BeethovenŒÍs sacred works include two settings of the Mass. The Mass in C major, completed and premiered in 1807, has been unjustly described as a preliminary step towards the great Missa solemnis. Yet it is a self-contained and, for its time, decidedly modern piece of church music.
Drawing on the rich body of sources, Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper suggests practical solutions to the workŒÍs musical and interpretative problems. His deep study of the sources convinced him to include a fully realized organ part in the score, just as Beethoven envisioned it for the first printed edition. As stated in the sources, the parts for the soloists and choir are notated on joint staves to demonstrate that the soloists are also to sing the choral passages. Rounding off this Urtext edition are a Foreword on the workŒÍs genesis and a detailed Critical Commentary.
