Joseph Haydn, Missa in Angustiis ("Mass for troubled times") or "Nelson Mass" in D minor (Hob. XXII:11).
Grete Pedersen conducts Det Norske Blåsseensemble & Solistkor Oslo
Haydn's chief biographer, H. C. Robbins Landon, has written that this mass "is arguably Haydn's greatest single composition."
The summer of 1798 was a terrifying time for Austria, and when Haydn finished this Mass, his own title, in the catalogue of his works, was "Missa in Angustiis" or "Mass for Troubled Times." What Haydn did not know when he wrote the Mass — but what he and his audience heard (perhaps on the very day of the first performance September 15) was that on Aug. 1, Napoleon had been dealt a stunning defeat in the Battle of the Nile by British forces led by Admiral Horatio Nelson. Because of this coincidence, the Mass gradually acquired the nickname "Lord Nelson Mass." The title became indelible when in 1800, Lord Nelson himself visited the Palais Esterházy, accompanied by his British mistress, Lady Hamilton, and may have heard the Mass performed.
The text, slightly altered, is taken from the Latin Mass of the Catholic church. It includes the following sections.
• Kyrie (Lord have mercy)
• Gloria (Glory to god in the highest)
• Credo (I believe or the Nicene creed)
• Sanctus (Holy)
• Benedictus (Blessed)
• Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)
The first movement of the Mass communicates just such an atmosphere of terror and confusion. The text, "Lord, have Mercy; Christ, have mercy," is most frequently set as a pious, even submissive plea, but in this Mass it becomes a nearly profane expostulation, such as one might utter when presented with a disaster of incomprehensible magnitude. Anguished confusion permeates virtually every note of the first "Kyrie" movement.
The movement that follows, the Gloria, is the exact opposite of the first. It's a song of exultant praise, directed to the same creator whose world, in the first movement is so fraught with perils. Haydn's treatment is utterly without irony. The vision of the Gloria is as elemental and complete as the dark vision of the Kyrie. The world may be beset with dangers and terrors, but it is at one and the same time a glorious world of diverse miracles, and the soprano, alto, and chorus compete in the joyful praise. "We praise thee, we magnify thee, we adore thee, we glorify thee..."
Haydn starts the Credo movement with a canon, as the altos and basses repeat exactly the music sung by the sopranos and tenors. The repeating voices in canon are an ingenious way of providing reinforcement for the statement of belief. Then comes the most dramatic section of the Credo. It is introduced by a lovely soprano solo set to the words "et incarnatus est—and he was made incarnate." What follows is the central drama of the New Testament—the idea that God took on human form and lived on earth—the Christmas story and all that follows it.
But because every birth on this earth foretells a death to come, this section also leads through the terrible events of the crucifixion, and the music reflects that agony, as the trumpets and the tympani play echoes of their motifs from the dark Kyrie. In response, in one of the most transcendent moments in the Mass, a trio of soloists assures us that the birth and death were not futile but were in fact for our benefit--"pro nobis, pro nobis, pro nobis," repeated three times, perhaps to invoke the power of the Trinity. This assurance seems to transform the mood from one of agony and despair to one of acceptance. It is an extraordinary moment. The "et resurrexit" is predictably fast paced and joyous and leads the Credo to an almost delirious conclusion, led by glorious writing for the violins, and proceeding to a magnificent "Amen."
In the "Benedictus," Haydn chooses to focus on just part of the text: "In the Name of the Lord." Together, the soprano soloist and chorus imagine for us the sort of Pomp and Circumstance that would surround such a messenger. Near the end, the trumpets and tympani suddenly enter to create extraordinarily grand music, suggesting a magnificent procession. Some people have interpreted this section as a martial tribute to Lord Nelson himself, but we believe now that Haydn did not have Nelson in mind but a far greater power.
The "Agnus Dei" is a personal address, a prayer, appealing to a personal God through Jesus for a personal blessing--"miserere nobis." Haydn in this section emphasizes the intimacy involved by setting the entire petition for the four soloists, not the chorus.
That movement, and the Mass as a whole ends in a very glad setting of the "famous last words" of the Mass--"Dona nobis pacem--grant us peace." We have been transported from the greatest depths of despair in the first movement to a great and certain joy.
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Haydn Missa in Angustiis (Nelson-Messe) D minor 2,Gloria.aviby ArioniaTellus1,872 views
Great, marvellous, beautiful ... This and the other parts are about the best performances of this musical artwork that ever have come to my ears : ))
And this mass is one of my favorite music peaces at all (about in the top 10 percent of all), especially from Haydns compositions (next to some string quartet movements and next to the other of Haydns masses etc. from his last years; and from these maybe my favorite)
berniewa2008 1 month ago
Grete é a melhor sempre!!Fascinante,encantadora,brilhante!!!
TheJuanorellana 2 months ago