Mass in C
(Beethoven, Op.86,
1807)
Beethoven's
first mass setting was commissioned by Prince Esterhazy who found the work
unbearably ridiculous and detestable after the first performance on 13th
September 1807. Beethoven himself was, however, proud of his achievement. The
occasion was the name day of the Prince's wife for which Haydn had written six
Masses and Hummel three. The master of instrumental forms was faced with the
problem of word-setting and additional requirements of the liturgy. He treated
the text in a rare manner, which provoked Prince Esterhazy's reaction 'What is
this you have done again, Beethoven?' This work belongs to Beethoven's heroic
period and has the deeply expressive style of that period. Despite the early
opinions on the contrary, with Beethoven's Mass in C, Viennese Mass reached its
culmination, his Mass in D was to be universal in scope.
Beethoven
uses an orchestra with double woodwind but without the expected trombones
similar to the Fourth Symphony written a year before. Trombones were probably
omitted because this Mass was intended for performance in Eisenstadt where the
orchestra lacked the trombones. The Kyrie omits flutes, trumpets and timpani.
The independence of the orchestral bass is also noteworthy. While in Haydn's
Masses, the orchestra is the main protagonist, in Mass in C, the function of
the orchestra is to decorate and underline the vocal message. This Mass
stresses the voices to the detriment of the orchestra. The orchestral writing
is constantly varied and expressive. In this Mass, he did not split up the work
into the traditional orchestral sections, arias, solo ensembles and choruses.
Instead, all these forces are employed equally throughout the work. The
dramatic touches and dynamic extremes that would be so important in the later Missa
Solemnis are restrained in the Mass in C. Unlike other Beethoven works,
this one does not pose difficulties of tessitura.
The Mass
has the conventional five movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo,
Sanctus-Osanna-Benedictus (Osanna repeated) and Agnus Dei-Dona nobis pacem (the
pleading music of Kyrie eleson is repeated at the end as a coda). Thematic
relationships and the overall tonal plan are the unifying agents. Beethoven's
fondness for the use of mediant (E major) and submediant (A major) keys are
obvious in this work. In the first three movements, C major is the point of
departure and arrival. The Sanctus and Osanna are in A major, while the
Benedictus in between is in F major. The Agnus Dei is in C minor and reverts to
C major in Donna nobis. The simplicity of the material and the economy of its
use in the Kyrie is striking. Still, music has continuity and a sense of
purpose. It moves beyond the rigid frame of contemporary Masses (by Cherubini,
Schubert). In small units, the rhythm is square-cut but if phrased
broadly, it displays much flexibility. The musical ideas must be read in
complete sentences not word by word. Rapid piling-up of sonority by close
successive entries, especially in the Quoniam is noteworthy. Many features
of this Mass is forward-looking. There is great freedom in the fugal sections.
The vigorous fugal writing of 'Cum Sancto Spiritu' is surrounded by the
majestic homophony of 'Quoniam tu Solus Sanctus' in the Gloria. Also
unconventional is the fugal treatment of 'Et Vitam Venturi' where the choral
tutti is reserved until after the exposition is completed and sealed off by the
orchestra. Maybe the only conservatively designed section is the Osanna passages.
The
choral basses quietly start the piece without an orchestral preamble as in some
of Haydn's Masses. Gentle modulations prevent the blandness of largely diatonic
phrases. The tripartite symbolism of the Trinity is reflected in the three-part
text, three distinct musical sections and by placing the central Christie in a
key a third higher. Beethoven's detailed tempo marking, Andante con moto
assai vivace quasi allegretto ma non troppo, shows his concern that the
movement not be taken too slowly. The interplay between solo voices and
chorus provides constantly varying textures throughout the Mass. The drama in
the largely homophonic (block chords) Gloria is created by pitch, key and
dynamic changes. The broad diatonic harmonies and the stability of the choral
writing in the Gloria give an impression of the unchanging eternal strength of
God. The outer, laudatory sections are exuberant Allegros, with the prayers of
the central section 'Qui tollis' set as an Andante mosso for soloists echoed by
the choir. The modulation to F minor (turning to Ab major) for the
'Qui tollis' reminds of Florestan's despair and Egmont's sufferings. At the
words 'Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris' (You who sit at the Father's right hand)
in the Gloria, he reduces the voices from four-part harmony to octaves for the
first time to depict the oneness of Christ with God. Also in the rest of the
work, octaves and unison are often employed in connection with the idea of God
as the one, as at the words 'Quoniam tu Solus Sanctus' (For only you are holy)
at the end of the Gloris, and later in the Credo at 'Deum verum de Deo vero'
(true God from true God). The Credo is written in three-parts. The solo quartet
is reserved until the middle section. Beethoven follows an old custom by giving
the words 'et homo factus est' (and was made man) to the tenor. The
resurrection and ascension are announced with suitable rising motives, and the
movement concludes with a fugue on 'et vitam venturi.' the solemnity of the
short Sanctus is underscored by the addition of timpani, and a traditionally
fugal Osanna follows. Soloists begin the Benedictus without an instrumental
interlude (the Missa has a long one) in respect to Eisenstadt custom.
The Agnus Dei follows the concluding Osanna without a pause. At the end, the
'Dona nobis pacem' is prolonged by recalling the music of the opening Kyrie
fourteen bars before the end with the instruction tempo del Kyrie. It
returns to the major key and switches from triple to duple metre.
A brief note for conductors:
It has been commented that this deceptively easy Mass holds many traps for the
inexperienced conductor. It is recommended to practice the conducting of fp,
to study the score and its surprises (A.Kaplan: Choral Conducting. WW Norton,
1985).
M.Tevfik Dorak
B.A. (Hons)