Mass in D (Smyth)
The Mass in D major is probably the most important work by the then 34-year-old Ethel Smyth ; it is also known as "The Masterpiece " Smyths. It premiered on January 18, 1893 at the Royal Albert Hall in London under the direction of Sir Joseph Barnby . Performers were the Royal Choral Society with the Albert Hall Orchestra. It is the composer's only sacred work . The composer wrote:
“Everything that was in my heart I put into this work, but no sooner was it completed when the orthodox faith strangely departed from me, never to return […] Who should judge the divine plan? I only want to say this: in no part of my life did I feel more sensible, wiser or closer to the truth. This phase never seemed to me overwrought, unnatural, or hysterical compared to others that followed it; it was simply a religious experience that in my case could not last. "
Despite her good personal contacts with well-known composers, she was unable to get support from them. She looked all over England for a conductor for her work, but the traditional men, particularly Hubert Parry , Charles Villiers Stanford and Arthur Sullivan , probably viewed the artist's work and lifestyle with disdain. Help came from the royal side: Ex-Empress Eugénie , the widow of Napoleon III. , was in exile in England and was prepared to finance the mass by issuing the sheet music from the renowned Novello Co. , founded in 1811 by Vincent Novello . Smyth was also given the opportunity to give Queen Victoria a little foreplay. She herself writes:
“And now, emboldened by the sonority of the place, I did the Gloria the most tempestuous and, I thought, the best number of all. At a certain drum effect a foot, even, came into play, and I fancy that as regards volume of sound at least, the presence of a real chorus and orchestra was scarcely missed! This time, fortified by the simplicity and genuineness of the Sovereign's appreciation, I thought I would risk a glance at the faces of her terrifying Court. What matter if astonishment and secret scandalization be there depicted? I was well down in the saddle now, not easily to be thrown! I glanced. They were stupendous. No surprise, no emotion of any kind! a spectacle so exciting, because so fantastic, that the result was a finale to that Gloria such as I had never before succeeded in wresting out! "
“Encouraged by the sonority of the room, I now tuned into 'Gloria' - the most passionate and - I thought - the best number of all. As a certain drum effect, even a foot came into play, and I suspect, at least as far as the sound volume is concerned, the presence of a real choir and orchestra was not missed! This time, strengthened by the simple and genuine recognition of the ruler, I thought I could take a look at the faces of her fearsome court. What did it matter when astonishment and secret shock showed on their faces? I was now deep in the saddle and not easy to lift out! I looked around. You were fantastic. No raised brow, no emotion! It was such an exciting, because fascinating, sight that the result was a final of the 'Gloria' like I had never wrested before! "
The dress rehearsal in the huge, empty hall must have been a terrible experience. Looking back, she wrote:
"The brass quartet [in the Sanctus] sounded like a swarm of mosquitos."
