Mass No. 2 (Bruckner)
Encyclopedia
The Mass No. 2 in E minor, WAB
27, by Anton Bruckner
is a setting of the mass
ordinary
for vocal soloists, chorus
and wind band. Bruckner wrote it to celebrate the construction of a new church.
Bruckner made four successive revisions of the work, in 1866, 1869, 1876, and 1882. Two versions of the mass are available:
Globally the differences among these two versions are small and are hardly audible when listening to it.
's Missa Brevis.
Previously Bruckner had been criticized for "simply writing symphonies with liturgical text," and although the Cecilians were not entirely happy with the inclusion of wind instruments, "Franz Xaver Witt
loved it, no doubt rationalizing the use of wind instruments as necessary under the circumstances of outdoor performance for which Bruckner wrote the piece."
theme of the scherzo of Bruckner's eight symphony
is a reminiscence of the Credo of this mass.
Of the recordings from the LP era, Eugen Jochum
's recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus on Deutsche Grammophon
has been remastered to CD.
Matthew Best's more recent recording with the Corydon Singers has been critically acclaimed.
Other excellent recordings, according to Hans Roelofs, are i.a. that by Roger Norrington, Philippe Herreweghe and Winfried Toll.
Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckner
The Werkverzeichnis Anton Bruckners is a thematic catalogue of the music of Anton Bruckner compiled by Renata Grasberger. Grasberger did not include any unfinished compositions nor lost works. Lost works, sketches, etc. were added afterwards...
27, by Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner
Anton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
is a setting of the mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
ordinary
Ordinary of the Mass
The ordinary, in Roman Catholic and other Western Christian liturgies, refers to the part of the Eucharist or of the canonical hours that is reasonably constant without regard to the date on which the service is performed...
for vocal soloists, chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and wind band. Bruckner wrote it to celebrate the construction of a new church.
Bruckner made four successive revisions of the work, in 1866, 1869, 1876, and 1882. Two versions of the mass are available:
- Version 1 of 1866, issued by Nowak in 1977
- Version 2 of 1882, issued by Doblinger (1896), Haas/Nowak (1940 and 1949), and Nowak (1959)
Globally the differences among these two versions are small and are hardly audible when listening to it.
Setting
The piece is based strongly on old-church music tradition, and particularly old Gregorian style singing. The Kyrie is almost entirely made up of a capella singing for eight voices. The Gloria ends with a fugue, as in Bruckner's other masses. In the Sanctus, Bruckner uses a theme from Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
's Missa Brevis.
- "Kyrie" Feierlich, E minor, cut time
- "Gloria" Allegro, C majorC majorC major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
, common timeCommon Time"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
- —"Qui tollis peccata..." Andante
-
- —"Quoniam tu solus sanctus..." Tempo Primo
- "Credo" Allegro, C major, 3/4
- —"Et incarnatus est..." Adagio, F majorF majorF major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
, common time - —"Et resurrexit..." Allegro
- —"Et in Spiritum sanctum..." 3/4
- —"mortuorum, ..." Etwas langsamer
- —"Et incarnatus est..." Adagio, F major
- "Sanctus" Alla breve, mehr langsam, E minor, cut time
- "Benedictus" Moderato, C major, common time
- "Agnus Dei" Andante, E minor, common time
- —"Dona nobis pacem..." Etwas bewegter
Previously Bruckner had been criticized for "simply writing symphonies with liturgical text," and although the Cecilians were not entirely happy with the inclusion of wind instruments, "Franz Xaver Witt
Franz Xaver Witt
Franz Xaver Witt was a Catholic priest, church musician, and composer. He was one of the leaders in the reform of Catholic church music in the second half of the 19th century....
loved it, no doubt rationalizing the use of wind instruments as necessary under the circumstances of outdoor performance for which Bruckner wrote the piece."
Nota bene
The Deutscher MichelDeutscher Michel
Der Deutsche Michel is a figure representing the national character of the German people, rather as John Bull represents the British. Such figures differ from those that serve as personifications of the nation itself, as Germania does the German nation and Marianne the French...
theme of the scherzo of Bruckner's eight symphony
Symphony No. 8 (Bruckner)
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor is the last Symphony the composer completed. It exists in two major versions of 1887 and 1890. It was premiered under conductor Hans Richter in 1892 in Vienna...
is a reminiscence of the Credo of this mass.
Discography
About 90 recordings of Bruckner's Mass No. 2 have been issued.Of the recordings from the LP era, Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum
Eugen Jochum was an eminent German conductor.Born in Babenhausen, near Augsburg, Germany, Jochum studied the piano and organ in Augsburg until 1922. He then studied conducting in Munich...
's recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, in German Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks is the internationally renowned orchestra of the Bayerischer Rundfunk , based in Munich, Germany. It is one of the three principal orchestras in the city of Munich, along with the Munich Philharmonic...
and Chorus on Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
has been remastered to CD.
Matthew Best's more recent recording with the Corydon Singers has been critically acclaimed.
Other excellent recordings, according to Hans Roelofs, are i.a. that by Roger Norrington, Philippe Herreweghe and Winfried Toll.
- Eugen Jochum, Chor und Mitglieder des Sinfonieorchesters des Bayerischen Rundfunks, LP: DG 2530 139, 1971 - CD: DG 423 127-2 (Box set of 4 CD)
- Roger Norrington, Schütz Choir London, Philip Jones Wind Ensemble CD: London/Decca 430365, 1973
- Matthew Best, Corydon Singers and English Chamber Orchestra Wind Ensemble, CD: Hyperion CDA 66177, 1985
- Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent & Chapelle Royale Paris, Ensemble Musique oblique, Harmonia Mundi France HMC 901322, 1989
- Winfried Toll, Camerata Vocale Freiburg, Bläser von L'Arpa Festante, CD: Ars Musici 232828, 2008