛ·stɛ ´dɑ·vid kum si·´bil·lɑ] witness David with Sibyl.

Quántus trémor est futúrus, How great the trembling will be, [´kwɑ̃·tys ´tɾɛ·mɔɾ ɛst fy·´ty·ɾys] when the judge shall come, the rigorous investigator of all things! [´kuɑn·tus ´tɾɛ·mɔɾ ɛst fu·´tu·ɾus] How great trembling there is going to be,

Quando júdex est ventúrus, [´kwɑ̃·do ´Ʒy·dɛks ɛst vɛ̃n·´ty·ɾys]

[´kuɑn·dɔ ´ju·dɛks ɛst vɛn·´tu·ɾus] when judge is going to come,

Cúncta stricte discussúrus!

[´kæ̃·kta ´stɾi·kte di·ky·´sy·ɾys]

[´kun·ktɑ ´stɾi·ktɛ dis·kus·´su·ɾus] all things strictly about to investigate!

Túba mírum spárgens sónum The trumpet, spreading its wondrous sound [´ty·ba ´mi·ɾɒm ´spaɾ·Ʒɛ̃ns ´so·nɒm] through the tombs of every land, [´tu·bɑ ´mi·ɾum ´spɑɾ·dƷɛnz ´sɔ·num] will summon all before the throne. Trumpet wondrous sending out sound

Per sepúlchra regiónum, [peɾ se·´pyl·kɾal ɾe·Ʒi·´o·nɒm]

[pɛɾ sɛ·´pul·kɾɑ řɛ·dƷi·´ɔ·num] through tombs of regions,

Cóget ómnes ante thrónum.

[´ko·Ʒɛt ´o·mnɛs ´ɑ̃·te ´tɾo·nɒm] [´kɔ·dƷɛt ´ɔ·mnɛs ´ɑn·tɛ ´tɾɔ·num] will summon all before throne.

216

Mors stupébit, et natúra, Death will be stunned, likewise nature, [mɔɾs sty·´pe·bit et na·´ty·ɾa] when all creation shall rise again to answer the One judging. [mɔɾz stu·´pɛ·bit ɛt nɑ·´tu·ɾɑ] Death shallbe stunned, and nature,

Cum resúrget creatúra, [kɒm ɾe·´zyɾ·Ʒɛt kɾe·a·´ty·ɾa] [kum řɛ·´zuɾ·dƷɛt kɾɛ·ɑ·´tu·ɾɑ] when will rise again creation,

Judicánti responsúra.

[Ʒy·di·´kɑ̃·ti ɾe·pɔ̃·´sy·ɾa]

[ju·di·´kɑn·ti řɛ·spɔn·´su·ɾɑ] (the one) judging to answer.

Líber scríptus proferétur, A written book will be brought forth, [´li·bɛɾ ´skɾip·tys pɾo·fe·´ɾe·tyɾ] in which all shall be contained, and from which the work shall be judged.

[´li·bɛɾ ´skɾip·tus pɾɔ·fɛ·´ɾɛ·tuɾ] Book written will be made known,

In quo tótum continétur, [in ko ´to·tɒm kɔ̃·ti·´ne·tyɾ] [in kuɔ ´tɔ·tum kɔn·ti·´nɛ·tuɾ] in which all shall be contained,

Unde múndus judicétur.

[´ɔ̃·de ´mɔ̃·dys Ʒy·di·´se·tyɾ]

[´un·dɛ ´mun·dus ju·di·´tʃɛ·tuɾ] from which world shall be judged.

Júdex ergo cum sedébit, When therefore the Judge is seated, [´Ʒy·dɛgz ´ɛɾ·go kɒm se·´de·bit] whatever lies hidden shall be revealed, no wrong shall remain unpunished. [´ju·dɛks ´ɛɾ·gɔ kum sɛ·´dɛ·bit] Judge therefore when will sit,

Quíd-quid látet apparébit: [´kẅid·kẅid ´la·tɛt a·pa·´ɾe·bit] [´kuid·kuid ´lɑ·tɛt ɑp·pɑ·´ɾɛ·bit] whatever lies concealed will be revealed,

217

Nil inúltum remanébit.

[nil i·´nyl·tɒm ɾɛ·ma·´ne·bit]

[nil i·´nul·tum řɛ·mɑ·´nɛ·bit] nothing (wrong) unavenged shall remain.

Quid sum miser tunc dictúrus? What then am I, a poor wretch, going to say? [kẅid sɒm ´mi·zɛɾ tæ̃k di·´kty·ɾys] Which protector shall I ask for, [kuid sum ´mi·zɛɾ tunk di·´ktu·ɾus] when even the just are scarcely secure? What am I wretch then to say?

Quem patrónum rogatúrus? [kẅɛm pa·´tɾo·nɒm ɾo·ga·´ty·ɾys] [kuɛm pɑ·´tɾɔ·num řɔ·gɑ·´tu·ɾus] Which protector going to ask for,

Cum vix jústus sit secúrus. [kɒm viks ´Ʒys·tys sit se·´ky·ɾys] [kum viks ´jus·tus sit sɛ·´ku·ɾus] when scarcely just man is secure?

Rex treméndae majestátis, King of terrifying majesty, [ɾɛks tɾɛ·´mɛ̃n·de ma·Ʒe·´sta·tis] who freely saves the saved: Save me, fount of pity. [řɛks tɾɛ·´mɛn·dɛ mɑ·jɛ·´stɑ·tis] King of fearful majesty,

Qui salvándos sálvas gratis, [kẅi sal·´vɑ̃·dɔs ´sal·vas ´gɾa·tis] [kui sɑl·´vɑn·dɔs ´sɑl·vɑs ´gɾɑ·tis] who the saved save freely,

Sálva me fons pietátis.

[´sal·va me fɔ̃s pi·e·´ta·tis]

[´sɑl·vɑ mɛ fɔnz pi·ɛ·´ta·tis] save me fount of pity.

Recordáre Jésu píe, Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the cause of your sojourn; [ɾe·kɔɾ·´da·ɾe ´Ʒe·zy ´pi·e] do not cast me out on that day. [řɛ·kɔɾ·´dɑ·ɾɛ ´jɛ·zu ´pi·ɛ] Remember Jesus merciful, 218

Quod sum cáusa túae víae, [kod sɒm ´ko·za ´ty·e ´vi·e]

[kuɔd sum ´kɑu·zɑ ´tu·ɛ ´vi·ɛ] that I am cause of your sojourn,

Ne me pérdas ílla díe. [ne me ´pɛɾ·daz ´il·a ´di·e] [nɛ mɛ ´pɛɾ·dɑs ´il·lɑ ´di·ɛ] not me cast out that day.

