1 Oregon Bach Festival Discovery Series Haydn Creation Mass Part

Oregon Bach Festival Discovery Series
Haydn Creation Mass Part 2
2006
The year is 1801, and you are sitting in a small but beautiful church in Eisenstadt. Prince
Esterhazy, his family, many noblemen and citizens of the city are listening to a new Mass by the
old master, Haydn. Everyone wears their most beautiful dresses, and the men are in their dress
uniforms or best suits. All are eagerly enjoying the new music.
I am sure Haydn knew what was expected of him, so as the Credo begins, the bright B-flat major
tonality that ended the Gloria continues. The text Credo in unum Deum [I believe in one God] is
repeated twice. But Haydn is not just creating beautiful sounds, he also follows the text which
now says visibilium omnium, et invisibilium [all that is seen or unseen]. Haydn reacts to this
detail by bringing the dynamic down to piano.
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Let’s look at a place where Haydn gives the strings many fast notes, remembering his statement
that when he thinks of God, the notes come cascading down with joy. After the strings, the
chorus sings Genitum, non factum [begotten, not made], and then the brass play alone. With the
bright sound of B-flat major, the choir sings consubstantialem Patri [of one being with the
Father]. The clarinet begins playing a tune that the chorus takes over with the text Qui propter
nos hominess [For us men, and for our salvation]. The view goes from God to the people.
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Now comes the most intimate text of the Credo, Et incarnatus est [And was made man]. In this
Mass Haydn gives this text to the tenor solo, accompanied by the obbligato organ playing short,
playful interjections. This setting of the Et incarnatus est does not inspire one to consider the
significance of God coming to earth, but rather describes a Christmas with happy children.
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There is a story told by a musician who played in Haydn’s orchestra. The story goes that Haydn
was not happy with the organist who was to play this solo, and so during the performance Haydn
hastened to the organ, shoved him off the bench, and played the part himself.
The text that follows is the Crucifixus. It is surprising that this important theological statement is
composed with only three measure of music sung by the bass solo, with chromatic dissonances.
Then Haydn goes on to the text sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est [under Pontius Pilate,
suffered, and was buried]. He sets it homophonically for the choir while the orchestra has a
trembling motive.
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The text follows Et resurrexit tertia die [and on the third day rose again], and the music becomes
as bright as it was at the beginning of the Credo. At the words Et ascendit in coelum [and
ascended into heaven] the ascension is depicted with ascending figurations in the orchestra.
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In the measures to come we will see the influence the text has on Haydn’s music. After a short,
joyous soprano solo we come to the text judicare vivos et mortuo [to judge the living and the
dead]. Haydn reacts harmonically by going to a D-flat major tonality. The text continues cujus
regni non erit finis [whose Kingdom shall have no end], and Haydn repeats and emphasizes the
words non erit.
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The end of the Credo seems especially appropriate for the occasion for which the Mass was
written. The amen has brilliant fast figurations for the orchestra, and the choir is in very high
range.
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The next movement is the Sanctus. The bright sounds of the Amen are still ringing in our ears,
and it is not unreasonable to expect the Sanctus to continue with this vivid music. But Haydn has
a different idea.
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It is certainly beautiful, but what is the idea behind it? There was an author contemporary to
Haydn, E.T. A. Hoffman, who wrote a story Das Sanctus. In it the main character describes
walking into a church and hearing the beginning of the Sanctus, and feeling holy shudders of
reverence crawling up her spine. Perhaps the trembling in the orchestra, especially in the horns
and the timpani, are these holy shudders of reverence. When the chorus enters, they are piano,
which adds to the beautiful dialogue between the oboes and clarinets.
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The text Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth [Lord God of Sabaoth] is repeated forte, but the section
ends with the beautiful and thoughtful beginning. Haydn’s music becomes intense and dramatic
at the text Pleni sunt caeli [heaven and earth]. But only for a moment until he comes to the
Osanna. He gives the soprano soloist a playful solo that the chorus immediately takes up.
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Usually the Benedictus, the next movement, is a time when composers write beautiful,
expressive, and often subdued music. And as the orchestra begins, that seems true of this Mass.
The melody in the first violin, which will later appear with the word Benedictus seems to be a
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forlane. But the orchestra becomes more and more prominent, until at the end it is quite
dramatic. These opening twenty measures illustrate Haydn’s experience as a composer of
symphonies.
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At this place the solo soprano sings the text Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini [Blessed is
He who comes in the name of the Lord] to the melody introduced by the violins. The other
soloists then take it up.
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What is Haydn’s reason for using both a lyric and dramatic approach to the Benedictus? I think
the Benedictus text has many different meanings. It can remind one of the Magnificat, where
Mary praises the Lord for using a humble maiden to fulfill His promise. This would certainly
require the more lyric and thoughtful approach to the text. But the Benedictus can also remind us
of Palm Sunday, when Christ rode through the streets of Jerusalem. This story would best be
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served with more dramatic music. Perhaps this was Haydn’s idea when he brings in the stronger
forces and veers away from the more lyric image of the beginning.
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There is yet a third interpretation of the Benedictus text: it can be an expression of the
expectation of the Lord’s return. The Last Judgment is the Christian’s hope that when Christ
returns the problems of the present world will be over and His Kingdom on earth will begin. I
think that in the third section of the Benedictus we hear Haydn’s idea of the appearance of the
Lord, bright in the clouds, and then the turmoil of the Last Judgment.
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Now Haydn comes to the Agnus Dei, which begins in a subdued manner. The string
accompaniment could be a slow movement from one of his string quartets.
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The solo quartet, beginning immediately with the orchestra, is also subdued. The chorus joins
them at the text Miserere nobis [have mercy on us]. They first sing it subdued, then with a
sudden desperate outcry.
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In the Mass the Agnus Dei text comes three times, and each time Haydn begins the same way,
except the choir begins the third statement of Agnus Dei instead of the solo quartet. After the
third Agnus Dei, the text changes to dona nobis pacem. It is interesting that many masses of the
Viennese School composers, for example Beethoven, Salieri, Mozart, and Haydn, do not
interpret dona nobis pacem as a plea for peace. They do not treat it as an urgent prayer, but as a
joyous piece. What could be the reasons for that? Theologically speaking, peace has been
granted to those who have participated in the Mass. The Mass has ended, so one should rejoice
about what was heard and experienced. In this Mass of Haydn, the section starts with the brass
playing a brilliant signal motive, similar to the beginning of the Gloria.
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After the opening measure, a fugue begins. The instruments play colla parte with the chorus,
another example of the old church style.
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In this final section we see again that Haydn does not write a strict fugue, but wants to imbue his
music with a variety of styles. So he introduces a new theme in the instruments, one that is quick
and brilliant. It is first combined with the fugue subject, and then appears alone. The fugal
beginning has become joyous, and when he brings the forces down to piano it is almost playful.
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And here we are back to the bright B-flat major sound that we have heard so often during the
Mass. There remains one moment when the shadow of minor tonality reappears. The orchestra is
in unison, the chorus is also in unison, and there is a threatening entrance of the timpani. But it
quickly returns to the festive music for the occasion. I think the people in Eisenstadt must have
been pleased with the beautiful music they heard from the old master.
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