Mass in C minor, K. 139 "Waisenhaus"

Not to be confused with Mass in C major, K. 337 "Solemnis".
Missa solemnis in C minor
"Waisenhaus"
Mass by W. A. Mozart
Waisenhauskirche (Orphanage Church) of Vienna
KeyC minor
CatalogueK. 139/47a
OccasionConsecration of the Waisenhauskirche
Performed7 December 1768 (1768-12-07): Vienna
Movements6
VocalSATB choir and soloists
Instrumental

The Missa solemnis in C minor, K. 139/47a, is a mass composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the summer of 1768 in Vienna.[1] It is scored for SATB soloists, SATB choir, violin I and II, 2 violas, 2 oboes, 2 trumpets, 2 clarini (high trumpets), 3 trombones colla parte, timpani and basso continuo.

Background

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The mass was commissioned by the Jesuit priest Father Ignaz Parhammer, who asked Mozart for music for the consecration of the new Orphanage Church – Waisenhauskirche [de] – on the Rennweg.[2] The commission gives the mass its nickname Waisenhausmesse (Orphanage Mass). Mozart also composed a trumpet concerto suitable for performance by a boy as well as an offertory, both thought to be lost.[2] Indeed, due to cataloging errors, this mass was also considered lost for many years.[3][4]

The first performance took place on 7 December 1768 at the church, in the presence of the court. The twelve-year-old Mozart conducted a choir of orphans in a performance that received "universal acclaim and admiration".[2] This mass is considered Mozart's most ambitious work to be performed up until that point in time,[5] and was his first and longest missa longa.[6]

Structure

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The mass consists of six movements. Performances require approximately 40 minutes.

Despite its designation as a C minor mass, the music is predominantly in C major;[3] masses wholly set in a minor key were considered unusual and funereal in the classical period.[4][7]

References

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  1. ^ Robert Dearling (1982). The Music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Symphonies. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-8386-2335-0.
  2. ^ a b c Hermann Abert, MR Stewart Spencer (2007) [1923–24]. W. A. Mozart. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-300-07223-5.
  3. ^ a b Stanley Sadie (2006). Mozart: The Early Years 1756–1781. OUP Oxford. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-393-06112-3.
  4. ^ a b Alfred Einstein, Arthur Mendel (1945). Mozart: His Character, His Work. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-19-500732-9.
  5. ^ Julian Rushton (2006). Mozart. Oxford University Press. p. 22.
  6. ^ Eisen, Cliff; Keefe, Simon P. (4 January 2006). The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia. p. 272. ISBN 978-1-139-44878-9.
  7. ^ Salieri, Antonio (January 2002). "Introduction". Antonio Salieri, Mass in D minor. p. x. ISBN 978-0-89579-505-2.
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