Quaérens me, sedísti lássus: Seeking me, you sat down weary; having suffered the Cross, you redeemed [´kẅe·ɾɛ̃ns me se·´di·sti ´las·ys] me. [´kuɛ·ɾɛnz mɛ sɛ·´di·sti ´lɑs·sus] May such great labor not be in vain. Seeking me, you sat waery;

Redemísti crúcem pássus: [ɾe·dɛ·´mi·sti ´kɾy·sɛm ´pas·ys] [řɛ·dɛ·´mi·sti ´kɾu·tʃɛm ´pɑs·sus] You redeemed Cross having suffered.

Tántus lábor non sit cássus. [´tɑ̃·tys ´la·bɔɾ nɔn sit ´ka·sys] [´tɑn·tus ´lɑ·bɔɾ nɔn sit ´kɑs·sus] Such great labor not be futile.

Júste júdex ultiónis, Just Judge of vengeance, [´Ʒy·ste ´Ʒy·dɛgz yl·ti·´o·nis] grant the gift of remission before the day of reckoning. [´ju·stɛ ´ju·dɛks ul·tsi·´ɔ·nis] Just judge of vengeance,

Dónum fac remissiónis, [´do·nɒm fak ɾɛ·mi·si·´o·nis] [´dɔ·num fɑk řɛ·mis·si·´ɔ·nis] grant gift of remission,

Ante díem ratiónis.

[´ɑ̃·te ´di·ɛm ɾa·si·´o·nis] [´ɑn·tɛ ´di·ɛm řɑ·tsi·´ɔ·nis] before day of reckoning.

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Ingemísco, tamquam réus: I groan, like one who is guilty; [ɛ·Ʒ̃ ɛ·´mis·ko tɑ̃ ·kwam ´ɾe·ys] my face blushed with guilt. Spare thy supplicant, O God. [in·dƷɛ·´mis·kɔ tɑm·kuɑm ´ řɛ·us] I groan, like guilty one;

cúlpa rúbet vúltus méus: [´kyl·pa ´ɾy·bɛt ´vyl·tys ´me·ys] [´kul·pɑ ´řu·bɛt ´vul·tus ´mɛ·us] guilt reddens face my.

Supplicánti párce Déus.

[syp·li·´kɑ̃·ti ´paɾ·se ´de·ys] [sup·pli·´kɑn·ti ´pɑɾ·tʃɛ ´dɛ·us] Supplicant spare God.

Qui Maríam absolvísti, You who absolved Mary [Magdalene], [kẅi ma·ɾi·am ab·sɔl·´vi·sti] and heeded the thief, have also given hope to me. [kui mɑ·ɾi·am ɑb·sɔl·´vi·sti] Who Mary absolved,

Et latrónum exaudísti, [et la·´tɾo·nɒm egz·o·´di·sti] [ɛt lɑ·´tɾɔ·num ɛgz·ɑu·´di·sti] and thief heeded,

Míhi quoque spem dedísti. [´mi·ki ´ko·kẅe spɛm de·´di·sti] [´mi·ki ´kuɔ·kuɛ spɛm dɛ·´di·sti] to me also hope have given.

Préces méae non sunt dígnae: My prayers are not worthy, [´pɾe·sɛs ´me·e nɔn sɔ̃t ´di·ñe] but Thou, good one, kindly grant that I not burn in the everlasting fires. [´pɾɛ·tʃɛs ´mɛ·ɛ nɔn sunt ´di·ɲɛ] Prayers my not are worthy;

Sed tu bónus fac benígne, [sɛd ty ´bo·nys fak bɛ·´ni·ñe] [sɛd tu ´bɔ·nus fɑk bɛ·´ni·ɲɛ] but you good grant kindly,

220

Ne perénni crémer ígne.

[ne pe·´ɾɛ·ni ´kɾɛ·mɛɾ ´i·ñe]

[nɛ pɛ·´ɾɛn·ni ´kɾɛ·mɛɾ ´i·ɲɛ] not everlasting I burn in fire.

Inter óves lócum praésta, Grant me a favored place among thy [´ɛ̃·tɛɾ ´o·vɛs ´lo·kɒm ´pɾe·sta] sheep, and separate me from the goats, [´in·tɛɾ ´ɔ·vɛs ´lɔ·kum ´pɾɛ·sta] placing me at thy right hand. among sheep place of eminence,

Et ab haédis me sequéstra,

[et ab ´e·dis me se·´kẅe·stɾa] [ɛt ɑb ´ɛ·dis mɛ sɛ·´kuɛ·stɾa] and from goats me separate,

Státuens in párte déxtra.

[´sta·ty·ɛnz in ´paɾ·te ´dɛks·tɾa]

[´stɑ·tu·ɛnz in ´pɑɾ·tɛ ´dɛks·tɾɑ] stationing on hand right.

Confutátis maledíctis, When the accursed are confounded, [kɔ̃·fy·´ta·tys ma·le·´di·ktis] consigned to the fierce flames: call me to be with the blessed. [kɔn·fu·´tɑ·tis mɑ·lɛ·´di·ktis] confounded accursed,

Flámmis ácribus addíctis, [´fla·mis ´a·kɾi·bys a·´di·ktis] [´flɑm·mis ´ɑ·kɾi·bus ɑd·´di·ktis] to flames harsh consigned,

Vóca me cum benedíctis.

[´vo·ka me kɒm bɛ·ne·´di·ktis] [´vɔ·kɑ mɛ kum bɛ·nɛ·´di·ktis] call me with blessed.

Oro súpplex et acclínis, I pray, suppliant and kneeling, [´o·ɾo ´sy·plɛgz et ɑk·´li·nis] my heart contrite as if it were ashes: protect me in my final hour.

[´ɔ·ɾɔ ´sup·plɛks ɛt ɑk·´kli·nis] I pray kneeling and suppliant, 221

Cor contrítum quasi cínis: [kɔɾ kɔ̃·´tɾi·tɒm ´kwɑ·zi ´si·nis]

[kɔɾ kɔn·´tɾi·tum ´kuɑ·zi ´tʃi·nis] heart contrite as if ashes:

Gére cúram méi fínis. [Ʒe·ɾe ´ky·ɾam ´me·i ´fi·nis] [dƷɛ·ɾɛ ´ku·ɾɑm ´mɛ·i ´fi·nis] bear care of my end.

Lacrimósa díes ílla, O how tearful that day, on which the guilty shall rise [la·kɾi·´mo·za ´di·ɛz ´i·la] from the embers to be judged. [lɑ·kɾi·´mɔ·za ´di·ɛs ´il·lɑ] Spare them then, O God. Tearful day that,

Qua resúrget ex favílla, [kwa ɾe·´zyɾ·Ʒɛt ɛks fa·´vi·la]

[kuɑ řɛ·´zuɾ·dƷɛt ɛks fɑ·´vil·lɑ]

on which shall rise from embers,

Judicándus hómo réus. [Ʒy·di·´kɑ̃·dys ´o·mo ´ɾe·ys]

[ju·di·´kɑn·dus ´ɔ·mɔ ´řɛ·us] to be judged man guilty.

