CCCLVII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Mass in C Major, K. 66

CCCLVII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

Mass in C Major, K. 66 ("Dominicusmesse") (1769)
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
Charlotte Margiono, soprano
Elisabeth von Magnus, alto
Uwe Heilmann, tenor
Giles Cachemaille, bass
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Concentus Musicus
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, cond.
(42:25)

St. Peter's Abbey, Salzburg

The same year he wrote the Missa Brevis in D Minor, K. 65 (see Post CCLXIV). As one of my astute readers pointed out, he was 13 -- not 12, as I wrote there.

Surely then, at that age when we call a kid a teenager, he was more than capable of writing a long-form Mass, as well!

The occasion was provided by the Mozarts' friend and landlord, Cajetan Hagenauer -- who was ordained as Pater Dominicus at St. Peter's Abbey.

**

Kyrie

and a reduction to show the beautiful part-writing:

There follows a 3/4 Allegro, the violins in rocketing ascending arpeggios in thirds, with trumpet, timpani and continuo accompaniment.

The chorus begins with a clipped statement of Kyrie, then it becomes more complex, before he gives the soprano and alto soloists the part in dotted-half notes:

He then changes the combination to alto & tenor, before the movement's conclusion:

Gloria

Beginning simply, note how the kid uses imitative stretto on the bottom of the page:

The Laudamus te in F major, 2/4 featuring a soprano/alto duet:

Gratias agimus tibi -- Adagio -- followed immediately by Propter magnam gloriam tuam -- Allegro:

Domine Deus in G Major, 3/4, tenor solo; the violins accompany with a syncopated triplet rhythm:

Qui tollis peccata mundi, G Minor. Stately, full chorus, accompanied by falling arpeggios in the violins:

Quoniam tu in F Major, 3/4, soprano solo; check out the long melisma on the word sanctus:

The Gloria closes with Cum Sancto Spiritu, C Major -- a clever fugue:

Credo

Full-throated chorus:

Et incarnatus est, Adagio, F Major, all four soloists, featuring a nice deceptive cadence:

Crucifixus; Adagio, C Minor. Intense. Check out the writing in this outline:

Et resurrexit. Molto allegro, C Major. Check out this beautiful progression in C Minor moving to the dominant, on the words vivos et mortuos (living and dead) ...

|| c: i // vii°/vi⁶ // iv⁶ / Ger+⁶ // V ||

Et in Spiritum Sanctum Dominum, Andante, G Major, 3/4, soprano solo:

Et in unam sanctam, Moderato, C Major:

Et vitam venturi saeculi, Allegro, C Major:

Sanctus

Adagio, C Major. Stately, with 16th-note triplets accompaniment:

Pleni sunt coeli et terra, Allegro, C Major. Look at how the kid offset the word gloria (red box) in the four voices! Beats 1, 2, and of 2, and 3!

Hosanna in excelsis, Moderato, C Major; short solos for soprano and alto + tutti:

Benedictus

G Major; soloists -- stunningly beautiful writing:

Hosanna in excelsis, C Major ...

Repeat from Sanctus:

Agnus Dei

Allegro moderato, C Major -- featuring some beautiful chromaticism in the voices:

Dona nobis pacem, Allegro, C Major:

All four soloists get a short take, and Mozart wraps it all up: