Felix Delbrueck wrote:

>Stephen Bacher said he had problems with Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and the
>last movement of the 9th symphony:
>
>I can't comment on the Mass - I've heard it only once and remember being
>very impressed by individual parts, but I can hardly say I 'know' it.

After reading Felix's observations about the Ninth, I would have looked
forward to seeing him do the same for the *Missa Solemnis*.

I find the work magnificent and have given my impressions of it on the
Internet in the past.  Listening to this work I think of the account
in Genesis of Jacob wrestling with the angel, who deals him a crippling
injury in the thigh, but who is nevertheless compelled to bless Jacob as
a condition for release, for he has "striven with God and has prevailed".
This work is not, in my view, a meek acceptance of God's decree as in the
Book of Job.  It's a mass written by a person whose belief in God was not
constrained by the dictates of any formal religion and who, challenged to
write one, chose to wrote like no one had before (or has since)...and if
the "Gloria" was too much too soon, well God will just have to learn to
like it!  But all is not Sturm und Drang.  Mountains are not piled on
top of each other.  After the fugued "Credo" comes the "Sanctus" and the
heavenly violin obligato to the "Benedictus", all followed by the haunting
"Agnus Dei" repeated several times in terrifying martial tones to be
tempered by the gentle, soothing "Dona nobis pacem", punctuated by the
simple "pacem, pacem" of the chorus.

As I've had occasion to say before, the *Missa Solemnis* is my favorite
symphonic work by Beethoven.  Like the Jongleur de Notre Dame, Beethoven
gave God all he had in this work and I like to imagine that it would have
been accepted the same way as the Virgin was said to have accepted the gift
of the poor juggler.

Walter Meyer