Húic érgo párce Déus. [´y·ik ´ɛɾ·go ´paɾ·se ´de·ys] [´u·ik ´ɛɾ·gɔ ´pɑɾ·tʃɛ ´dɛ·us] Him therefore spare God.

Píe Jésu Dómine, Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest. [´pi·e ´Ʒe·zy ´do·mi·ne]

[´pi·ɛ ´jɛ·zu ´dɔ·mi·nɛ] Merciful Jesus Lord,

dóna éis réquiem. Amen. [´do·na ´e·is ɾe·kẅi·ɛm ´a·men] [´dɔ·nɑ ´ɛ·is řɛ·kui·ɛm ´ɑ·mɛn] grant to them rest. Amen.

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COMMUNION

(communio, a sharing in common, uniting together)

Lux aetérna lúceat éis, Dómine: May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord, [lyks e·´tɛɾ·na ´ly·se·at ´e·is ´do·mi·ne] in the company of thy saints forever and ever; for thou art merciful. [luks ɛ·´tɛɾ·nɑ ´lu·tʃɛ·ɑt ´ɛ·is ´dɔ·mi·nɛ] Light eternal let shine on them, Lord,

Cum sánctis túis in aetérnum: [kɒm ´sɑ̃·ktys ´ty·iz in e·´tɛɾ·nɒm] [kum ´sɑn·ktis ´tu·is in ɛ·´tɛɾ·num] With saints your for eternity;

quia píus es.

[´kẅi·a ´pi·ys ɛs]

[´kui·ɑ ´pi·us ɛs] for merciful you are.

Réquiem aetérnam dóna éis, Dómine, Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, [ɾe·kẅi·ɛm e´tɛɾ·nam ´do·na ´e·iz ´do·mi·ne] and let perpetual light shine upon them.

[řɛ·kui·ɛm ɛ´tɛɾ·nɑm ´dɔ·nɑ ´ɛ·is ´dɔ·mi·nɛ] Rest eternal grant to them, Lord,

et lux perpétua lúceat éis. [et lyks pɛɾ·´pe·tya ´ly·se·at ´e·is] [ɛt luks pɛɾ·´pɛ·tuɑ ´lu·tʃɛ·ɑt ´ɛ·is] and light perpetual may shine on them.

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APPENDIX B

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY OF GOUNOD’S MASSES

Recordings of Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile

St. Cecilia Mass / Te Deum [Bizet]. Münchner Motettenchor. Münchner Symphoniker. Hans Rudolf Zöbeley, conductor. Recorded in performance, Mar. 13-17, 1996, Herkuelssaal, Munich. Program notes in German and English, and texts in container. Edition Günter Hänssler & PH05028 Profil. CD. 2005. [Originally issued in 1996 as Calig: CAL 50956 CD.]

Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile; Petite Symphonie. Choeurs René Duclos. Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire. Jean-Claude Hartemann, conductor. Henriette Puig- Roget, organ (Messe Solennelle). Hallé Orchestra. John Barbirolli, conductor (Petite Symphonie). Program notes ([8] p. : ill., ports.) in container. Recorded June 1963, St. Roch, Paris (Messe Solennelle), and 1958, Manchester (Petite Symphonie). EMI Classics 7243 5 74730 2 6. CD. 2001.

Cäcilienmesse = Saint Cecilia Mass ; Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile. Choir and Orchestra of St. Michael, Munich. Elmar Schloter, conductor. Previously issued in 1986. Notes in German and English in container. No texts provided. Koch Schwann Musica Sacra CD 313 029 G1. 2000.

St. Cecilia Mass. Choeurs de Radio-France. Nouvel Orchestre philharmonique. Georges Prêtre, conductor. Jean-Louis Gil, organ. Program notes by Maurice Tassart and text with English translation (7 p.) inserted in container. Musical Heritage Society 515360K. CD. 1999. [Originally released in 33 1/3 rpm format in 1984 by Angel Records, Angel DS-38145].

Messe Solennelle de Ste. Cécile. Tschechischer Sängerchor. Tschechische Philharmonie Prag. Igor Markévitch, conductor. Program notes in German, English, and French, plus text in German, Latin, English and French in container. Deutsche Grammophon 427 409-2. CD. 1989. [Originally released in 33 1/3 rpm format in 1966 by Deutsche Grammophon, SLPM 13911].

Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cècile. Chorus & Orchestra of Radio France. Georges Prêtre, conductor. Text with English translation and program notes in booklet laid in container. EMI CDC 7470942. CD. 1984.

Messe Solennelle [à] Sainte Cécile. Choeurs René Duclos. Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire. Jean Claude Hartemann, conductor. Recorded in the Église St.-Roch, Paris. Program notes by D. P. and text of the Mass, with English translation, on slipcase. Angel 36214 LCCN r 64001407 //r. 33 1/3 rpm. 1965.

Messe Solennelle "Cäcilienmesse": für Soli, Chor, Orchester, G-dur. Choeurs Rene Duclos. Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire Paris. Jean-Claude Hartemann, conductor. Henriette Puig-Roget, organ. Odeon STO 91293. 33 1/3 rpm. [196-].

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St. Cecilia Mass. The Welch Chorale. James B. Welch, conductor. Albert Russel, organ. Lyrichord LL60. 33 1/3. [1956?].

Recordings of other masses

Musica Sacra. "I Vocalisti" Chamber Choir. Hans-Joachim Lustig, director. Tobias Götting, organ. Recorded July 2-4, 2004, Ev. Kirche St. Gorgonius, Niedernstöcken. Contents: Messe Bréve no. 7 in C aux Chapelles (14:16); Noël (5:12); Béthléem (4:16); Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix (14:55); Messe Bréve no. 5 in C aux Séminaires (16:10); An Evening Service (6:25); Pater Noster (4:26). Program notes in German, English and French, and texts in Latin, English, and French with German, English, and French translations in container. Carus 83.161. CD. 2005.

Troisième Messe Solennelle de Pâques; Locus Iste [Bruckner]; Ave Verum Corpus: K. 618 [Mozart]. St. Mary's Cathedral Choir; Jubilee Choir; Sydney Conservatorium Choir; Sydney Conservatorium Chorale. Jubilee Orchestra. David Russell, conductor. Program notes by Cyrus Meher-Homji, and texts with English translations (11 p.) inserted in container. Walsingham Classics WAL 8011-2. CD. 1993.

