Messe c dur op 86 beethoven biography

The mass , scored for four vocal soloists, choir and orchestra, was premiered that year by the Prince's musical forces in Eisenstadt. Beethoven performed parts of it in his concert featuring the premieres of four major works including his Fifth Symphony. Both the Prince and contemporary critic E. Hoffmann were generally displeased by the work, though the latter still considered it "entirely worthy of the great master [because of its] inner structure [and] intelligent orchestration ".

Beethoven had studied counterpoint in Vienna with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger , an authority in the field, but had not turned to sacred music until late in his career. Haydn had ceased this tradition with the failure of his health in Beethoven was fully aware of the tradition that Haydn had established and it influenced him strongly in writing the Mass in C major.

Beethoven confessed in a letter to the prince: "may I just say that I will hand the mass over to you with great trepidation, as Your Serene Highness is accustomed to having the inimitable masterworks of the great Haydn performed.

Beethoven mass in d

On accepting the prince's commission Beethoven had praised Haydn's masses, calling them "inimitable masterpieces". Beethoven meant it. The first performance was underrehearsed; the musicologist Stoltzfus described the dress rehearsal as "unsatisfactory", noting that only one of the five altos in the chorus was present.