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Mozart and sacred music |
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Mozart and sacred music
Most of Mozart's masses were written during his time in Salzburg, some were composed on his trips through Europe as a wunderkind. His Coronation Mass and the Requiem are two of his most famous works of sacred music. He composed a number of significant works including vespers and litanies in his position as the Konzertmeister at the Salzburg court.
Many of Mozart's earlier masses were the result of his appointment at the Salzburg court whereas other occasional works were composed on his earlier trips as a wunderkind.
Today, the authenticity of 16 complete Mozart masses is recognized, including two unfinished masterpieces, the Mass in C minor (K. 427) and the Requiem (K. 626). Two isolated Kyries, an early piece for SATB and strings, (K. 33) and a much lovelier work for choir and orchestra in D minor, (K. 341) (368a) have also been fully preserved.
The three trips to Italy undertaken by the Mozarts between December 1769 and March 1773 allowed Wolfgang to become familiar with the Italian liturgical practice of his time. Fifteen-year-old Mozart took lessons in counterpoint with Italy's most famous music teacher of the time, the Franciscan Father Martini.
In the meantime, sacred music in Salzburg had taken a turn after the death of Prince Archbishop Graf Schrattenbach. The new ruler in Salzburg, Hieronymus Colloredo, was influenced by an enlightened approach to sacred music and eager to provide rational and functional access to this sector. In 1780 Colloredo called for a simpler sacred music and the introduction of German hymns: Mozart's last two Salzburg masses (K. 317, K. 337) clearly reveal that he found the curtailment of his artistic license unbearable and oppressive.
The early work – the most famous of his Salzburg masses – is known as the Coronation Mass. It was conducted by Salieri in 1791 at the coronation of Leopold II in Prague. It generally follows the standard Missa Brevis model, yet with repetition of material and freer than usual. The wonderful Agnus Dei, an exuberant soprano solo in the style of an aria, is famous throughout the world.
Mozart had nothing to do with sacred music professionally during his time in Vienna. Only two more masses, the Mass in C minor and the Requiem, both unfinished, were written during the last ten years of his life.
The opinions on the composition of the Requiem are based on many more or less credible accounts. The work was completed by his student, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, after Mozart's death.
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