Requiem in C major, op. posth.; Mass Nr. 2 in G Major, op. 1. Chœur de chambre romand (Requiem) and Chorale du Brassus (Mass Nr. 2). André Charlet, conductor. François Margot, organ. Recorded at the Temple du Brassus, Jan. 30-31, 1993 (Requiem) and Oct. 8-9, 1992 (Mass Nr. 2). Program notes by André Charlet in French with English and German translations and Latin texts with French, English and German translations (35 p. : ill.) inserted in container. Claves. CD 50-9326. 1993.

Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix; Messe Brève No. 7 "Aux Chapelles"; Symphonie no 2. Chorale Caecilia. Frans Dubois, director. Philharmonie roumaine d'état de Transylvanie. Jean- Louis Petit, conductor. Herman Verschraegen, organ. The choral works recorded in 1980, the symphony in 1978. Originally released as analog discs, the 1st-2nd works in 1982 (ARN 38 639), the 3rd in 1979 (ARN 38 480). Notes by Joël-Marie Fauquet in French, with English translation, and Latin text of the 1st work with French and English translations (11 p.) inserted in container. Arion ARN 68239. CD. 1993.

Messe Chorale; Messe opus 4 [Saint-Saëns]. Ensemble vocal de Lausanne. Michel Corboz, conductor. Marie-Claire Alain, organ. Recorded April 1988, Cathédrale de Lausanne, Switzerland. Erato ECD 75540. CD. 1990.

Requiem: Grande Messe des Morts, op. 5 [Hector Berlioz]; Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile. Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra. Charles Munch, conductor (Berlioz Requiem). Czech Chorus, Prague. Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Igor Markevitch, conductor (Messe Solennelle). Recorded in Herkules-Saal, July 7, 1967 (Berlioz) and Rudolfinum, Prague, June 1965 (Gounod). Program notes in Japanese, and texts with Japanese translations (16 p.) inserted in container. Deutsche Grammophon 447 588-2. CD. [199-?].

225

Te Deum for chorus, accompanying organ, harps, and full organ ; Messe Chorale : Messe Solennelle no. 4 sur l'Intonation de la Liturgie Catholique : with accompanying and full organs Chœurs de la Madeleine. Joachim Havard de La Montagne, conductor. François Houbart, Philippe Brandeis, organs. Recorded in the église de la Madeleine, Nov. 1980. Program notes in English by Joël-Marie Fauquet, translated by Charles Whitfield, on container; notes on the text of the Mass by Denise Wagner and text of the Mass with English translation (2 p.) inserted. Musical Heritage Society MHS 7085 (on container: MHS 7085X). 33 1/3 rpm. 1985.

Sacred music / Charles Gounod, César Franck. Chorale Caecilia. Frans Dubois, conductor. Herman Verschraegen, organ (2nd-4th works). Recorded 1980. Contents: Les Sept Paroles de N.S. Jésus-Christ sur la Croix; Messe Brève : no. 7 aux Chapelles in C major; Quare Fremuerunt: Offertory for the Feast of St. Clotilde [Franck]; Domine Non Secundum: Offertory for a Time of Penitence [Franck]. Texts with English translations (4 p. : ill.) inserted. Program notes by Joël- Marie Fauquet on container. Musical Heritage Society MHS 4884 (on container: MHS 4884L). 33 1/3 rpm. 1984. [Previously issued in 33 1/3 rpm format in 1982 by Arion ARN 38 639.]

Requiem: pour soli, chœurs et orchestre. Chorus and Instrumental Ensemble of the Madeleine. Joachim Havard de la Montagne, conductor. Program notes by Joël-Marie Fauquet in French, with English translation by Charles Whitfield ([6] p. ill.) bound in container. Arion ARN 38443. 33 1/3 rpm. 1978.

226

APPENDIX C

FORMAL GRAPHS OF GOUNOD’S MASSES120

Messe no. 2 aux Orphéonistes

Kyrie

Moderato A B A Coda 30 57 87 112

(53) “A” recap mm. 103–end PAC PAC eo7 PAC IAC G: Eb: G:

Gloria

Allegro Adagio Allegro maestoso maestoso A B C

69 95 124 Begins with brief (26) “A” recap

PAC IAC f#o7 IAC C: A: d: C:

Credo

Moderato Allegro Allegro maestoso maestoso Adagio maestoso A B C D 45 69 101 154

(11) PAC HC HC PAC PAC G g: G:

120Abbreviations of cadences used in the Appendix C are as follows: perfect authentic cadence (PAC), imperfect authentic cadence (IAC), half cadence (HC), and plagal cadence (plagal). Upper case letters refer to major keys and lower case letters refer to minor keys. The numbers above the arcs refer to measure numbers. 227

Sanctus Andante maestoso A B C 16 28 37

PAC C6/4 IAC C:

O Salutaris

Andante maestoso A B Codetta 16 30 34

PAC PAC PAC PAC Eb Bb Eb Bb f: Eb:

Agnus Dei

Andante moderato A B Coda 16 32 49 ║: :║

Adagio mm. 41–end PAC PAC IAC G:

Domine Salvum

Maestoso A A' A'' 11 22 33

PAC PAC PAC C:

228

Messe brève no. 5 aux seminaries

Kyrie

Moderato Intro A B C A Coda 8 24 38 59 74 87 postlude (55) mm.82–end PAC PAC HC PAC using “A” theme PAC C: G: C:

Gloria

Adagio Allegro Adagio moderato Intro A B C 18 71 103 124

HC PAC HC PAC C: a: C: f: Ab: c: c:

Sanctus

Andante A B C Codetta 1 17 33 41 46

PAC HC PAC IAC a: C: a: A:

229

Benedictus

A A' B 5 10 15

HC HC Modal A: c#: Ab: c: G: (fm6 →GM)

Agnus Dei

A B A' 1 16 31 50 53

PAC HC PAC Plagal C:

230

Missa Angeli Custodes

Kyrie

Moderato

Intro A A' B A' Coda 8 40 64 80 96

PAC PAC HC PAC PAC C: a: C:

Gloria

Allegro Larghetto Allegro A B C 52 98 141

(137)

PAC PAC PAC Plagal C: F: d: F: C:

Credo

Allegro Adagio maestoso A B C D 2 44 68 95 150

___ HC HC PAC PAC F: f: F:

231

Sanctus

Maestoso A B C 12 24 38

IAC HC PAC F: Ab: Db: F:

Benedictus

Andante A A' B 8 16 29

HC PAC PAC C:

Agnus Dei

Moderato A B A' Coda 16 35 51 63

PAC HC PAC PAC C: f: C:

232

Messe brève no. 7 aux chapelles

Kyrie

Moderato (Sans lenteur) Intro A B A Coda 4 21 37 49 62

PAC PAC PAC PAC IAC C: a: G: C:

