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Volume 3, Issue 7
February 2005

The Coronation

Of the sacred works that Mozart composed in Salzburg none is as well known or as popular as the Mass in C K. 317. In 1779 Mozart returned from his disastrous trip to Paris and, partly out of material necessity and also to please his father, he took up a position in the Archbishop's service in Salzburg. He was to "unbegrudgingly and with great diligence discharge his duties both in the cathedral and at court and in the chapel house, and as occasion presents, to provide the court and church with new compositions of his own creation". At the first opportunity Mozart fulfilled this demand, composing the mass for the Easter Day service on 4th April 1779.

The musical style of the piece corresponds to the hybrid form that was preferred by the Archbishop: its use of wind instruments suggests a "Solemn Mass", and its length suggests a "Short Mass". Mozart himself described his task in a letter: "Our church music is very different to that of Italy, all the more so since a mass with all its movements, even for the most solemn occasions when the sovereign himself reads the mass [e.g. Easter Day], must not last more than 3 quarters of an hour. One needs a special training for this kind type of composition, and it must also be a mass with all instruments - war trumpets, tympani etc." It therefore had be a grand ceremonial setting, but the mass also needed to have a compact structure. Mozart therefore omits formal closing fugues for the Gloria and Credo, the Credo with its problematic, vast text is in a tight rondo form, and the Dona nobis pacem recalls the music of the Kyrie
Certainly the music itself is celebratory in nature, and would have fitted a coronation or Easter Day service perfectly. The soloists are continually employed either as a quartet, in pairs or in solo lines that contrast with the larger forces of the choir. The most stunning examples are the central hushed section of the Credo, and later when the Hosanna section of the Benedictus is well under way, the quartet begins the piece again, seemingly in the wrong place! Perhaps the most obvious reason for the mass's popularity in Prague in 1791/2 was the uncanny similarity between the soprano solo Agnus Dei and the Countess's aria Dove sono from Figaro which had been so successful theresono from Figaro which had been so successful there in the 1780's.

Source: Aylesbury Choral Society www.info@aylesburychoral.org.uk

Christine Hagan
by Ellie Briscoe

[For those members of the chorus who are new this semester, we give you an intro-duction to our accompanist, Christine Hagan
— ed.]
Christine Hagan, the NOVA Community Chorus’ accompanist, started piano lessons when she was six years old. She wanted to be able to play, "In the Wigwam," the piece her big brother David was learning. When she was in high school, she “went pro,” playing for a local church, and giving piano lessons instead of baby-sitting.
Chris became adjunct faculty at NVCC in the early 1970’s, when the music department was in the Bisdorf Building, with some classes at Baily’s Crossroads.
“ We had four practice rooms and one classroom, and recitals were held in the cafeteria, with the vending machines in the background,” she says.
After Mark Whitmire joined the faculty, at one point his usual accompanist (wife Virginia) was not available for a recital, so he asked Chris to play, and that was the beginning of their long working relationship. She has played for his Saturday repertoire classes and private classes and has also accompanied other singers, such as Rex and Grace Gori. As Dr. Whitmire says, “Chris makes the very difficult look easy. Without her, all of our jobs would be harder…

From Mozart’s Last Letters

To his wife, Oct 7-8, 1791

“I have just come home from the opera [Magic Flute]; it was as full as ever. —The duetto, Mann und weib, etc., and the Glöckenspiel in act 1 were encored as usual —so was the boys trio in act 2—but what pleases me most is the quiet approval—one can see clearly that this opera is steadily increasing in popularity.
The most curious thing about it is that on the very evening when my new opera was performed for the first time amid so much applause, that same evening at Prague, Tito was performed for the last time, also with extraordinary success— every item was applauded.”

To his wife, Oct 8-9, 1791

“I went onto the stage for Papageno’s aria with the Glöckenspiel because today I felt an impulse to play it myself. I played a joke on Schikaneder [Pagageno]: where he has a pause, I played an arpeggio—he started— looked off stage and saw me. When the second pause came, I did nothing— so he waited and would not go on. I guessed what he was thinking and played another chord—whereat he hit the Glöckenspiel and said hold your tongue—at which everybody laughed—I think this joke made many people notice for the fist time that he does not play the instrument himself.”

Source: Composers on Music, Eight Centuries of Writings, 2nd Ed. Edited by Josiah Fisk Northeastern University Press, Boston

Musical Humor

Definitions:

* string quartet: a good violinist, a bad violinist, an ex-violinist, and someone who hates violinists, all getting together to complain about composers.

* detaché: an indication that the trombones are to play with their slides removed.

* glissando: a technique adopted by string players for difficult runs.

* subito piano: indicates an opportunity for some obscure orchestra player to become a soloist.

* risoluto: indicates to orchestras that they are to stubbornly maintain the correct tempo no matter what the conductor tries to do.

* senza sordino: a term used to remind the player that he forgot to put his mute on a few measures back.

* preparatory beat: a threat made to singers, i.e., sing, or else....

* crescendo: a reminder to the performer that he has been playing too loudly.

* conductor: a musician who is adept at following many people at the same time.

* clef: something to jump from before the viola solo.

* transposition: the act of moving the relative pitch of a piece of music that is too low for the basses to a point where it is too high for the sopranos.

* vibrato: used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch.

* half step: the pace used by a cellist when carrying his instrument.

* coloratura soprano: a singer who has great trouble finding the proper note, but who has a wild time hunting for it.

* bar line: a gathering of people, usually among which may be found a musician or two.

* cadence: when everybody hopes you're going to stop, but you don't.

* diatonic: low-calorie Schweppes.
* virtuoso: a musician with very high morals. (I know one)
Source: From the Web
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The Chorus Newsletter welcomes news, articles and photographic contributions. Are you planning a recital? Tell us when and where and we will get the word out. Call the editor, Bob Trexler at 703 978-9171 or e-mail at Rctrex@aol.com.
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The Chorus Newsletter contains information about and for members of the NOVA Community Chorus. It is privately published monthly except during June and July. The College has no responsibility for its content. Members are encouraged to contribute articles and news about musical offerings and musical topics to Robert Trexler, editor and publisher, at Rctrex@aol.com

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