Ludwig van Beethoven

Mass in C op. 86

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed the Mass in C Major, Op. 86 in 1807 at the request of Prince Nikolaus II Esterházy, who had revived the family tradition of commissioning an annual Mass for the name day celebration of his wife, Princess Maria Hermenegild. The commission placed Beethoven in direct succession to Joseph Haydn, whose late masses had long served the Esterházy court. Completed during the same extraordinarily productive period that produced the Fourth Symphony, the Violin Concerto, and the Razumovsky Quartets, the Mass reveals Beethoven bringing a deeply personal and expressive approach to sacred music. Its premiere took place on September 13, 1807, at Eisenstadt under the composer's direction, though the work received a mixed reception, with the prince reportedly finding it insufficiently traditional. Over time, however, its combination of warmth, dramatic intensity, and spirituality came to be more fully appreciated. Today, the Mass in C Major occupies an important place in Beethoven's sacred output, standing as a significant precursor to the monumental Missa solemnis and remains a respected and frequently performed work in the choral-orchestral repertoire. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Org: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Solo SATB: Mix Chorus. Reprint edition.