Gloria

Allegro Andante Allegro A B C 1 42 83 114

Plagal IAC PAC C: F: d: F: G: C:

Sanctus

Andante A B C 1 15 25 35

HC HC PAC C:

O Salutaris hostia

Adagio A B Coda 2 8 19 26

HC PAC PAC F:

233

Agnus Dei

Moderato A A' A'' Coda 2 13 25 37 45 50

___ HC HC PAC PAC HC C:

234

Messa à la mémoire de Jeanne d’Arc

Kyrie

Andante A B A' 30 67 108

PAC HC Plagal F: Bb: F: Db: f: F: Bb: F:

Gloria

Andante Allegro Andante Allegro Andante moderato A B C D Codetta 1 33 69 146 168 175

_ IAC PAC PAC PAC PAC F: Bb: C: F:

Sanctus

Andante molto Maestoso A B C 1 8 14 18

__ HC PAC IAC F: Bb: F:

Benedictus

Andante Intro A B A' C D 4 17 24 37 51 59

HC PAC HC IAC PAC PAC Bb: F: Db: F: Bb:

235

Agnus Dei

Andante A A' B 1 15 33 54

PAC PAC PAC F: Bb: F:

236

Messe Solennelle no. 4 (Messe Chorale)

Kyrie

Andante Intro A B C 20 18 31 52

(1) IAC PAC DC HC Plagal g: Bb: g: (picardy 3rd)

Gloria

Moderato quasi Allegro andante moderato Andante Allegro A B C D 1 23 57 117 155

_ IAC PAC HC PAC G: C: G: C: a: c: d: Bb: g: G: C: G:

Credo

Andante Allegro Andante Allegro maestoso moderato Intro A B C D 10 73 109 182 244

(168) HC PAC IAC PAC IAC IAC G: C: A: b: G: C: d: c: D: G: C: Bb: D: G: C: G:

237

Sanctus

Andante Intro A B 9 30 60

IAC IAC IAC G: C: G: C: g: G: e: G:

Benedictus

Andante Moderato Intro A A' B C D 4 13 19 27 34 51 58

HC HC IAC PAC IAC PAC IAC C: F: C:

Agnus Dei

Moderato Intro A B A' C Coda 7 32 49 65 82 97

HC PAC HC HC PAC PAC g: Bb: C: Bb: g: G:

238

Messe de St. Jean

Kyrie

Moderato molto A B B' A' C D E F G H 9 23 32 37 44 49 54 60 70 76

(21)

PAC IAC HC PAC PAC HC DC HC HC PAC IAC C: d: C: a: C:

Gloria

Andante Allegro Adagio Intro A B C D E F G G' H I J K L 6 25 37 43 49 61 69 75 81 91 97 108 120 139

IAC PAC IAC HC Plagal PAC PAC PAC PAC HC HC PAC HC IAC C: Bb: F: d: Bb: d: F: Bb: C:

Credo

Allegro Andante Allegro moderato moderato A B C D E Codetta 33 73 118 156 217 224

PAC Plagal HC HC PAC Plagal C: G: C: F: Eb: c: Eb: c: C: G: c: C:

239

Sanctus

Andante Intro A B C 9 17 27 36 (A material)

PAC PAC HC Plagal G: D: G:

Benedictus

Andante Intro A A' B 4 12 21 33

PAC HC PAC Plagal C:

Agnus Dei

Moderato Intro A B B' Postlude 9 26 41 59 66

PAC PAC IAC IAC IAC C:

240

Messe dite de Clovis

Kyrie

Moderato A B C 4 23 36 48 53

PAC PAC PAC C: a: C:

Gloria

Andante Moderato Andante Molto Andante moderato A A' B C D Codetta 1 25 47 81 105 115 122

PAC PAC HC PAC PAC Plagal C: a: (e minor) (v-i) C: (modal)

Credo

Moderato Andate Moderato Molto Large maestoso Adagio maestoso maestoso intro A B C D Codetta 4 58 101 172 188 195

PAC Plagal HC PAC PAC C: F: C: Eb: c: e: C:

241

Sanctus

Large A B Codetta 3 15 25 31

PAC PAC Plagal C: F: C:

Benedictus

Andante Intro A B Codetta 4 18 27 32

PAC PAC Plagal F: Bb: F:

Agnus Dei

Andante Intro A B Interlude C B' D E 12 23 30 34 43 50 59 67 70

(Variation of (A intro material) material) PAC HC PAC PAC HC IAC C: a: C:

242

Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cécile

Kyrie

Moderato, quasi Andantino A B C D C' E C'' B' E' E'' A' Codetta 16 33 41 56 64 70 78 86 94 103 112 117

PAC PAC PAC PAC PAC IAC PAC PAC IAC PAC PAC V/iii→ I G: D: G: Bb: D: C: G: →I

Gloria

Larghetto Allegro Andante Allegro Adagio Pomposo Tempo I Codetta Intro A B C B' D D' Codetta 9 37 95 155 174 194 214 221

(88)

PAC PAC IAC PAC PAC PAC PAC D: G: b: f#: b: D:

Credo

Moderato molto Tempo maestoso Adagio primo A B C D A' E Coda 100 118 158 172 241 261 279

(85) (IV-I) PAC Plagal HC Plagal Plagal PAC IAC Plagal C: F:E:Eb:G:g: E: G: C:

243

Sanctus

Andante Largo Intro A A' B C A'' Coda 7 21 35 58 80 98 108

Plagal PAC PAC PAC HC PAC Plagal F: C: F: C: Gb: G: g#: A: F:

Benedictus

Adagio A A' Coda 1 13 25 35

(31) PAC PAC Plagal PAC Bb:

Agnus Dei

Andante moderato Intro A B A C A' Coda 7 16 26 35 45 56 72

(iv-I) PAC PAC PAC PAC Plagal D: g: D: Bb: D:

244

Messe du Sacre Coeur de Jésus

Kyrie

Moderato Intro A B A' Coda 14 42 72 97 110 113

PAC PAC HC PAC C: Eb: C: Eb: C:

Gloria

Allegretto Allegro Adagio/Andante Allegro Andante A B C D B' E Codetta 4 68 127 211 240 254 281 285

(48) (118) PAC Plagal PAC PAC HC PAC HC PAC Plagal C: F: d: f: c: C:(G pedal)c:C:

Credo

Andante molto maestoso Adagio A B C D E A' F G Codetta 58 74 91 103 120 132 148 162 166

(55) (70) Plagal PAC DC PAC HC PAC PAC PAC PAC C: G: (modal) Eb: g: C: (Ab) D: Eb: d: G: C:G: (Picardy3rd)

