Missa In Angustiis
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The ' (Mass for troubled times), commonly known as the ''Nelson Mass'' ( Hob. XXII/11), is a Mass setting by the Austrian composer
Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...
. It is one of the six masses written near the end of his life that are seen as a culmination of Haydn's composition of
liturgical music Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service (or Eucharist) and Evensong, ...
.


Background

Haydn's chief biographer, H. C. Robbins Landon, has written that this mass "is arguably Haydn's greatest single composition". Written in 1798, it is one of the six late masses by Haydn for the Esterhazy family composed after taking a short hiatus, during which elaborate church music was inhibited by the Josephinian reforms of the 1780s. The late sacred works of Haydn are regarded as masterworks, influenced by the experience of his
London symphonies The London symphonies, sometimes called the Salomon symphonies after Johann Peter Salomon who introduced London to Joseph Haydn, were composed by Joseph Haydn between 1791 and 1795. They can be categorized into two groups: Symphonies Nos. 93–98, ...
. They highlight the soloists and chorus while allowing the orchestra to play a prominent role.Webster and Feder Owing to the political and financial instability of this period in European history, Haydn's patron Nikolaus II dismissed the Feldharmonie, or wind band octet, shortly before Haydn wrote the ''Missa in angustiis'' for the Princess's name day. Haydn, therefore, was left with a "dark" orchestra composed of strings, trumpets, timpani, and organ. Later editors and arrangers added what they perceived to be missing woodwind parts, but the original scoring has again become the accepted choice for modern performances. Though Haydn's reputation was at its peak in 1798, when he wrote this mass, his world was in turmoil. French forces under
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
had won four major battles against the Austrian army in less than a year. The previous year, in early 1797, French armies had crossed the Alps and threatened Vienna itself. In May 1798, Napoleon led an expeditionary force which invaded Egypt with the stated aims of securing French commercial interests in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, cutting off British trade routes to the
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and establishing a scientific presence in Egypt. The summer of 1798 was therefore a terrifying time for Austria, and when Haydn finished this mass, his own title, in the catalogue of his works, was ''Missa in angustiis'' (Mass for troubled times). What Haydn did not know when he wrote the mass, but what he and his audience heard (perhaps on September 15, the day of the very first performance), was that on 1 August, the
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had been dealt a crushing defeat at the
Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; ) was fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy at Abu Qir Bay, Aboukir Bay in Ottoman Egypt, Egypt between 1–3 August 1798. It was the climax of the Mediterranean ca ...
by a British fleet under Rear-Admiral
Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...
. Because of this coincidence, the mass gradually acquired the nickname ''Nelson Mass''. The title became indelible when, in 1800, Nelson himself visited the Palais Esterházy accompanied by his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton, and may have heard the mass conducted by Haydn whom he would meet shortly afterwards. Haydn's original title may also have come from illness and exhaustion at this time, which followed his supervision of the first performances of '' The Creation'', completed a few months earlier. More simply, it may have sprung from the challenge of composing without the desired instrumentation.McCaldin (1995). 26. The solo parts for two of the vocal quartet are virtuosic: the bass line was perhaps written for the accomplished Christian Specht, and the soprano line, even more demanding, could have been written for Barbara Pilhofer or Therese Gassmann. The piece was premiered 23 September 1798 at the town parish church (now cathedral), a last minute venue change from the Bergkirche in
Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...
.


Movements

The text, slightly altered, is taken from the Latin Mass of the
Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. It consists of the following six movements. Performances require between 45 and 60 minutes. The choir sings in all movements. # , , D minor, 3/4 (soprano solo) # , , D major, common time (soli soprano, alto, tenor, bass ATB #: , , B-flat major, 3/4 (soli soprano, baritone) #: , , D major, common time (soli SATB) # , , D major, alla breve #: , , G major, 3/4 (soli SATB) #: , , D major, common time (soprano solo) # , , D major, common time #: , , D major, 3/4 # , , D minor, 2/4 (soli SATB) #: , , Allegro, D major, 3/4 (soli SATB) # , , G major, 3/4 (soli SATB) #: , , D major, common time (soli SATB)


Selected discography

* 1962: King's College Choir and a reduced
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
with Sylvia Stahlman (soprano),
Helen Watts Helen Watts (7 December 19277 October 2009) was a Welsh contralto. Early life Helen Josephine Watts was born in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Her father was a pharmacist, Tom Watts and moved to live above his shop at 26 Market Street, Ha ...
(contralto), Wilfred Brown (tenor), Tom Krause (baritone), Simon Preston (organ), conducted by Sir
David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridg ...
; recording re-released in 2000 by London/Decca Legends CD 458623 * 1986:
The English Concert The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener has b ...
Choir and the English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock, recording released in 1990 by
Archiv Produktion Archiv Produktion is a classical music record label of German origin. It originated in 1948 as a classical label for the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG), and in 1958 Archiv was established as a subsidiary of DGG, specialising in recordin ...
(
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
) CD 423097


References

Notes Sources * Hibbert, Christopher (1994). ''Nelson – A Personal History''. Basic Books. . * * McCaldin, Denis (1995). "Haydn's 'Nelson' Mass: Its decline and rise." ''South African Journal of Musicology/Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir musiekwetenskap'' (SAMUS), 15: 25–32. * Webster, James and Feder, Georg. "§ Sacred vocal music" in "Haydn, Joseph." ''
Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
''. ''Oxford Music Online''.


Further reading

* Schenbeck, Lawrence. (1985) "''Missa in angustiis'' by Joseph Haydn." ''Choral Journal'', 25, no. 9: 19, 25–30.


External links

* *
UC Davis Symphony & Chorus: Haydn: ''Missa in angustiis'' (''Lord Nelson Mass'')
{{Authority control Masses by Joseph Haydn 1798 compositions Horatio Nelson