Dr. Jimbob's Home -> Classical Music -> Choral Music Introductions -> Ludwig van Beethoven -> Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123

Choral Music Notes - Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D, Op. 123

Contents of this page:

  1. Introduction

    Texts and Translations:

  2. Kyrie
  3. Gloria
  4. Credo
  5. Sanctus et Benedictus
  6. Agnus Dei

For more information:
  • Missa Solemnis MIDI files
    A set of MIDI files for the entire piece, available either with all choral parts played at equal volume or with a specific part played louder than all the others.

  • Missa Solemnis home page
    Jeff McMillan and Donna Akutagawa's impressive site about Beethoven's greatest choral work, with an assortment of pages setting the piece in its historical context, in the context of Beethoven's career, and with a movement-by-movement analysis.
  • Good Music Guide review of the Missa Solemnis
  • Wikipedia page on the Missa Solemnis
  • BBC Radio 3 program by Charles Hazlewood introducing the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei of the Missa Solemnis
  • NPR program by Jan Swafford introducing the Missa Solemnis

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    Introduction

     In March of 1819, the Archduke Rudolf (1788 - 1831) was elected as archbishop of Olmütz (present-day Olomouc) in Moravia; he would be installed in a grand ceremony a year later. The Archduke Rudolf was the son of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Leopold II and brother of the sitting Emperor Franz. His election as archbishop would have passed into historical obscurity, except that Rudolf was also an enthusiastic amateur musician and composer. Rudolf was a devoted patron and student of the German pianist-composer Ludwig van Beethoven, and by 1819 he was already the dedicatee of some of Beethoven's most important compositions, including the last two piano concertos and the Piano Trio Op. 97.

    After Rudolf's election, Beethoven began work on a High Mass to be performed at the Archduke's installation as archbishop. Along the way, Beethoven sought to create an artistic testament, an encyclopedic expression of his full, idiosyncratic spirituality. Unfortunately, such a project proved to be far more ambitious than he could handle in a year's time, and Beethoven missed his patron's installation, not completing the work until mid-1823, over three years too late. Despite this, it was clearly an important work to him -- to prepare himself, Beethoven plunged himself into careful study of the sacred masterworks of Palestrina and Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem, and the work is rivaled only by his opera Fidelio for the sheer difficulty of its gestation period. He only saw parts of the Mass to public performance -- the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei were performed along with the premiere of his Ninth Symphony in May of 1824. He would never see a complete performance of the work, and indeed it would be heard in its entirety until June 29, 1830, in Warnsdorf in Bohemia.

    The results of this prolonged gestation was one of Beethoven's grandest, most challenging works. He wrote, "My chief aim when I was composing this grand Mass was to awaken and instil enduring religious feelings not only into the singers but also into the listeners." He sought to achieve this goal using the same grand symphonic scale that informs other works of the time such as the Diabelli Variations, the Hammerklavier Piano Sonata and the Ninth. And the work assimilates all the key influences from his past, from the modal harmonies of Palestrina to the counterpoint of Handel and Mozart, the structure and drama of the Viennese concerted mass of Haydn, and the ambitious scale of Bach and Mozart. But there's no question of mere imitation here -- the style is pure Beethoven throughout, and he wraps the texts of the Mass Ordinary into large sonata-type structures with fugal codas in the Gloria and Credo. He did not honor his favorite patron as he originally intended, but for Rudolf, Beethoven created one of his greatest works, opening the way to his glorious late period.

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    KYRIE
    Assai sostenuto
    Mit Andacht
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
    
    Kyrie eleison.
		
    
    Lord, have mercy upon us.
    Andante assai ben marcato
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
    
    Christe eleison.
		
    
    Christ, have mercy upon us.
    Tempo I
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
    
    Kyrie eleison.
		
    
    Lord, have mercy upon us.

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    GLORIA
    Allegro vivace
    Chorus     		  
       Gloria in excelsis Deo.
   Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.
		
   Laudamus te.
   Benedicimus te.
   Adoramus te.
   Glorificamus te.
		
       Glory to God in the highest.
   and on earth peace to all those of good will.
		
   We praise you,
   We bless you,
   We adore you,
   We glorify you.
    Meno Allegro, cantabile
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Gratias agimus tibi 
      propter magnam gloriam tuam.
		
       We give thanks to You, 
      according to Your great glory.
    Tempo I
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Domine Deus, Rex cœlestis, 
      Deus Pater omnipotens.
   Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
   Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, 
      Filius Patris.
		
       Lord God, king of heaven, 
      God the almighty Father.
   Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son.
   Lord God, Lamb of God, 
      Son of the Father.
    Larghetto
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Qui tollis peccata mundi, 
      miserere nobis.
   Qui tollis peccata mundi, 
      suscipe deprecationem nostram.
   Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, 
      miserere nobis.
      O! miserere nobis.
		
       You who remove the sins of the world, 
      have mercy on us.
   You who remove the sins of the world, 
      receive our prayer.
   You who sit at the right hand of the Father, 
      have mercy on us.
      Oh, have mercy on us!
    Allegro maestoso
    Chorus     		  
       Quoniam tu solus Sanctus.
   Quoniam tu solus Dominus.
   Quoniam tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe,
   cum sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris,
   Amen.
		