245

Sanctus

Andante Molto maestoso Intro A B C Postlude 4 21 29 39 44

PAC PAC PAC Eb: Ab: Eb: G: Bb: Eb:

Benedictus

Andante Intro A B Coda 9 26 51 60

PAC PAC PAC Plagal Ab: Eb: Db: Ab:

Agnus Dei

Andantimo Intro A B A' Coda 9 18 39 67 78

(Repeats intro) (35) (63) PAC PAC PAC HC PAC Plagal C: e: C: Cadential extension

246

Troisième Messe Solennelle de Pâques

Kyrie

Moderato Intro A B A' Coda 14 42 84 110 130

PAC PAC PAC PAC Eb: eb: Eb:

Gloria

Andante Moderato Andante Intro A' B C A' 6 26 88 153 174

IAC PAC HC Plagal G: F: D: G: Eb: Bb: Ab: Eb: d: G:

Credo

Molto moderato Adagio Andante Tempo Adagio e maestoso primo Intro A B C A' A'' D Codetta 4 70 92 113 146 168 199 204

IAC PAC HC HC HC IAC Eb: B: g: c: Eb: Bb: Eb: (Picardy 3rd)

247

Sanctus

Andante non troppo Intro A B C Codetta 8 24 44 55 63

IAC PAC PAC PAC PAC B: F#: D: B:

Benedictus

Andante non troppo A B Coda 4 27 38 47

HC PAC Plagal B: Eb: Ab: B:

Agnus Dei

Moderato Intro A B C A' Coda 6 23 31 47 65 84

PAC HC HC PAC Plagal Eb: c: f: C: Eb:

248

Messe brève pour les morts

Introit and Kyrie

Andante (quasi adagio) A B C 28 64 84

IAC PAC F: a minor C:

Sanctus

Moderato maestoso A B C 16 32 47

PAC HC PAC C:

Pie Jesu

Adagio A B C D 16 24 32 46

PAC f6 f6 modal F: plagal

Agnus Dei

1 Agnus I (A) Agnus II (A ) Agnus III (B) C 16 32 51 66

PAC PAC PAC HC: PAC PAC PAC f : Ab: F: Ab: F: g: F: (dorian)

249

Messe Funèbre

Kyrie

Grave A B C Coda 1 14 22 26 34 ║: :║ __ IAC IAC PAC Plagal F: Bb: g: Eb: d: C: Bb: F:

Sanctus

Moderato A B 1 14 31

___ Plagal PAC C: Eb C:

Pie Jesu

Largo A B C 1 16 26 34

__ PAC HC IAC G: Eb: c: g: G:

Agnus Dei

Adagio A B Coda 1 17 34 48

__ HC HC PAC Plagal g: f: F:

250

Requiem (1893)

Intriot and Kyrie

Intro A B C 8 34 54 90

PAC f#o7 IAC C: Ab: F: C:

Dies Irae

A B C D E F D' 2 40 73 110 152 229 257 274

_ (28) (218) PAC ao7 HC HC PAC PAC IAC HC IAC c: C: A: d: a: A: C: G Pedal

Sanctus

A B 4 13 27 31

______HC PAC F:

Benedictus

A A' B A'' A''' C 2 11 19 31 43 51 60

HC PAC HC HC PAC IAC Bb: F: Bb:

251

Pie Jesu

A B A' Codetta 5 26 35 47 54

______PAC PAC Plagal a: A: G major

Agnus Dei

Intro A B C Codetta 8 45 69 79 90

PAC PAC IAC F: C:

252

APPENDIX D

SUMMARY OF SELECTED MASS MOVEMENT FEATURES

Masses with Organ Accompaniment

Kyrie

Title Key Tempo MeterLength Form Messe no. 2 aux G Major Moderato 3/4 112 ABA (coda) Orphéonistes Messe bréve no. 5 C major Moderato 3/4 87 (intro) ABCA coda aux seminaries Missa angeli Moderato/ C major 3/4 96 AA'BA'C custodies Un poco più mosso Messe bréve no. 7 C major Moderato (sans lenteur) 4/4 62 (intro) ABA (coda) aux chapelles Messa à la mémoire F major Andante 4/2 108 (Prelude) ABA'C de Jeanne d’Arc Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de G minor Andante 4/4 52 (Introduction) ABC la liturgie catholique

ABB'A'CDEF GH Messe de St. Jean C major Moderato molto 4/4 76 (mostly through-composed points of imitation)

Messe dite de Clovis C major Moderato 4/2 53 ABC

Gloria

Key Tempo Meter Length Form

Allegro maestoso/ Messe no. 2 aux C Major Adagio/ 4/4 124 ABC Orphéonistes Allegro maestoso

Adagio/ 4/4:3/4: Messe bréve no. 5 Allegro moderato/ C Major 4/4:3/4: 124 (intro) ABC aux seminaries Adagio/Allegro 4/4 moderato

253

C major/ Missa angeli Allegro/ 2/2:4/4: Fmajor/ 141 ABC custodies Larghetto/Allegro 2/2 C major C major/ Messe bréve no. 7 F major/ Allegro/Andante/Allegro 4/4 114 ABC aux chapelles C major Andante/ F major/ Messa à la mémoire Allegro moderato/ Bb major/ 4/2 175 ABCD (codetta) de Jeanne d’Arc Andante/Allegro/ F major Andante Moderato quasi Messe solennelle no. G major/ Andante/ (intro) ABCD 4 sur l’intonation de C major/ 4/4 155 Allegro moderato/ (codetta) la liturgie catholique G major Andante/Allegro/Largo (intro) ABCDEFGG'HIJKL Messe de St. Jean C major Andante/Allegro/Adagio 4/4 139 (mostly through- composed, mixed points of imitation and homophony) Andante/Moderato/ C major/ Andante/ Messe dite de Clovis A minor/ 4/2 122 AA'BCD (codetta) Molto C major moderato/Andante

Credo

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Moderato maestoso/ G Major/ Messe no. 2 aux Allegro maestoso/ ABCD (containing a G minor/ 4/4 154 Orphéonistes Adagio/ ritornello) G major Allegro maestoso Messe bréve no. 5 ― ― ― ― ― aux seminaries F major/ Allegro maestoso/ Missa angeli ABC (containing a F minor/ Adagio/Allegro 4/4 150 custodies ritornello) F major maestoso Messe bréve no. 7 ― ― ― ― ― aux chapelles Messa à la mémoire ― ― ― ― ― de Jeanne d’Arc

254

Andante/ Messe solennelle no. Allegro maestoso/ 4 sur l’intonation de G Major 4/4 244 (intro) ABCD Andante/ la liturgie catholique Allegro moderato Allegro moderato/ Messe de St. Jean C major Andante/Allegro 2/2 224 ABCDE (codetta) moderato/Andante Moderato maestoso/ Andante/Adagio/ Messe dite de Clovis C major 4/2 195 ABCD (codetta) Moderato maestoso/ Molto maestoso/Large

