Wednesday, November 29, 2006

MOZART'S GRAND MASS IN C MINOR

One of my favorite compositions by Mozart is his awesome "Grand Mass in C Minor".

I love all the "Glorias" that are sung the best in this Mass.

Here is some interesting information on this Beautiful Mass.

From -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2930393

"Mozart's Mass in C Minor"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Mass in C Minor, K427, is a religious musical work for chorus and orchestra. It is considered such a great musical work that it is called the 'Great Mass'.

Why did Mozart write the Mass?

Unlike many of Mozart's other pieces of music (including his Requiem) the mass was not commissioned. Mozart wrote it purely for his own pleasure - in fact, he probably spent time writing the mass when he should have been working on his boring paid commissions. Clues from letters have led many people to believe that Mozart wrote the mass partially in thanksgiving to god, possibly because of good events that had recently occurred in his life. These events included his marriage to Constanze Weber, the birth of their first child, and Constanze's recovery from illness. He could also have been trying to prove something to his father.

About the History and Music of the Mass:

Like all other masses, this one contains the following sections in order: Kyrie eleison, Gloria in excelsis Deo, Credo in unum Deum, Sanctus and Benedictus. However the final part, Agnus Dei, is missing, and the Credo is incomplete. The texts for these sections are the same in all masses (although performances at certain times of the year may see some parts omitted).

The mass is thought to have been written in 1782 - 83, and was first performed on the 26 October, 1783 (Mozart's sister Nannerl mentioned in her diary that a half-finished mass by her brother was performed; Constanze was apparently the solo soprano singer). It is thought that sections from other masses were performed alongside Mozart's to fill in the missing bits.

Read More at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2930393

Also, Check out another Link which also has an awesome perspective on this Mass composed by Mozart.

You can also hear a sample of this Mass at this Link.

http://www.exultate.org/grandmass.html

This is a late addition today.

I have just discovered an awesome Link that explains "Mozart's Mass in C Minor" excellently part by part.

Check it out. Here it is.

"Another interesting perspective on the Grand Mass, a complete text translation plus links to more information".

http://members.macconnect.com/users/j/jimbob/classical/Mozart_K417a.html