SKU: CA.4068809
ISBN 9790007220327. Language: Latin.
With its tonal language of subjective avowal, the first of Beethoven's two masses opens up new worlds of expression for the liturgical texts of the Mass which are expressly modern and point towards the future. Not to be considered a preliminary work to the Missa solemnis, it is an entirely independent work which set standards for the further development of settings of the Mass in the 19th century. Its newness, of which the composer himself was fully aware (I do not speak gladly of my Mass, or of myself, but I do believe that I have treated the text in a manner in which only few have treated it.), paves a way to an hitherto unknown, contemporary avenue to faith which today is still current. Carus presents this important work of church music history in a new critical edition by the Beethoven expert Ernst Herttrich. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.4068800.
SKU: CA.4068909
ISBN 9790007220389. Key: D major. Language: Latin.
Beethoven described his Missa solemnis as his greatest work several times, a work which, coming from the heart, was to touch and move audiences. The surviving sources enable us to recognize how intensively and how long he worked on the composition in order to give what he felt was adequate expression to the text. In its length and musical demands, the Missa solemnis goes far beyond typical liturgical settings, and the premiere took place, for good reason, in a concert hall. The chorus plays a key structural role in the work, and in the process has to master some extremely demanding sections. The leading Beethoven expert Ernst Herttrich has produced an Urtext edition based on the available sources, and reflecting the latest state of scholarship. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.4068900.