Sanctus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe no. 2 aux C major Andante maestoso 4/4 37 ABC Orphéonistes Messe bréve no. 5 A minor/ Andante 4/4 46 ABC (codetta) aux seminaries A major Missa angeli F major Maestoso/Allegro 4/4 38 ABC custodies Messe bréve no. 7 C major Andante 4/4 35 ABC aux chapelles Messa à la mémoire F major Andante molto maestoso 4/2 18 (intro) ABC de Jeanne d’Arc Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de G major Andante 4/4 60 AB la liturgie catholique Messe de St. Jean G major Andante 4/4 36 (Intro) ABC Messe dite de Clovis C major Large 4/2 31 AB (codetta)

Benedictus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe no. 2 aux ― ― ― ― ― Orphéonistes A major/ Messe bréve no. 5 Ab major/ Trés large 4/4 15 AA'B aux seminaries G major

255

Missa angeli C major Andante 4/4 29 AA'B custodies Messe bréve no. 7 ― ― ― ― ― aux chapelles Messa à la mémoire Bb major Andante 4/4 59 (intro) ABA'CD de Jeanne d’Arc Messe solennelle no. 4 sur l’intonation de C major Andante/Moderato 4/4 58 (intro) AA'BCD la liturgie catholique Messe de St. Jean C major Andante 4/4 33 (intro) AA'B Messe dite de Clovis F major Andante 4/2 32 (intro) AB (codetta)

O Salutaris Hostia

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe no. 2 aux Eb Major Adagio 4/4 34 AB (codetta) Orphéonistes Messe bréve no. 7 F major Adagio 4/4 26 AB (coda) aux chapelles

Agnus Dei

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe no. 2 aux Andante moderato/ G major 4/4 65 AAB (coda) Orphéonistes Adagio Messe bréve no. 5 C major Andante 4/4 53 ABA' aux seminaries Missa angeli C major Moderato 4/4 63 ABA' (coda) custodies Messe bréve no. 7 C major Moderato 4/4 50 AA'A'' (coda) aux chapelles Messa à la mémoire F major Andante 4/2 54 AA'B de Jeanne d’Arc Messe solennelle no. G minor/ 4 sur l’intonation de Moderato 4/4 97 ABA'C (coda) G major la liturgie catholique (intro) ABB' Messe de St. Jean C major Moderato 4/4 66 (postlude) Messe dite de Clovis C major Andante/Adagio 4/2 70 (intro) ABCB'DE

256

Domine Salvum

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe no. 2 aux C major Maestoso 4/4 33 AA'A'' Orphéonistes

Masses with Orchestral Accompaniment

Kyrie

Key Tempo Meter Length Form

Messe Solennelle de Moderato, quasi ABCDC'EC''B'E'E''A' G major 4/4 117 Sainte Cécile Andantino (coda) (Thematically integrated) Messe du Sacré- C major Moderato 4/4 113 (intro) ABA' (coda) Coeur de Jésus Messe solennelle no. Eb major Moderato 3/4 130 (intro) ABA' (coda) 3 de Pâques

Gloria

Key Tempo MeterLength Form Larghetto/Allegro Messe Solennelle de pomposo/ Andante/ (intro) ABCB'DD D major 4/4 221 Sainte Cécile Allegro Tempo I/ (codetta) Adagio Allegretto/Allegro/ Messe du Sacré- C major Adagio/Andante/ 3/4:4/4 285 ABCDB'E (codetta) Coeur de Jésus Allegro/Andante G major/ Messe solennelle no. Andante/Moderato/ C minor/ 4/4 174 (intro) ABCA' 3 de Pâques Andante G major

257

Credo

Key Tempo Meter Length Form C major/ Moderato molto Messe Solennelle de G minor/ maestoso/Adagio/ 4/4 279 ABCDA'E (coda) Sainte Cécile C major Tempo primo G major/ Messe du Sacré- Andante molto ABCDEA'FG C minor/ 4/4 166 Coeur de Jésus maestoso/Adagio (codetta) G major

Molto moderato e Eb major/ Messe solennelle no. maestoso/ (intro) ABCA'A''D C minor/ 4/4 204 3 de Pâques Adagio/Andante/ (codetta) Eb major Tempo primo/Adagio

Sanctus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe Solennelle de (intro) AA'BCA'' F major Andante/Largo 9/8 108 Sainte Cécile (coda) Messe du Sacré- Andante molto Eb major 4/4 44 (intro) ABC (postlude) Coeur de Jésus maestoso Messe solennelle no. B major Andante non troppo 4/4 63 (intro) ABC (codetta) 3 de Pâques

Benedictus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe Solennelle de Bb major Adagio 4/4` 36 AA' (coda) Sainte Cécile Messe du Sacré- Ab major Andante 4/4 60 (intro) AB (coda) Coeur de Jésus Messe solennelle no. B major Andante non troppo 4/4 47 AB (coda) 3 de Pâques

258

Agnus Dei

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe Solennelle de (intro) ABACA' D major Andante moderato 12/8 72 Sainte Cécile (coda) Messe du Sacré- C major Andantino 4/4 78 (intro) ABA' (coda) Coeur de Jésus Messe solennelle no. Eb major Moderato 4/4 84 (intro) ABCA' (coda) 3 de Pâques

Requiem Masses

Introit and Kyrie

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les F major Andante (quasi adagio) 4/4 84 (intro) ABC morts Messe funèbre F major Grave 2/2 34 ABCABC (coda) Requiem (1893) C major Molto moderato 12/8 90 ABC

Dies Irae

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les ― ― ― ― ― morts Messe funèbre ― ― ― ― ― C minor/ Allegro moderato/ C major/ Requiem (1893) Adagio/ 4/4 274 ABCDEFD' A major/ Andante maestoso C major

Sanctus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les C major Moderato maestoso 4/4 47 ABC morts

259

Messe funèbre C minor Moderato 4/4 31 AB Molto moderato e Requiem (1893) F major 4/4 31 AB maestoso

Benedictus

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les ― ― ― ― ― morts Messe funèbre ― ― ― ― ― Requiem (1893) Bb major Andante quasi adagio 4/4 60 AA'BA''A'''C

Pie Jesu

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les F major Adagio 4/4 46 ABCD morts Messe funèbre G major Largo 4/4 34 ABC A minor/ Requiem (1893) Andante 4/4 54 ABA' (codetta) A major

Agnus Dei

Key Tempo Meter Length Form Messe bréve, pour les F minor/ None marked 4/4 66 AA'BC morts F major Messe funèbre F major Adagio 4/4 48 AB (coda) F major/ Requiem (1893) Andante con moto 4/4 90 (intro) ABC (codetta) C major

260

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Butt, John. “Choral Culture and the Regeneration of the Organ.” In The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-century Music, edited by Jim Samson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

______. “Choral Music.” In The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-century Music, edited by Jim Samson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Chase, Robert. Dies Irae: A Guide to Requiem Music. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2003.

