Messe solennelle (Berlioz)
Encyclopedia
Messe solennelle is a setting of the Catholic
Solemn Mass
by the French
composer Hector Berlioz
. It was written in 1824, when the composer was twenty, and first performed at the church of Saint-Roch, Paris
on 25 July 1825, and again at the church of Saint-Eustache
in 1827. After this, Berlioz claimed to have destroyed the entire score except for one movement (the Resurrexit). However, in 1992 a Belgian
schoolteacher, Frans Moors, came across a copy of the work in an organ gallery in Antwerp. The first modern performance was given by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner
at the church of St. Petri in Bremen
on 3 October 1993, and the first recording was made by conductor Jean-Paul Penin
on 5 October 1993 in the Vézelay
Basilica. The mass will be given at the 2012 Salzburg Festival
under Riccardo Muti
.
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
Solemn Mass
Solemn Mass
Solemn Mass , sometimes also referred to as Solemn High Mass or simply High Mass, is, when used not merely as a description, the full ceremonial form of the Tridentine Mass, celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of...
by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. It was written in 1824, when the composer was twenty, and first performed at the church of Saint-Roch, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 25 July 1825, and again at the church of Saint-Eustache
Église Saint-Eustache, Paris
L’église Saint-Eustache is a church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, built between 1532 and 1632.Situated at the entrance to Paris’s ancient markets and the beginning of rue Montorgueil, the Église de Saint-Eustache is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture...
in 1827. After this, Berlioz claimed to have destroyed the entire score except for one movement (the Resurrexit). However, in 1992 a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
schoolteacher, Frans Moors, came across a copy of the work in an organ gallery in Antwerp. The first modern performance was given by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner
John Eliot Gardiner
Sir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique...
at the church of St. Petri in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on 3 October 1993, and the first recording was made by conductor Jean-Paul Penin
Jean-Paul Penin
Jean-Paul Penin is a French conductor.-Biography:Jean-Paul Penin is a graduate of the Strasbourg Conservatory of Music and the University of Strasbourg where he obtained a PhD. in biophysics in 1974 and a Master's degree in musicology in 1978...
on 5 October 1993 in the Vézelay
Vézelay
Vézelay is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. It is a defendable hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and the Basilica of St Magdelene are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites....
Basilica. The mass will be given at the 2012 Salzburg Festival
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
under Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.-Childhood and education:...
.
Recordings
- Messe Solennelle, Christa Pfeiler, soprano, Ruben Velasquez, tenor, Jacques Perroni, bass, National Krakow Choir and Philharmony, UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and French Presidency (François MitterrandFrançois MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
) patronage. Conducted by Jean-Paul PeninJean-Paul PeninJean-Paul Penin is a French conductor.-Biography:Jean-Paul Penin is a graduate of the Strasbourg Conservatory of Music and the University of Strasbourg where he obtained a PhD. in biophysics in 1974 and a Master's degree in musicology in 1978...
, October 5, 1993, VézelayVézelayVézelay is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. It is a defendable hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and the Basilica of St Magdelene are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites....
basilica. France-Télévision, France-Musique, Accord Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, 1994. First world recording. - Messe solennelle, Donna Brown (soprano), Jean-Luc Viala (tenor), Gilles Cachemaille (bass), Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by John Eliot GardinerJohn Eliot GardinerSir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique...
(Philips, 1994).
Sources
- Booklet notes to the Penin recording listed above
- Berlioz: Mémoires, Paris, Garnier-Flammarion, 1969.
- Booklet notes to the Gardiner recording listed above
- David Cairns: Berlioz: The Making of an Artist (the first volume of his biography of the composer) (André Deutsch, 1989)
- Hugh Macdonald: Berlioz ("The Master Musicians", J.M.Dent, 1982)
- Berlioz: Memoirs (Dover, 1960)
- Association Nationale Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, Bulletin de liaison n°44, jan. 2010.
External links
- Site Berlioz 2003. http://berlioz2003.site.voila.fr/messe.htm
- "Les Premières armes du jeune Berlioz : la Messe Solennelle", Jean-Paul PeninJean-Paul PeninJean-Paul Penin is a French conductor.-Biography:Jean-Paul Penin is a graduate of the Strasbourg Conservatory of Music and the University of Strasbourg where he obtained a PhD. in biophysics in 1974 and a Master's degree in musicology in 1978...
. - De ontdekking van de Messe Solennelle, W. Gladines.
- La Messe Solennelle de Berlioz, oct. 13 th, 1993 La CroixLa CroixLa Croix is a daily French general-interest Roman Catholic newspaper. It is published in Paris and distributed throughout the country, with a circulation of just under 110,000 as of 2009...
- La Messe Solennelle de Berlioz, oct. 13 th, 1993 Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...