Mass in D major (Dvořák)
| Mass in D majory Lužany Mass | |
|---|---|
| by B. 153 and 175 | |
| Opus | 86 |
| Text | mass ordinary |
| Language | Latin |
| Composed | 1887 |
| Performed | 11 September 1887: Lužany |
| Published | 1893 |
| Movements | six |
| Vocal | SATB choir and soloists |
| Instrumental |
|
The Mass in D major (
History
Antonín Dvořák was commissioned to compose a mass by the architect and patron Josef Hlávka for the inauguration of the chapel that he had built for his summer residence in Lužany.[1][2] Because of the size of the chapel, the choir had to be small, and no orchestra was possible. Dvořák composed the work from 23 March and 17 June 1887.[1] On the day of completion, he wrote to Hlávka:
I am pleased to announce that I have finished the work and that I am supremely pleased with the result. I think it will be a work that will fully suit its purpose. It could be called: faith, hope and love for God Almighty, and an expression of thanks for this great gift, for having been given the opportunity successfully to complete a work in praise of the Highest, and in honour of our art. Do not be surprised that I am so devout, but an artist who is not cannot achieve anything like this. Take the examples of Beethoven, Bach, Raphael and many others. I would also like to thank you for giving me the impulse to write a work of this genre, it would hardly have occurred to me otherwise; until now I had only written similar works of larger proportions with considerable means at my disposal.[1]
He expressed that he was satisfied with the work for modest forces, which he thought could be subtitled Faith, Hope and Love ("Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe"), and be understood as giving thanks to God. He mentioned other artists he regarded as motivated by Christian faith: Beethoven, Bach and Raphael.[1]
The mass was first performed at the chapel on 11 September 1887, conducted by the composer.
The mass is numbered Op. 76 in the
Scoring
Orchestral version (1892):[1]
- Soloists and small choir SATB
- 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, string instruments, organ
Structure
The work is structured as the mass text prescribes, with most parts performed by both soloists and choir. It takes about 40 minutes to perform.[1]
1. Kyrie (Andante con moto) 2. Gloria (Allegro vivace) 3. Credo (Allegro ma non troppo) 4. Sanctus (Allegro maestoso) 5. Benedictus (Lento) 6. Agnus Dei (Andante)
The work is intentionally kept simple. It is basically written for choir, with only occasional lines for soloists, and technically not difficult. The composer achieves expressiveness with simple means,[2] such as folksong-like tunes in rich harmonies.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Mass in D major ("The Luzany Mass")". antonin-dvorak.cz. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "Dvorák, Antonín / Mass in D major op. 86 / Organ version". Bärenreiter. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Antonín Dvorák Mass in D major / Organ version op. 86, 1887". Carus-Verlag. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
Further reading
- ISBN 3-476-00977-7, pp. 193–194.
- Jarmil Burghauser (ed.): Mše D-Dur. (score organ version] (= Antonín Dvořák Complete works vol. 2,7). Supraphon, Prague 1970.
- Jarmil Burghauser (ed.): Mše D-Dur. (score orchestral version] (= Antonín Dvořák Complete works vol. 2,8). Supraphon, Prague 1970.
- Klaus Burmeister (ed.): Dvořák. Messe D-Dur. (orgen version using the piano redaction of the orchestral version (= Edition Peters 8765). C. F. Peters, Frankfurt 1996, ISMN979-0-014-10259-3.
- Joseph Paul Koestner: An analysis for performance of Dvořák’s Mass in D. (dissertation). Bloomington 1976, OCLC 30913014.
- Dirk Möller: Messe D-Dur op. 86. In: ISBN 3-611-00817-6, pp. 265–266.
- Alois Maria Müller (ed.): Antonín Dvořák: Messe in D-dur op. 76. Für die kirchenmusikalische Praxis bearbeitet. Partitur. Robert Carl, Saarbrücken 1963.
- ISBN 3-453-00923-1, pp. 167.
External links
- Mass in D major, Op.86 (Dvořák, Antonín): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Free scores by Mass in D major (Dvořák) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
