Mass in D major (Dvořák)

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Antonín Dvořák with his wife Anna, who sang the alto solo at the premiere (1886)

The Mass in D major (Lužanská mše) op. 86 is a mass setting by Antonín Dvořák . It is available in two different versions: for solos and choir with organ accompaniment ( B 153) and with orchestral accompaniment (B 175).

history

Lužany Castle

Antonín Dvořák was commissioned by the architect and patron Josef Hlávka on the occasion of the inauguration of his newly built chateau chapel at Lužany Castle to compose a mass that could be performed in this chapel, which meant that Dvořák had to use an orchestral line-up or a larger choir - initially - had to do without. Dvořák composed the work between March 23 and June 17, 1887. On the day it was completed, the composer wrote to his client:

“Dear Mr. Advice and dear friend! I have the honor to inform you that I have finished the work (the Mass in D major) happily and that I am very happy with it. I think it's a work that will serve its purpose. It could mean: Faith, hope and love for God Almighty and thanks for the great gift that allowed me to finish this work happily at the price of the Most High and for the glory of our art. Do not be surprised that I am so devout - but an artist who is not can do nothing like that. Don't we have examples from Beethoven , Bach , Raffael and many others? Finally, I thank you, too, for encouraging me to write a work in this form, because otherwise I would hardly have thought of it; so far I have only written works of this kind on a large scale and with great resources. This time, however, I only wrote with modest aids, and yet I dare to say that I succeeded in the work. "

The first performance took place on September 11, 1887 under the direction of the composer in the palace chapel. Zdenka Hlávka, the client's wife, and Dvořák's wife Anna sang the female solo parts.

In the autograph the mass bears the opus number 76. This opus number was later assigned to the 5th symphony by the publisher Fritz Simrock (for which the composer himself had intended opus number 24).

The first public performance took place on April 15, 1888 in the Pilsen City Theater . The instrumental parts in this performance were taken over by two harmoniums , cello and two double basses . This instrumentation, of which it is not known whether it came from Dvořák himself, has not been preserved.

Dvořák's publisher Simrock was not interested in publishing the work. It was not until 1892 that the mass was published by the London publisher Novello & Co. as op. 86, after the composer had created an orchestral arrangement. This orchestral version was premiered on March 11, 1893 in London's Crystal Palace under the direction of August Manns .

occupation

Organ version (1887):

Orchestra version (1892):

In terms of instrumentation, Dvořák largely retained the basic structure of the work. The beginning of the Kyrie was preceded by a short two-bar introduction by the orchestra. The positions provided for 4 soloists in the organ version are intended for a "small choir" of 4 singers per voice in the orchestral version, but they can also be filled with soloists in this version. Additional passages marked with 4 solos in the orchestral version were intended for the choir in the first version. By using the orchestra, the composer was also able to strive for a more refined dynamic, which in some places also had an impact on the voice guidance of the choir.

The performance lasts approx. 35–45 minutes.

construction

  • Kyrie (solos and choir)
  • Gloria (solos and choir)
  • Credo (solos and choir)
  • Sanctus (choir)
  • Benedictus (choir)
  • Agnus Dei (solos and choir)

Work description

The Kyrie works mainly through its sophisticated and high-contrast dynamics. Deviating from the liturgical usage, Dvořák ends the sentence with another “Christe eleison”. - The Gloria begins in a joyful dotted rhythm, which is contrasted in the middle part with a more contemplative section, from the mention of the sins of the world is marked by growing unrest and at the end solemnly praises the glory of God - The Credo , the longest sentence of the mass, is divided into several sections. Large sections are strictly responsive: the text is performed in sections first by the alto, later by the tenor or the respective soloist mezza voce and then repeated by the choir tutti im forte. The section that professes belief in the one God harmoniously runs through the complete circle of fifths , a symbol of the perfection of God. The suffering of Jesus Christ is expressed in diminished seventh chords. The sentence closes with a solemn, imposing "Amen". - Sanctus and Benedictus are thematically linked through the “Hosanna in excelsis” set to music in an identical manner. - The Agnus Dei begins with an artistic fugato by the soloists. As the only movement of the mass, it does not end in solemn fortissimo, but with the plea for peace, breathed in a triple piano.

literature

  • Lucinde Braun : Mše in D major / Mass in D major Opus 86. In: Silke Leopold , Ullrich Scheideler : Oratorio guide . Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-00977-7 , pp. 193-194.
  • Jarmil Burghauser (Ed.): Mše D major. Score [organ version] (= Antonín Dvořák Complete Edition; Volume 2.7). Supraphon, Prague 1970.
  • Jarmil Burghauser (Ed.): Mše D major. Score [orchestral version] (= Antonín Dvořák Complete Edition; Volume 2.8). Supraphon, Prague 1970.
  • Klaus Burmeister (Ed.): Dvořák. Mass in D major. Organ version with piano reduction of the orchestral version (= Edition Peters 8765). CF Peters, Frankfurt am Main 1996, ISMN 979-0-014-10259-3 (search in the DNB portal) .
  • Joseph Paul Koestner: An analysis for performance of Dvořák's Mass in D. Ph. D. diss. Bloomington 1976, OCLC 30913014 .
  • Dirk Möller: Mass in D major, op. 86. In: Hans Gebhard (Ed.): Harenberg Chormusikführer . 2nd Edition. Harenberg, Dortmund 2001, ISBN 3-611-00817-6 , pp. 265-266.
  • Alois Maria Müller (Ed.): Antonín Dvořák: Mass in D major op. 76. Edited for church music practice. Score. Robert Carl, Saarbrücken 1963.
  • Kurt Pahlen : Oratorios of the World. Heyne, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-453-00923-1 , p. 167 f.

Web links