Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mass in C minor, K. 139 "Waisenhaus"

The Missa solemnis in C minor, K. 139/47a, is a mass composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the summer of 1768 in Vienna. It is scored for SATB soloists, SATB choir, violin I and II, 2 violas, 2

Background#

The mass was commissioned by the Jesuit priest Father Ignaz Parhammer, who asked Mozart for music for the consecration of the new parish church Nativity of Mary on the , Vienna, known as (Orphanage Church). The commission gives the mass its nickname (Orphanage Mass). Mozart also composed a trumpet concerto suitable for performance by a boy as well as an offertory, both thought to be lost. The first performance took place on 7 December 1768 at the church, in the presence of the court. The twelve-year-old Mozart conducted a choir of orphans in a performance that received “universal acclaim and admiration”. and was his first and longest missa longa.

Structure#

The mass consists of six movements. Performances require approximately 40 minutes. Despite its designation as a C minor mass, the music is predominantly in C major;

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart