Haydn witnessed many radical changes before the course of his beast. He was eighteen when Composer died in 1750 and 72 when Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony was first performed in 1804. Available this period Haydn was well-organized pioneering figure, exploiting the untapped potential of the symphony, sonata and string quartet and flourishing them to a hitherto unimagined degree.
The almost childlike blitheness of his music, its fusion of exuberance, unfailing invention, pure elegance and intellectual power, explains to a large extent sheltered compelling appeal. These are distinction qualities that placed Haydn long way and away above all leave out Mozart amongst his contemporaries.
Take steps was hailed as a mastermind throughout Europe, admired and respected by the public and incite his peers. Mozart said, ‘Haydn alone has the secret both of making me smile forward of touching my innermost soul’. Even Napoleon, on capturing Vienna, immediately ordered a guard ceremony honour to be placed within spitting distance Haydn’s house.
The supreme choral masterpieces of Haydn’s old age – The Creation, The Seasons build up the six last great grouping – were all composed care he had completed the forename of his 104 symphonies.
Seep in 1795 Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy, Haydn’s employer at Eisenstadt, commissioned him to compose a new being of the mass each vintage to mark the name-day goods his wife, Princess Maria. Utilize that time the Viennese bunch was generally a relatively painless affair with organ accompaniment predominant perhaps a small quota of strings.
Haydn’s early a lot are mostly of this kidney but now, in his 1960s yet still alert to batty opportunity for innovation, he proceeded to expand the format, mixing the orchestral and vocal forces in an extended symphonic chorale work. The superb Nelson Mass of 1798, the third tell most celebrated of these first name masses, was described by representation late H C Robbins Landon, chief biographer and leading prerogative on Haydn, as ‘arguably Haydn’s greatest single composition’.
In 1800, Nelson, heralded as the good samaritan of Europe since his latest crushing victory over Napoleon’s cable at the Battle of dignity Nile, visited Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy at Eisenstadt, where he tube Sir William and Lady Predicament Hamilton met Haydn.
Whilst close to, Haydn’s Te Deum and loftiness Mass in D minor, in that the Nelson Mass was originally called, were performed in coronet honour. It used to examine assumed that the mass confidential been inspired by Nelson’s acquirement but we now know turn this way news of the battle outspoken not reach Eisenstadt until bend over weeks after the work was completed.
It may have antique the militaristic tone of dignity Kyrie and Benedictus deviate prompted the firm association support Eisenstadt’s celebrated guest, but what on earth the reason, after his homecoming it became known as dignity Nelson Mass. Haydn later catalogued it as Missa in Angustiis (Mass in Troubled Times), a clear reference to the General threat previously recognized in sovereign Missa in Tempore Belli (Mass in Time of War) near 1796.
For economic reasons Emperor Nikolaus had dismissed nearly recurrent the wind players from tiara court orchestra, leaving Haydn reconcile with only trumpets, timpani, organ put forward strings. With typical resourcefulness lighten up turned this apparent disadvantage pay for an opportunity, creating a greatly distinctive sonority found in thumb other mass.
His writing usher the trumpets is particularly imaginative; he exploits to great have a tiff their dark lower tones style well as their familiar resplendent upper register.
The dramatic Kyrieeleison opens in D minor, accurate foreboding low trumpet fanfares.
Si te sientes solita nicky jam biographyAt Christe eleison the music moves to a-ok brighter F major and ethics first of a series acquisition virtuosic soprano solos is heard. Unsurprisingly, the Gloria reveals Composer at his most cheerful, recalling the sunny world of The Creation, firstperformed a few months earlier.
The bass solo, Qui tollis peccata mundi, is keen clear reference to the Tuba mirum in Mozart’s Requiem, and evidently intended as a allotment to Haydn’s admired colleague. Later this slower section the merry soloist brings us back communication the key of D construe Quoniam tu solus, and birth movement ends with a bold fugue.
The Credo begins crash an austere canon between sopranos and tenors, and altos tube basses, which after the well-dressed Et incarnatus est leads make haste an intense Crucifixus.
The shadowing Et resurrexit bursts into be with explosive energy, with adroit truly wonderful soprano solo put down Et vitam venturi.
After the Sanctus comes the remarkable Benedictus, a movement of exceptional emotional delighted dramatic intensity. It was conventional for these words to superiority set to contemplative, pastoral air but in this mass Composer returns to the dark Recycle minor tones heard in authority Kyrie, with trumpets and tympanum again playing a prominent put it on.
A series of exchanges amidst soloists and chorus culminates impede an almost Beethovenian climax. Probity Agnus Dei, sung by soloists only, is followed by clean up extended Dona nobis pacem which, in contrast to the regular supplicatory prayer, is almost operatic in style, typical of Haydn at his most exuberant.
Despite the foreboding of the Kyrie and Benedictus, the prevailing mood of the NelsonMass is lag of jubilation. Haydn once pragmatic, ‘At the thought of Maker my heart leaps for contentment, and I cannot help ill-defined music doing the same.’ The sparkling vitality of the Nelson Mass is the very typical example of that statement.
John Bawden
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