Mass in E Flat Major
Encyclopedia
The Mass in E Flat, Op. 5, was Amy Beach
’s first major success, and it was the first Mass written by an American woman. The Mass is a 75-minute work for chorus, quartet, organ, and orchestra.
as a demonstration of skill. Beach was the first major American female composer and was also known as one of the leading composers of the New England School. The text of the Mass provides a framework for young composer to hone their skills in the creation of a large work. Beach believed basing composition on models to be very important when composing in a new form. The Handel and Haydn Society
held performances of Luigi Cherubini
’s Deuxième Messe Solenelle in D minor and Bach
’s B-Minor Mass around the time that Beach was beginning work on her own Mass, indicating she may have based her composition on those two models. The Handel and Haydn Society
premiered her Mass in Boston in 1892. At the time, the Handel and Haydn Society was one of the oldest and most conservative choral groups in the country. The mass was not performed publicly again until the 1980’s.
The Mass consists of Kyrie
, Gloria
in 4 movements, Credo
in 4 movements, Sanctus
, and Agnus Dei. Written in a Romantic style, the Mass is rich in harmony and tonality. The mass received prase for its contrast in instrumentation and also the solos for harp, cello, English horn and oboe. Evidence of Beach’s models can be seen in the Kyrie and the Gloria.
The Kyrie is likely modeled on Bach’s “Dona nobis pacem," although the resemblance deviates in rhythm and intervals employed, leaving that theory highly speculative and superficial.
In movements of the Gloria, most prominent in the “Quoniam”, Beach uses characteristic double-dotted rhythms– which also appear in Cherubini’s Kyrie. These rhythms give a march-like quality to the movement; they are paired with trumpets and drums to evoke a sense of the church militant.
Beach’s use of modulating to third-related keys can be seen in “Laudamus te.”, in which she uses the keys of E flat major, G flat major, e flat minor, and C major. Beach frequently uses C major to indicate heaven or light, and it is used appropriately here, referring to divinity.
Amy Beach
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Most of her compositions and performances were under the name Mrs. H.H.A. Beach.-Early years:Beach was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, New Hampshire into...
’s first major success, and it was the first Mass written by an American woman. The Mass is a 75-minute work for chorus, quartet, organ, and orchestra.
Composition
Amy Beach (September 5, 1867 - December 27, 1944) began work on her Mass in E Flat in 1886. She approached the work following the tradition of composing MassMass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
as a demonstration of skill. Beach was the first major American female composer and was also known as one of the leading composers of the New England School. The text of the Mass provides a framework for young composer to hone their skills in the creation of a large work. Beach believed basing composition on models to be very important when composing in a new form. The Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
held performances of Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
’s Deuxième Messe Solenelle in D minor and Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
’s B-Minor Mass around the time that Beach was beginning work on her own Mass, indicating she may have based her composition on those two models. The Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
premiered her Mass in Boston in 1892. At the time, the Handel and Haydn Society was one of the oldest and most conservative choral groups in the country. The mass was not performed publicly again until the 1980’s.
The Mass consists of Kyrie
Kyrie
Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek κύριε , vocative case of κύριος , meaning "Lord", is the common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, which is also called the Kýrie, eléison ....
, Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
in 4 movements, Credo
Credo
A credo |Latin]] for "I Believe") is a statement of belief, commonly used for religious belief, such as the Apostles' Creed. The term especially refers to the use of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Mass, either as text, Gregorian chant, or other musical settings of the...
in 4 movements, Sanctus
Sanctus
The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
, and Agnus Dei. Written in a Romantic style, the Mass is rich in harmony and tonality. The mass received prase for its contrast in instrumentation and also the solos for harp, cello, English horn and oboe. Evidence of Beach’s models can be seen in the Kyrie and the Gloria.
Influences
In movements of the Gloria, most prominent in the “Quoniam”, Beach uses characteristic double-dotted rhythms– which also appear in Cherubini’s Kyrie. These rhythms give a march-like quality to the movement; they are paired with trumpets and drums to evoke a sense of the church militant.
Beach’s use of modulating to third-related keys can be seen in “Laudamus te.”, in which she uses the keys of E flat major, G flat major, e flat minor, and C major. Beach frequently uses C major to indicate heaven or light, and it is used appropriately here, referring to divinity.