Synopses & Reviews
The Missa Solemnis is a document of extraordinary richness from the last decades of Beethoven's creative life. In this accessible guide, William Drabkin considers the work as an expression of the most celebrated text of the Roman Catholic faith and as an example from a tradition of Mass settings in eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Austria. The opening chapters present various critical perspectives on the Missa Solemnis and chart the history of its composition, first performances, and publication. But, above all, the work itself is considered in detail, including the overall design, connections between the movements, the orchestration, word painting, and programmatic elements.
Synopsis
William Drabkin considers Beethoven's Missa Solemnis as a musical expression of the most celebrated text of the Roman Catholic faith - the mass.
Synopsis
The Missa Solemnis is a document of extraordinary richness from the last decades of Beethoven's creative life. In this accessible guide, William Drabkin considers the work as an expression of the most celebrated text of the Roman Catholic faith and as an example from a tradition of Mass settings in eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Austria. The opening chapters present various critical perspectives on the Missa Solemnis and chart the history of its composition, first performances, and publication. But, above all, the work itself is considered in detail, including the overall design, connections between the movements, the orchestration, word painting, and programmatic elements.
Synopsis
The mass is analyzed from the perspective of being an expression of the most celebrated text of the Roman Catholic faith as well as a significant example from a tradition of Mass settings in eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Austria.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-115) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; 1. Critical perspectives; 2. Composition, performance and publication history; 3. Preliminaries to the analysis; 4. Kyrie; 5. Gloria; 6. Credo; 7. Sanctus; 8. Agnus Dei; 9. Concluding thoughts.