Cooper, Martin. French Music From the Death of Berlioz to the Death of Fauré. New York: Oxford University Press, 1951.

Copeman, Harold. Singing in Latin, or, Pronunciation Explor’d. Oxford: H. Copeman, 1990.

Dahlhaus, Carl. Nineteenth-century Music. Translated by J. Bradford Robinson. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.

Davies, Laurence. César Frank and His Circle. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970.

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Articles

Arnold, Denis and John Harper. “Mass: 1600-2000.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Cardine, Eugéne and David Hiley. “Solesmes.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

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Cooper, Martin. “Charles Gounod and His Influence on French Music.” Music and Letters 21 (January 1940): 50–59.

______. “Gounod, Charles.” In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 6th ed., vol.7, edited by Stanley Sadie, 580–91. London: MacMillan, 1980.

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Di Grazia, Donna M. “Rejected Traditions: Ensemble Placement in Nineteenth-century Paris.” 19th-Century Music 22 (Autumn 1998): 190–209.

Dyer, Joseph. “Roman Catholic Church Music.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Fend, Michael. “Cherubini, Luigi (Carlo Zanobi Salvadore Maria).” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Ferchault, Guy and Jacqueline Gachet. “Niedermeyer, (Abraham) Louis.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

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Frank, Manfred. Forward to Deuxiéme Messe pour les sociétés chorales, by Charles Gounod. Translated by John Coombs. Stuttgart: Carus, 1997.

______. Forward to Messe no. 5 aux seminaries, by Charles Gounod. Translated by John Coombs. Stuttgart: Carus, 1992.

Fruehwald, Scott. “Saint-Saëns’s Views on Music and Musicians.” International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 15 (December 1984): 159–74.

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Heubner, Steven. “Gounod, Charles-François.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 20 December 2007). http://www.grovemusic.com.

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MacDonald, Hugh. “Berlioz, (Louis-)Hector.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Mongrédien, Jean. “Le Sueur [Lesueur], Jean-François.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Nectoux, Jean-Michel. “Faure, Gabrielle (Urbain).” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Pasler, Jann. “Dubois, (François Clément) Théodore.” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

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Thompson, Andrew. “Widor, Charles-Marie(-Jean-Albert).” Grove Music Online. Edited by L. Macy (Accessed 29 August 2008). http://www.grovemusic.com.

Tiersot, Julien. “Charles Gounod: A Centennial Tribute.” Translated by Theodore Baker. The Musical Quarterly 4 (July 1918): 409–39.

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Dissertations and Theses

Clark, R. Andrew. “American Choral Music in Late Nineteenth-century New Haven: The Gounod and New Haven Oratorio Societies.” M.A. Thesis, University of North Texas, 2001.

Di Grazia, Donna M. “Concert Societies in Paris and Their Choral Repertoires c. 1828–1880.” PhD. diss., Washington University, 1993.

Kramer, Elizabeth A. “The Idea of Kunstreligion in German Musical Aesthetics of the Early Nineteenth Century.” PhD diss., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005.

Langevin, Kenneth Williams. “Au Silence des Belles Nuits: The Earlier Songs of Charles Gounod.” PhD diss., Cornell University, 1978.

Papanikolaou, Eftychia. “Profane Rites and Sacred Symphonies: Critical Perspectives on the Symphonic Mass.” Ph.D. diss., Boston University, 2001.

Ramsey, Julie Marie. “Messe Basse.” MM thesis, Cal State Long Beach, 1994.

Romza, Patricia-Andrea. “Female-choir music by French composers: An annotated bibliography of selected works.” DMA diss., University of Georgia, 1997.

Snyder, Jane. “Ritual and Drama in the Nineteenth-century Requiem.” PhD diss., Boston University, 2005.

Scores

Gounod, Charles. Cäcilienmesse – Messe Solenelle de Sainte Cécile: Partitur Neu Engerichtet und Herausgegeben von Elmar Schloter. Munich: Musikverlag Max Hieber, 1983.

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______. Choralmesse – Messe Chorale: für Vierst. Gem. Chor und Orgel. St. Augustine, Germany: Dr. J. Butz, 1992.

______. Deuxième Messe pour le Sociétés Chorales. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 1997.

______. Johannes-Messe – Messe de St. Jean: für Vierst. Gem. Chor und Orgel. St. Augustine: Dr. J. Butz, [2002?].

______. Les Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix: für Soli (SATB), Halbchor (SATB), Chor (SATB/SATB), Klavier oder Orgel ad libitum. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 1989.

______. Mass in Memory of Joan of Arc: for Solo Voices, Chorus and Accompaniment for Grand Organ. Boston: White, Smith & Company, 1888.

______. Messe brève No. 4 in C: á la congrégation des dames auxiliatrices. Stuttgart: Carus- Verlag, 1996.

______. Messe Brève No. 7 in C: aux Chapelles: Soli Coro SATB, Organo. Stuttgart: Carus- Verlag, 1987.

______. Messe Brève pour les Morts: pour Deux Chœurs SATB/SATB avec Orgue ou Piano. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 2005.

______. Messe dite de Clovis d’après le Chant Grégorien: à 4 Voix avec Accompagnement d’Orgue. Paris: Choudens, 1895.

______. Messe du Sacré Cœur de Jésus: Vocal Score, English and Latin. New York: Kalmus, n.d.

______. Messe Funébre. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 2005.

______. Messe No. 5 in C: aux Séminaires: Soli TBB, Coro SATB, Organo. Stuttgart: Carus- Verlag, 1992.

______. Messe No. 6 in G: aux Cathédrales: Coro SATB, Organo. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag, 1990.

______. Messe Solennelle (St. Cecilia): for Soprano, Tenor, and Bass Soli and Full Chorus of Mixed Voices with Piano or Organ Accompaniment. Edited by Joseph Barnby. New York: G. Schirmer, [1896?].

______. Missa Angeli Custodes: for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass [Revised and Arranged by B. Hamma]. New York: J.Fischer & Brothers, 1893. Columbia University

______. Requiem: 1893: per Soli, Coro a 4 Voci Miste, Violino, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabasso, Clarinetto, Fagotto e Organo. Eschweiler: Edition József Ács, 1996.

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______. Troisième Messe Solennelle (de Pâques): Partition Piano et Chant Arragnée par Berthold Tours. New York: Novello, n.d.

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