       Because you alone are holy.
   Because you alone are the Lord.
   Because you alone are the highest, Jesus Christ
   with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father,
   Amen.
    Allegro ma non troppo e ben marcato
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
    		
   cum sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris,
   Amen.
		
       
   with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father,
   Amen.
    Poco più Allegro
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Quoniam tu solus Sanctus.
   Quoniam tu solus Dominus.
   Quoniam tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe,
   cum sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris,
   Amen.
		
       Because you alone are holy.
   Because you alone are the Lord.
   Because you alone are the highest, Jesus Christ
   with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father,
   Amen.
    Presto
    Chorus     		  
       Gloria in excelsis Deo.
		
       Glory to God in the highest.

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    CREDO
    Allegro ma non troppo
    Chorus     		  
       Credo in unum Deum,
   Patrem omnipotentem,
   factorem cœli et terræ,
   visibilium omnium, et invisibilium.

   Credo in unum Dominum Jesum Christum,
   Filium Dei unigenitum,
   et ex Patre natum ante omnia sæcula.
   Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine,
   Deum verum de Deo vero.
   Genitum, non factum, 
      consubstantialem Patri:
   per quem omnia facta sunt.
   Qui propter nos homines,
   et propter nostram salutem
   descendit de cœlis.
		
       I believe in one God,
   the Almighty Father,
   maker of heaven and earth,
   and all things visible and invisible.

   I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
   the only-begotten Son of God,
   and born of the Father before all ages.
   God from God, Light from Light,
   True God from True God.
   Begotten, not made, 
      of one substance with the Father:
   by whom all things were made.
   Who, for us
   and for our salvation
   descended from the heavens.
    Adagio
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto
   ex Maria Virgine. 
		
       And was made flesh by the Holy Spirit
   from the Virgin Mary,
    Andante
    Tenor solo and Chorus     		  
       
   Et homo factus est.
		
       
   and was made human.
    Adagio espressivo
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Crucifixus etiam pro nobis 
      sub Pontio Pilato:
   passus, et sepultus est.
		
       And was also crucified for us 
      under Pontius Pilate,
   he suffered, and was buried.
    Allegro
    Chorus     		  
       Et resurrexit tertia die, 
      secundum Scripturas.
		
       And he rose again on the third day, 
      in accordance with scripture.
    Allegro molto
    Chorus     		  
       Et ascendit in cœlum: 
      sedet ad dexteram Patris.
   Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, 
   judicare vivos et mortuos:
   cujus regni non erit finis.
		
       and he ascended into heaven, 
      and sat at the right of the Father.
   And he will come again with glory,
   to judge the living and the dead,
   and his reign shall have no end.
    Allegro ma non troppo
    Chorus     		  
       Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, 
      Dominum, et vivificantem:
   qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.
   Qui cum Patre, et Filio 
      simul adoratur et conglorificatur:
   qui locutus est per Prophetas.
   
   Credo in unam sanctam, catholicam 
      et apostolicam Ecclesiam.
   Confiteor unum baptisma 
      in remissionem peccatorum.
   Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.
   Et vitam venturi sæculi. Amen.
		
       I believe in the Holy Spirit, 
      Lord and giver of life,
   who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
   who with the Father and Son
      is worshipped and glorified together,
   who spoke through the Prophets.
   
   I believe in one holy, catholic, 
      and apostolic Church.
   I acknowledge one baptism 
      for the forgiving of sins.
   And I await the rising again of the dead,
   and the life of the age to come.  Amen.
    Allegretto ma non troppo
    Chorus     		  
       
   Et vitam venturi sæculi. Amen.
		
    
   and the life of the age to come.  Amen.
    Allegro con moto
    Chorus     		  
       Et vitam venturi sæculi. Amen.
		
       and the life of the age to come.  Amen.

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    SANCTUS et BENEDICTUS

    Adagio
    Mit Andacht
    Soloists     		  
       Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
   Domine Deus Sabaoth,
		
       Holy, Holy, Holy,
   Lord God of Hosts,
    Allegro pesante
    Chorus     		  
       pleni sunt cœli et terra gloria tua.
		
       the heavens and earth are filled with your glory.
    Presto
    Chorus     		  
       Osanna in excelsis!
		
       Hosanna in the highest!

    Preludium: Sostenuto ma non troppo

    (Violin solo)

    Benedictus

    Andante molto cantabile e non troppo mosso
    Soloists, Chorus and Violin solo     		  
       Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
   Osanna in excelsis!
		
       Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
   Hosanna in the highest!

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    AGNUS DEI
    Adagio
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
       Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, 
      miserere nobis.
   Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, 
      miserere nobis.
   Agnus Dei, 
		
       Lamb of God, who removes the sins of the world, 
      have mercy on us.
   Lamb of God, who removes the sins of the world, 
      have mercy on us.
   Lamb of God,

    DONA

      Bitte um innern und äussern Frieden

     

    		 Prayer for inner and outer peace

     

    Allegretto vivace
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
          dona nobis pacem.
  	
          grant us peace.
    Allegro assai
    Recit.: timidamente/ängstlich
    Soloists and Chorus
          		  
       Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, 
      miserere nobis. 
		
       Lamb of God, who removes the sins of the world, 
      have mercy on us.
    Tempo I - Presto - Tempo I
    Soloists and Chorus     		  
          dona nobis pacem.
  	
          grant us peace.

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