Theresienmesse
Sign in to saveTheresienmesse (H. XXII/12) (also known in English as the " 'Maria Theresa' Mass") is a mass in B-flat major written by Joseph Haydn and named after Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies, empress consort of Francis II. The empress herself was the soprano soloist at private performances of both The Creation and The Seasons in May 1801 at the Viennese Court. The title does not appear on the autograph score, which is labeled simply with the Latin word "Missa".
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Theresienmesse (H. XXII/12) (also known in English as the " 'Maria Theresa' Mass") is a mass in B-flat major written by Joseph Haydn and named after Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies, empress consort of Francis II. The empress herself was the soprano soloist at private performances of both The Creation and The Seasons in May 1801 at the Viennese Court. The title does not appear on the autograph score, which is labeled simply with the Latin word "Missa".
Between 1796 and 1802, Haydn composed six masses to celebrate the name-day of Princess (1768-1845), who was the wife of his patron Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy II. The Theresienmesse, written in 1799, belongs in this series. The work is thought to have been premiered on 8 September 1799. The location was the Bergkirche, near the Esterházy family seat in Eisenstadt, Austria.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Theresienmesse” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.