Quoniam tu solus from The Nelson Mass by Haydn A2 Applied Music Set Work Context This differs from

Taveners O Wilhelme, it is another example of Latin Church music intended to be sung as a part of a service. It comes from a mass which is the most important service in the Roman Catholic Church. Musical settings of the mass usually have 5 different sections, each sung at a different point in the service. This piece is from the second on the five sections, the Gloria which is a joyful text of praise. By the end of the 18th century, settings of the mass for grand occasions have often required, as here, orchestral accompaniment and solo as well as choral verses. The influence of opera is evident in the ornate writing for soloists and the influence of the symphony in the orchestral writing. In fact, Haydn divided the Gloria into 3 sections (Allegro-Adagio-Allegro this is the last section of the Gloria) The elaboration of Church music was particularly popular in and around Vienna during the classical period, and has come to be known as the Viennesse Classical Mass. Towards the end of his long life, one of Haydns few remaining official duties was to write settings of the Mass for the name day of Princess Maria, wife of the patron Prince Nikolaus II of Esterhaza (one of the chief aristocrats of the Austrian Empire). When this mass was written in 1798, the original title was Missa in Angustilis (Mass in time of fear), reflecting on the terror of the Napoleonic wars then threating Europe. That same year, Admiral Nelson decimated Napoleons navy and in 1800 when Nelson visited Austria, it is likely that that this Mass was played in the Admirals honour. The first performance took place in September 1798 when it formed part of a church service with each of its 5 movements being separated by readings and prayers. The work is sometimes still performed this way, as part of the communion service on special occasions in Anglican cathedrals and chapels. However, the work is now more likely to be heard as part of a concert in a church or concert hall. Instrumentation One of the consequences of the time of fear mentioned above was a financial and political instability which meant that Prince Esterhazy sacked most of the wind players in his courtyard orchestra shortly before Haydn composed The Nelson Mass. Consequently, it was written for a small ensemble of strings, trumpets, timpani and organ (the organist providing some of the solo lines that may have been given to the woodwind). In this score the woodwind have been added by a modern editor. Structure and Texture There are 3 main part, differentiated by texture: Bars 1 22 are Homophonic Bars 22 61 are Fugal Bars 62 82 are freely contrapuntal.

In addition, the ways in which the relatively simple soprano melody is duplicated by a more elaborate version of the same material in the orchestra is heterophonic. Everything is carried irresistibly forward by this symphonic orchestral writing. Section 1 The movement begins with antiphonal exchanges between the solo soprano and the full choir. Bars 2-9 are then repeated in a fully choral version (Bars 9-15) after which Bars 16-22 contain a hushed choral setting of the last line of text over a tonic pedal, which at the last movement moves to the dominant of A. The harmonies in this first section are mainly diatonic, with much use of chords I and V. Section 2 The two-bar fugue subject starting in Bar 22 is sung by the basses and accompanied by a countersubject of staccato quavers in the orchestra. There is the use of (short) sequence in both parts. When the tenors enter with a slightly altered version of the subject in Bar 24, the basses sing the countersubject. This pattern continues until all the vocal parts have entered. The basses reinstate the subject at Bar 30, then the tenors begin a modulatory passage by singing the subject in the key of Bm. The terrific sense of excitement in the rest of this section is largely attributable to Haydns use of stretto (a contrapuntal device in which imitative entries are condensed). This the sopranos enter in Bar 33 just one bar before the tenors and all three upper parts enter at one-bar intervals in Bars 46-48. The fugal texture fizzles out as sopranos and altos descend through a series of suspensions (Bars 57-60) to a perfect cadence in the tonic (Bars 60-61). Section 3 The section from Bar 62 to the end forms a coda to the whole movement. Tonic and Dominant harmonies over a tonic pedal support imitative entries from bass, tenor and alto soloists whilst the soprano sings a triadic descant. Bars 62-68 are repeated to form Bars 71-77 after which the whole choir takes over for the final six bars of the movement.