Donizetti & Mayr: Messa di gloria & Credo in D Major

Featuring

Franz Hauk
Siri Thornhill
Marie-Sophie Pollak
Mark Adler
Martin Berner
Marie-Sande Papenmeyer

Concerto de Bassus
Simon Mayr Chor
Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper
Gaetano Donizetti
Johann Simon Mayr

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Historical Context

The Cecilian movement, named after Saint Cecilia, advocated for a return to Gregorian chant and the liturgical style of Palestrina in Catholic church music from the early 19th century.

Compositional Technique

The Credo in this Mass exemplifies the collaboration between Donizetti and his former teacher Johann Simon Mayr, with Donizetti writing the original version and Mayr transcribing and adapting it.

Compositional Technique

The closing Agnus Dei by Johann Simon Mayr features a harmonic structure reminiscent of the Allegretto from Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, a composer Mayr revered.

Composer Biography

Gaetano Donizetti, a composer of around 70 operas, received significant musical training in sacred music, with Johann Simon Mayr as his most important teacher.

Composition History

Donizetti's Messa di Gloria e Credo in C minor, first heard in 1837, was assembled from individual movements he composed around 1820, a common practice in Italy at the time.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Unlike German church music of the early 19th century, Italian Masses by composers like Donizetti often sounded operatic, with melodies and orchestration similar to stage works.

Instruments

The expansive violin solo in the 'Qui sedes' movement was written for Pietro Rovelli, a famous virtuoso violinist who played a Guarneri del Gesù violin that Paganini later sought to purchase.