Requiem

[Andrea]

Today, 10 July, at 10:55am is the state funeral for our late Austrian president Thomas Klestil, who died earlier this week. This funeral will be held in Vienna's Stephansdom followed by the procession that will take him to be burried in the Austrian Presidental Crypt in Zentralfriedhof.

All week they have been talking about the Requiem mass for today but no one ever mentioned who's Requiem mass would be performed. I automatically thought it would be Mozart's or maybe Schubert's. I was quite surprised to hear last night on TV that they will be performing the "Requiem Mass in C Minor" by Michael Haydn. I have never heard this death mass before so I am looking forward to hearing it today since this state funeral will be live on TV.

Michael Haydn composed this Requiem,"Missa Pro Defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo", on the death of his first Salzburg patron, Archbishop Sigismond, in 1771. This Requiem in C minor (for mixed choir and soprano, alto, tenor and bass soli and small orchestra), is a substantial composition which was also used at the funeral of his brother Franz Josef.


Preceding Mozart's Requiem more immediately, and possibly influential upon it, are the settings by Michael Haydn (1771; D-Bsb) and F.L. Gassmann (1774; introit and Kyrie only) both of them links in a continuing Viennese tradition. One of the most striking features of Haydn's setting is the use in the ‘Te decet hymnus’ of a theme based on the appropriate plainchant melody; Mozart, in contrast, used the tonus peregrinus associated with Psalm CXIII.

[Peter]

Interesting Andrea - what was your opinion of the Michael Haydn? I'm not familiar with this mass.

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'Man know thyself'

[Frederica]

I watched part of the service on TV and I liked M. Haydn's requiem music very much. It reminded me of Mozart's a lot, especially the "Quam olim Abrahae" and also the beginning of the "Requiem aeternam", so Mozart must have been influenced by it I guess.
(I'm not a musician, just a listener!)

Originally posted by Andrea:
Today, 10 July, at 10:55am is the state funeral for our late Austrian president Thomas Klestil, who died earlier this week. This funeral will be held in Vienna's Stephansdom followed by the procession that will take him to be burried in the Austrian Presidental Crypt in Zentralfriedhof.

All week they have been talking about the Requiem mass for today but no one ever mentioned who's Requiem mass would be performed. I automatically thought it would be Mozart's or maybe Schubert's. I was quite surprised to hear last night on TV that they will be performing the "Requiem Mass in C Minor" by Michael Haydn. I have never heard this death mass before so I am looking forward to hearing it today since this state funeral will be live on TV.

Michael Haydn composed this Requiem,"Missa Pro Defuncto Archiepiscopo Sigismundo", on the death of his first Salzburg patron, Archbishop Sigismond, in 1771. This Requiem in C minor (for mixed choir and soprano, alto, tenor and bass soli and small orchestra), is a substantial composition which was also used at the funeral of his brother Franz Josef.


Preceding Mozart's Requiem more immediately, and possibly influential upon it, are the settings by Michael Haydn (1771; D-Bsb) and F.L. Gassmann (1774; introit and Kyrie only) both of them links in a continuing Viennese tradition. One of the most striking features of Haydn's setting is the use in the ‘Te decet hymnus’ of a theme based on the appropriate plainchant melody; Mozart, in contrast, used the tonus peregrinus associated with Psalm CXIII.

[King Stephen]

There is one recording of the Requiem that I found in the Tower Catalog.
It is on Hugaroton HCD31022
Helmuth Rilling - conducting and it is coupled with Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Francisci.
Another disc of the Requiem is going to be released shortly on the MD&G (Dabringhaos & Grimm) label. It also has 2 of M. Haydn's Symphonies on the disc.

[Andrea]

Originally posted by Peter:
Interesting Andrea - what was your opinion of the Michael Haydn? I'm not familiar with this mass.

I quite enjoyed it. I had no idea that Michael Haydn even composed a Requiem. It was interesting to find out that his Requiem was performed at his older brother Franz Joseph's funeral.