The St. Francis Mass is the shorter name for the Missa sub titulo Sancti Francisci Seraphici (Klafsky I:23, MH 826) composed by

Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 173710 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, near the Hungarian border. ...

. He completed it on 16 August 1803, apparently at the request of Empress

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

for a name day celebration. The score calls for a quartet of vocal soloists, mixed choir, 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, 2

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s, 2

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

, and strings with an organ to play

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

. # "Kyrie" Adagio,

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

, 3/4 #:—"Christe eleison" Allegro con brio #:—"Kyrie eleison" D major #:—"Kyrie eleison" Adagio, D minor # "Gloria" Vivace molto, D major, common time #:—"Domine Deus, rex coelestis..." Andante,

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

, 3/8 #:—"Qui tollis..." D major #:—"Suscipe..."

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: : Changes ...

#:—"Miserere..."

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes neede ...

#:—"Quoniam..." Vivace molto, D major, common time # "Credo" Allegro, D major, 3/8 #:—"Et incarnatus est..." Largo,

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

, common time #:—"Et resurrexit..." Allegro con spirito, D major, 3/4 # "Sanctus" Andante maestoso, D major,

cut time ''Alla breve'' also known as cut time or cut common timeis a musical meter notated by the time signature symbol (a C with a vertical line through it), which is the equivalent of . The term is Italian for "on the breve", originally meaning tha ...

# "Benedictus" Allegretto moderato, D major, cut time # "Agnus Dei" Adagio molto, B minor, 3/4 #:—"Dona nobis pacem..." Allegro, D major Many composers have prolonged the setting of the word ''passus'' in the Credo through the use of techniques such as melisma,

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

, and suspension. In this mass, however, Haydn prolongs the word simply by using two "longer note values than have occurred earlier in the setting". The mass was published in 1917 as Volume 45 of the ''

Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich ''Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich'' (Monuments of Fine Austrian Music) (1894–) is a historical edition of music from Austria covering the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. The most recent volume in the edition was published in ...

'', edited by Anton Maria Klafsky. Unlike the Requiem in C minor, which was still in church use in Austria in the 20th century,p. 2, Watson (1997) Derek. New York ''Bruckner'' Schirmer Books the St. Francis Mass disappeared from the repertoire at some point in the 19th century.

References

Sources

* Heartz, Daniel, 1995. New York. ''Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School: 1740 — 1780'' W. W. Norton & Co. * Sherman, Charles, 1969. Mainz Foreword to ''Missa pro Defunctis'', Universal Edition * Sherman, Charles, 1980. Madison, Wisconsin Preface to ''Missa in Honorem Sanctae Ursulae'', A-R Editions, Inc. {{Authority control Compositions by Michael Haydn Masses (music) 1803 compositions