Zeidler: Mass in D Major

Featuring

Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk
Anna Radziejewska
Karol Kozłowski
Jarosław Bręk
Jerzy Maksymiuk
Camerata Silesia

Sinfonia Varsovia
Józef Zeidler

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Historical Context

Both masses by Józef Zeidler were initially kept in the archives of the Cistercian monastery in Obra, a major cultural center in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) until its closure in 1835 by the Prussians.

Composition History

Józef Zeidler's Mass in D major, like his monumental Mass ex D, was discovered recently in the rich collection of Die Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich.

Composer Biography

Józef Zeidler's Mass ex D, dated 1769, is believed to be his earliest known extant composition, penned when he was about 25 years old.

Compositional Technique

The Mass in D major features symmetrical periodic patterns and extensive repetitiveness, with musical ideas and even entire sections, like instrumental introductions, repeated to create homogeneity.

Compositional Technique

The Mass in D major uses contrast, such as the soft, idyllic duet 'Et incarnatus' for soprano and alto, to reflect changes in the liturgical text, reminiscent of Mozart's arias.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Józef Zeidler's Mass in D major represents the aesthetics of the second half of the 18th century, emphasizing naturalness, economy of artistic devices, classical simplicity, and structural transparency.

Critical Reception

Józef Zeidler has recently emerged as one of the most prominent figures in 18th-century Polish music, thanks to systematic archival studies by the Zeidler Association.