The performance required 1000 participants, the crowd at the premiere was no less impressive: more than twelve thousand listeners were present in the huge festival hall and the mass was very well received. Smyth's personal benefactor, George Bernard Shaw , was delighted and The Times was also jubilant:
“This work clearly places the composer among the most famous composers of her time, and easily at the top of all those of her gender. What is particularly striking about the fair is the complete absence of the elements that are commonly associated with feminine music; it is consistently masculine, masterly in construction and execution, and especially notable for the artful and rich coloring of the orchestration. "
Despite its initial success, the fair was only performed again on February 7, 1924, after 31 years, under Adrian Boult in Birmingham . After accidentally remembering the work, the composer tried to have it performed again, but initially encountered resistance from the publisher. For this revival, Smyth made some changes, especially in the choir and orchestral setting. In the faster movements she reduced the metronome number considerably in some cases . Both the self-critical Smyth and the audience were equally enthusiastic about the second performance. Shaw wrote to Smyth:
“Dear Dame Ethel, - Thank you for bullying me into going to hear that Mass. The originality and beauty of the voice parts are as striking today as they were 30 years ago, and the rest will stand up in the biggest company. Magnificent! You are totally and diametrically wrong in imagining that you have suffered from a prejudice against feminine music. On the contrary you have been almost extinguished by the dread of masculine music. It was your music that cured me for ever of the old delusion that women could not do men's work in art and other things. (That was years ago, when I knew nothing about you, and heard an overture - 'The Wreckers' or something - in which you kicked a big orchestra all round the platform.) But for you I might not have been able to tackle St Joan, who has floored every previous way playwright. Your music is more masculine than Handel's. Your dear big brother, "
"Dear Lady Ethel, - thank you for bullying me until I got myself up to hear mass! The originality and beauty of the solo parts are as impressive today as they were 30 years ago, and the rest will endure in the best of company. Great! You are totally and diametrically wrong if you believe that you have suffered from prejudice against female music. On the contrary: They were almost destroyed by the fears of 'masculine' music. It was your music that cured me forever of the old delusion that women couldn't do men's work in the arts or anywhere else. (That was years ago when I didn't know anything about you and heard an overture - 'The Wreckers' or something like that - in which you whirled a large orchestra around on the podium.) It was only through you that I was able to deal with Saint Joan, which used to make every playwright fail. Your music is more masculine than Handel's [...] your dear big brother "
The work
The mass is dedicated to Smyth's friend Lady Pauline Trevelyan (1816–1866), who belonged to the Roman Catholic faith. She belonged to a minority in the United Kingdom who were even clearly disadvantaged and ostracized in various respects up to the Papists Act 1778 . After 1829 the situation can be regarded as finally ended with the Catholic Relief Act , but this dilemma of the previous generation is likely to have remained in the consciousness of many in the late 19th century. With the "liberation" a special character was triggered within the church and, above all, liturgically . The Anglican Catholic Church has long been considered "more Catholic" than the Roman Church , and the liturgy was often held in Latin . The reason why Smyth set the Latin mass text to music could also have been a different one.
Critics speculated that the work expresses the deep love between the two women. This obvious aspect is now seen in a somewhat more differentiated manner by research: Although practically no other works of this genre were composed in the Western countries in the decade in which the work was premiered, the intention will have come from the Cecilia movement , which has since Gained a foothold in 1860 and then increasingly in the 1870s. At that time, church masses were written for small casts, if at all. This is clearly an orchestral work for demanding musicians and soloists. It stands in the tradition of Beethoven's Missa solemnis, which was also set in D major . It is also noteworthy that the most important British composer and music lobbyist of the time, Charles Villiers Stanford, also began to write a mass in the year of the premiere of Smyth's D major Mass; inspiration may be assumed.
The mass is structured according to the ordinarium , but has a different order in that the Gloria only sounds as the last movement: The six movements are Kyrie, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Gloria. For Ethel Smyth, the Gloria was the most splendid piece in the masses in general. During her stay in Munich and her acquaintance with Pauline Trevelyan, she particularly enjoyed visiting the Munich churches and catholic. Church services. For Ethel Smyth's taste, the Gloria had to end as the grand finale.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Skyblue Productions, 2009, cit. based on: Christopher St John: Ethel Smyth, A Biography. Longmans, Green, and Co., London / New York / Toronto 1959, p. 86.
- ↑ a b c Erik Dremel: rock sprinkler, bridge builder, pioneer: the composer Ethel Smyth. edited by Cornelia Bartsch , Rebecca Grotjahn , Melanie Unseld ; BoD 2009, ISBN 978-3-86906-068-2 .
- ↑ Meinhard Saremba: Elgar, Britten & Co: a history of British music in twelve portraits. M&T Verlag, 1994, ISBN 978-3-7265-6029-4 , p. 222.
- ↑ a b c d Ethel Smyth Mass in D. on jpc.de
- ↑ Streaks of life. on archive.org
- ↑ Program for a concert on November 6, 2011 in the Hildegard Church in St. Ingbert
- ↑ Ethel Smyth: Impressions that remained. 1st edition, 1946, p. 432 ff.