Beethoven wrote of the Mass: "My main purpose was to evoke in both the singers and auditors religious sentiments and to instill them permanently." Whether he succeeded in his religious intent is arguable; that the work succeeds musically and artistically is indisputable. It has enjoyed an enduring popularity for over 150 years and continues to be performed and recorded widely.

"In the Mass in D, Beethoven set down everything he possessed in the way of sublime ideas and religious feelings; he gave to this music three years of his life, then in its sunset and brilliantly aglow with its double majesty of genius and adversity"--Eduard Hanslick.

One of the greatest masterworks in the history of music, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis can be regarded as a vast choral symphony structured around the five divisions of the Ordinary of the Catholic Mass. Into it Beethoven poured his musical genius and most profound religious sentiments, creating a work too monumental for ordinary liturgical purposes, but one that stands with Bach's Mass in B Minor as a sublime vision of faith--both deeply personal and universal.

Beethoven wrote of the Mass: "My main purpose was to evoke in both the singers and auditors religious sentiments and to instill them permanently." Whether he succeeded in his religious intent is arguable; that the work succeeds musically and artistically is indisputable. It has enjoyed an enduring popularity for over 150 years and continues to be performed and recorded widely.

Now the entire Missa Solemnis is available in this inexpensive republication of the authoritative Breitkopf & Hairtel score, providing music lovers with an attractive, durable edition of one of the greatest achievements in sacred music.

Kyrie

Gloria

Credo

Sanctus

Agnus Dei