The Mesmerizing mystery of Mozart's Music - Mass in C Major KV 317

Mozart's tours and experiences in Mannheim and Paris prompted him to compose in a more international idiom to enlighten the audiences of Salzburg. He had been composing masses from 1768, when he was merely twelve years old. The Mass in C major, KV 317 composed in March 1779 is considered to be the "...finest Salzburg mass" (Stanley Sadie - New Grove). It was first performed on Easter Sunday April 4th 1779 at the Salzburg Cathedral. The original scoring was for four soloists, choir, 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 timpani, violins, a bass violin and organ and it was in Missa Brevis (brief or short) form.

Why was it called the "Coronation" Mass? We have two possible explanations. It was "... traditionally believed to have been composed for the ceremonial crowning of an image of the Virgin"(The New Grove. Stanley Sadie) in the church of Maria PI3; in near Salzburg (Wikipedia). The second explanation is that this mass was used for all ceremonial occasions of the Imperial court of Austria, especially for the coronations of emperors.

The missa brevis (short mass) was used during the 15th - 16th centuries in short movements which included the Ordinary (fixed section) of the Latin mass. These would De the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, and the Agnus Dei. Indeed, most composers by writing one or more of such masses. These sections relate to the traditional Roman Catholic mass which was primarily the ritual of the Eucharist. Music for masses has been in existence from the Middle Ages to the present day. Compositional styles have varied from monophonic (Plain Chant), polyphonic, homophonic to Jazz and Broadway style (Bernstein's Mass 1970-71). Pope John Paul II got Mozart's Mass in C major (Coronation) performed at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on June 29th 1985 with Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra!

Kyrie
The congrgation's pleading for "mercy" is dramatically uttered in just five bars of chorus (tutti) in a forte syllable on "Ky" followed by piano syllables "ri-e". The solo voices of only the soprano and the tenor follow with a lyrical Kyrie e-leison and Christe e-leison answered majestically by the tutti with a rhythmic and dynamic vibrancy. This section is short and there is great dramatic contrast between chorus and soloists.

Gloria
Glorifying God, Mozart gives pride of place to the choir singing in a more homophonic style while the soloists are in a more contrapuntal style. The final Amen is extended through eighteen measures for the choir pairing off sopranos with tenors and altos with basses and in the last six measures the basses and tenors utter the Amen answered by the sopranos and altos.

Credo
This is the central focal point of the Mass and Mozart gives the choir representing the congregation, rich harmonic declarations of "I believe in one God" in an energic and brisk tempo. "The symphonic drive of the Credo is broken off for an Adagio Et Incarnatus, touching on distant keys with delicate violin arabesques..." (The New Grove. Stanley Sadie) amply describes the youthful Mozali's brilliant and meaningful scoring, fusing musicianship with ritual. At Et incarnatus est (was incarnate of the Virgin Mary) the tempo and key change and the soloists utter homophonically the Latin words solemnly and slowly. Traditionally, the ritual demands that the congregation kneels bowing their heads. This is answered by a sombre choir with the words Crucifixus etc. Mozart uses trombones to create a sinister atmosphere. Trombones were used even by Baroque composers like Monteverdi in his opera L'Orefeo to depict the underworld. At Et resurexit, the choir changes tempo to the brisk Allegro molto with which it began the Credo. The only other section for the soloists is Et in Spiritum... per Prohphetas. This section is structured in a complex contrapuntal form. The choir concludes the Credo with the final profession "... believe in one holy, Catholic..." which is also interestingly varied in its treatment of harmony and dynamics. Sixteen bars of an Amen where the Sopranos are imitated by the Altos and the Basses are imitated by the Tenors, follow with a final utterance of Credo and two more assertive Amens to conclude this magnificent, brilliantly scored section.

Sanctus
Traditionally the church ritual will utter the Sanctus and Benedictus as one prayer of the faithful. But Mozart makes them two separate musical entities. This section is entirely for the choir shouting "Holy" (Sanctus), at first, very majestically and, the later exuberant shouts of the Hosanna are taken at afaster tempo.

Benedictus
This begins with the soft solo voices very calmly. But soon the choir bursts forth with the loud Hosannas. Mozart repeats this pattern of contrasting the soloists and the choir.

Agnus Dei
There has been a lot of scholarly writing about thi section. The masterly scoring for a Soprano soloist to begin with, has led many to associate it with the aria Dove sona from Figaro. Indeed it is so exquisite that many advanced singers include this aria (Agnus Dei) in their vocal repertoires. A quartet follows with Dona nobis pacem in a contrapuntal form. The choir is allowed to come next with the spirited Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace) imitating the quartet but also extending tge musical motifs. Two singular utterances of Dona, Dona by the quartet is broken into by the choir's forte declaration of Dona nobis pacem four times to conclude this very expressive section. Mozart uses the same melodic phrases of the Soprano and Tenor solos in the Dona Nobis that he used in the opening of Kyrie's Soprano and Tenor solos, thereby achieving thematic unity - Kyrie (pleading mercy) and Dona nobis pacem (pleading peace).