Description

Beethoven struggled with the “Missa solemnis” for years, searching for a highly personal way to deal with the words and musical traditions of the Mass Ordinary. In the end he produced a work that leaves no listeners cold – some are puzzled but a great many are deeply moved.

The autograph reflects how intensively he worked on the “Missa solemnis” and what a difficult work process it was. Apart from the many corrections there are several torn-out pages. Sometimes Beethoven could only proceed by stitching replacement pages into the manuscript.

Beethoven authority Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen unveils the stages of its genesis in an understandable and rather detective-like manner. In addition Martina Rebmann, head of the music department, explains how this and other autographs were gradually acquired for the Beethoven collection in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek.

Reproduced in high-quality four-colour printing, the facsimile replicates the page stubs and fold-out pages, thereby emulating the feel of the original source. Judicious inscriptions with movement headings, continuous pagination, scholarly foliation and measure numbers help readers to find their way more easily in the manuscript.

»One of the most grandiose artistic working processes ever documented in the history of music«

Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen

Description

Beethoven described his grandly conceived “Missa solemnis” as “my greatest work” and sold manuscript copies to some of the subscribers even before it had appeared in print.

This Urtext edition takes into account all the sources including the old and the new complete editions whose relationship is clearly explained in a stemma. In several passages the renowned Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper has arrived at variant readings, such as in the “Sanctus”, where the choir enters instead of the soloists, rather than coming in at “Pleni sunt coeli”. No less worthy of mention is the addition of the soloists to the choir in most of the “Credo”. These matters and many other editorial decisions are documented in the detailed Critical Commentary (Eng).

The appendix contains Beethoven’s arrangement of the Gregorian chant “Tantum ergo” for the first time. This was composed at the same time as the “Missa solemnis” and most probably stands in a close relation to it.

This edition is designed for everyone seeking a combination of a reliable musical text and well-founded editorial suggestions for a successful performance of this masterpiece.

Description

Beethoven described his grandly conceived “Missa solemnis” as “my greatest work” and sold manuscript copies to some of the subscribers even before it had appeared in print.

This Urtext edition takes into account all the sources including the old and the new complete editions whose relationship is clearly explained in a stemma. In several passages the renowned Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper has arrived at variant readings, such as in the “Sanctus”, where the choir enters instead of the soloists, rather than coming in at “Pleni sunt coeli”. No less worthy of mention is the addition of the soloists to the choir in most of the “Credo”. These matters and many other editorial decisions are documented in the detailed Critical Commentary (Eng).

The appendix contains Beethoven’s arrangement of the Gregorian chant “Tantum ergo” for the first time. This was composed at the same time as the “Missa solemnis” and most probably stands in a close relation to it.

This edition is designed for everyone seeking a combination of a reliable musical text and well-founded editorial suggestions for a successful performance of this masterpiece.