Missa in honorem Sancti Gotthardi

Scoring: Soli SATB, Coro SATB, 2 Ob, 2 Ctr, Timp, 2 Vl, Org

The names of Michael Haydn’s masses are associated either with a specific commission or with the composition’s dedicatee. Thus, Haydn composed the “Missa in honorem Sti. Gotthardi,” also known as the “Admont Mass,” for the Admont Abbey located in the region of Styria, Austria, where Gotthard Kuglmayr was the Abbot.

The mass combines formal concentration with liturgical function. The songlike melody, the unity of the motivic material, and the balanced harmony of solemn and lyrical passages show how intensively Haydn concerned himself with the genre. Due to its length and its orchestration the mass can be considered a type of missa solemnis.

Fugues and fugal movements are completely missing from the Missa Admontis as is any kind of contrapuntal (including imitative) composition. In so doing, Haydn assured that the required understanding of the liturgical text would be achieved.