1775 - The Music part 5 - The full range of the keyboard?

Hob. #	Genre	Key	Opus	No.	Instruments / Notes
16:30	Sonata	A	Anno 1776	45	Keyboard solo
16:31	Sonata	F	Anno 1776	46	Keyboard solo
16:32	Sonata	b	Anno 1776	47	Keyboard solo
16:43	Sonata	Ab		35	Keyboard solo
			Name	In Honor of
22:07	Roman Catholic Mass Missa brevis	Bb	Kleine Orgelsolomesse 'Little Organ Solo Mass'	St John of God	Soprano, Chorus, 2 Violins, Continuo & Organ obbligato
23d:02	Advent Aria	G	Mutter Gottes mir erlaube "Mother of God allow me"		Soprano, Alto & Strings

What was the full range of the keyboard in 1775? Was it judged by compass? Five octaves was pretty limited compared to the 7½ octave instruments we see today. A couple of years ago I read an interesting article about compass of keyboards and their influence on things you don't normally consider, like which key the work was in. If the composer (specifically Mozart in this case) foresaw the need for certain very high or very low notes in a piece, he would adjust the key selection accordingly. And a statistical analysis showed that in many works, virtually every note on the keyboard was used. So maybe compass is the range?

This was the era when more keyboard development occurred than in any other. The variety of instruments from the simplest possible fretless clavichord to the wonderfully complicated Pantaleon, the harpsichord, the spinet, the Tangentenflügel (Tangent Piano), the square piano, the fortepiano with hammers which hit from above and those which hit from below. And the organ. The small organ positiv, to the gigantic church organ and the many configurations in between. And of all these instruments, each had a specific tonal color. So possibly variation is a range here.

However, all of these keyboards had yet another ambit. They played the simplest or most complex music, both alone or with 'friends'. While it was not uncommon to hear a solo sonata or set of variations, neither was it rare to hear one, two, three or more instruments playing along with, either obbligato or ad libitum. And the keyboard can either be right up front, or filling in the background with all the harmonies or simply a mere continuo bass. This is the range we will look at in 1775, when a master composer got his keyboard worked up for some solo sonatas and proceeded to write a mass which featured another keyboard playing the full scope of its capabilities.

As we saw last year, the 'Anno '776' sonatas were actually a product of circa 1774-75. The three produced this year include the most popular of them, judging by the number of recordings. Haydn was a creature of habit, something hard to tell from his usually unique music. One of the habits he developed over time was grouping works by six. It was a longstanding tradition and Haydn was not one to break with traditions which didn't impede his art. Another habit was more personal; within these six works there were usually five in major keys and one in the minor. The minor key work in this group is one of the most popular of all the middle era sonatas. Hob. 16:32/Lan. 47 in b minor is dramatic, difficult, and a delight for player and listener. The Anno '776 sonatas represent a new venture for Haydn. It is quite certain he is writing these for the local (i.e. – Vienna) dilettante class. They are intended for people who played at home, for themselves, their families and friends. Up until now, when we have seen three movement works, which these are, one of the features is the Haydn signature Adagio. But these more simplified forms hardly contain any, since a sonata-Adagio requires more technique than your average amateur player could muster up. So instead, the inner movements of four of them are minuets, and in the remaining two, the finale is a Tempo di Menuetto & Variations.

If you are a collector of various recordings, there are many possibilities for these sonatas, on harpsichord, clavichord and fortepiano. All of them are authentic, there is little compromise even for the uncompromising! In the middle 1770's, all of the keyboards which I mentioned above, with the possible exception of the Pantaleon were alive and well and living in Vienna. Being indecisive on questions of 'favorite keyboard' has had the benefit for me of being able to hear a large variety of instruments and styles. Such is the age we live in!

We get away from the keyboard for a moment and remind ourselves of Haydn's love for sacred music. It was strongly traditional in Austria to have special arias or motets sung at Mass during the Advent (pre-Christmas) season. Often they were dedicated, as here, to Mary. Often, too, they were in a key with well-recognized pastoral associations, as here, in G major, that most pastoral of keys. This would have been sung during the Offertory, and had two soloists, a soprano and an alto, 2 Violins, Basso (Violone & Cello) and organ continuo. It is a beautiful work, very much in keeping with Haydn's love of tradition and church ritual. This recording is the only one I've ever seen of it, and if you can get it, you will discover this and a dozen other obscure works which all contributed to the liturgy of the time.

If we go all the way back to 1749, to Haydn's earliest extant work, we run across a little Mass in F, his first missa brevis. Now, just twenty-five years later, we find what would be his last. But what a difference twenty-five years makes! There are plenty of commonalities between the two, of course; Haydn was a sincerely devout man, and he invested this in his music. Over the years, Haydn had a long and fruitful relationship with the Barmherzige Brüder, The Brothers of the Good Samaritan. When he was a struggling artist in mid-1750's Vienna, one of the very first regular jobs he had was playing the violin in their church in Leopoldstadt. Later, in Eisenstadt, he

Top: St John of God
Below: Haydn Organ at Barmherzige Brüder Church

was cared for in their hospital (still in existence!) which was supported in main by the Esterházy Family. In the attached church there is a fully restored organ which Haydn played when he played at the services there.

Over the winter of 1775, Haydn composed a Mass as a gift for the Brothers, in honor of their founder, St John of God, whose feast day is March 8^th. It had to fit into the close confines of the organ/choir loft of the church, so a missa brevis, with its small musical forces of 2 violins, cello, violone, organ, soprano and 4 part chorus was almost dictated by necessity.

It is a hallmark of the missa brevis that the text be made 'brief' by a process of telescoping which involves the various choral members singing different lines of the Gloria and Credo simultaneously. If you are, as I was, curious what this looks like in a score, I have posted a bit at the end. Modern scholars contend that the listeners would have been unable to distinguish the words when presented this way, but I don't know if this idea doesn't sell them short. After all, many of them went to Mass every morning of their lives and not only knew every word anyway, but also heard it this way often enough to be able to mentally digest it. Of course, if I'm wrong, it won't be the first time. No matter, it is what it is; there are hundreds of masses from 18^th century Austria which follow this precise pattern. The real star of the show, however, is the Benedictus. Here we have the lovely solo aria for the soprano. The organ plays obbligato solo throughout, but unlike what you may have pictured, it is not in any way a fancy, ornamented solo; it is a model of piety and a perfect accompaniment for the soprano aria. It should not be thought that this dedication to the Samaritan Brothers meant a dead end for this beautiful little Mass. It was used at Eisenstadt for years, where scores showed up in the Bergkirche, and even made its way to Salzburg where brother Michael "untelescoped" the Gloria because Archbishop Colloredo disallowed this form. Even into the 19^th century, Albrechtsberger did the same, and also rewrote the Benedictus without the dated organ solo. Parts for trumpets, timpani, winds including clarinets were all added in order to keep it modern. All if this effort was not spent on every piece of old-time music which came along; this mass was always considered to be especially excellent. Give it a listen, see if you don't think so too!

Our last essay in 1775 will focus on the year's opera, L'incontro improvviso. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed the range of Haydn's keyboard art expressed this year and listen to them soon.

Thanks for reading!

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