F. Joseph Haydn

* Paukenmesse
* Alfred, Koenig der Angelsachsen (excerpts)
* 2 Te Deums

Nancy Argenta, Chaterine Denley, Mark Padmore, Stephen Varcoe
Collegium Musicum 90/Richard Hickox
Chandos 0633

During the summer and autumn 1796 Austria fought on two fronts, in
western and southern Germany and Italy, aginst French troops, four years
into the war that followed the French Revolution, and for first time since
the war against the Turks 1683 it looked like the Austrian heartland was
threatened.  It was at this background, Haydn, sixtyfour years old composed
his "Missa in tempore belli" ("Mass in times of war"), which is one of the
set of masses; i.e.  Theresienmesse, Missa Sancta Bernhardi, Nelsonmesse,
etc.  Haydn composed after he had finished his London-Symphonies.  As
Kapellmeister at the Esterhazy's Haydn had the duty to compose a new mass
to each namesday of the princess Marie Hermegild Esterhazy.  In 1796
however haydn composed his mass, which for certain reasons has got the
nickname "Paukemesse" as part of service celebrating the admission to the
priesthood of Joseph Franz von Hofmann, whose father, appropriatedly was
Imperial and Royal paymaster for the war.  The same year he didn't compose
a mass for the princesses birthday, but presented the Esterhazy's with this
mass.

When thinking of Haydn's high age, and the fact that the mass was written
for one performance in Vienna and as second as a local happening at
Eisenstadt, it would have been understandable that had the composer
withdrawn into his background and written a gentle comforting setting of
the text.  However he didn't choose to do that.  Instead he tried to, with
his music, paint an image of the troubled mood of these days in war time.
To incorporate references to battles in a mass was not something new, still
the result was this time very good, and this mass wasn't surpassed until
Beethovens "Missa Solemnis", which was composed a quarter a century later.

"In tempore belli" suggests itself already in the introduction of the
"Kyrie",and breaks out with full power in the "Benedictus". Following the
tradition the text would have been set indulgently, with an expansive
lyrical style and an atmosphere that was gently ecstatic. In "Benedictus"
the orchestral opening with short phrases that leads to a climax, suggests
something the lyrical style completely different: when the four voices, a
soprano (Argenta), a mezzo (Denley), a tenor (Padmore) and a barytone,
enters, it is not with expansive melodies, but with a short nervous theme,
shared by all the four voices. The music indeed describes its time; To his
first biographer, Georg August Griesinger, Haydn said that the drums in the
"Angus Dei" that follows the "Benedictus" shall sound "like if one heard
the enemy approaching in the distance".

The "Kyrie", "Gloria", "Credo" and "Sanctus" in the opening of the mass is
a more conventional background to the mass, one that is informed with the
full range of the techniques and emotions typical for late Haydn, and so
is all the other six masses he wrtoe at this time; Easy integration of
soloists and chorus, simple melodies as well as intriguing fugues, and a
great vitality all over that is very beautiful.

When composing this, and the other masses, Haydn could fall back on his
full symphony production, and in these masses he baked in everything he had
learned, hence the mass has very clear structures.  The ABA in the "Kyrie"
is so clearly structured as any of Haydns menuettos in the symphonies could
be, and those are very clear in Haydn.  But the music is more quirky than
one can think.  The mass is, like J.S.Bach could have made it, like a giant
puzzle, where the different bricks of music connects with each other, and
could have been laid in other conmbinations if it not had been for the text
to be fluent.

The mass ends with a powerful "Dona Nobis Pacem", a secure vision of
victory claimed with irresistible joy, by the winds and the singers.
Haydn wrote this mass in C major, as this was the key associated with
the trumpets and the timpani.  The same for the other works on this disc.

The first "Te Deum" in C (Hob.  XXIIIc:1) was composed in the early
1760ies, when Haydn had just entered his service at the Esterhazys.  The
precise circumstances of its creation are known.  It was composed for the
wedding of Count Anton Esterhazy and Countess Marie Therese Erdoedy.  As
well as the sound of C Major coloured by trumpets and timpani, the work has
a typical ABA formof that time, brisk outer sections framing a contrasting
slow part for the words "Te ergo quaesumus" (We therefore pray).

The few months before he worked on the "Missa in tempore belli" in 1796,
Haydn wrote a play after Alexander Bicknell's play "Alfred, Koenig der
Angelsachsen".  At that time, the day for the princess actual nameday, this
play was played by a travelling theatre company that visited Etserhazys
mansion, and they performed also another two dozen operas and plays during
their six-week stay.  Haydn provides us with three pieces of incidential
music: an aria, a chorus and a duet.  The aria is sung by the Guardian
Spirit who comforts the imprisoned queen Elvida.  It is accompaigned by a
wind sextett of clarinets, horn and basoon, and Queen Elvidas responces
is spoken with this effective background.  The chorus is sung by the
victorius Danes, celebrating a particulary bloodthirsty victory over the
Anglo-Saxons.  In mood and technique it foreshadows "Missa in tempore
belli", and the victorychoir from "Alfred", at the words "Trompeten und
Pauken verkuenden den Sieg" (Trumpets and Timpanis herald the victory)
directly, and very clearly, connects with the final "Dona nobis pacem"
from the mass.

The second "Te Deum" in C (Hob.  XXIIIc:2) was commisioned by the Empress
Marie Therese, most probably in 1799.  She was a great admirer of Haydns
music, and organized private concerts at the Imperial and Royal court to
explore his music.  While sharing many generic features of the first "Te
Deum"; C major, Timpani and,Trumpets, three part design; its collosal raw
energy seems to sum up not only Haydns long experience as composer, but
also the whole heritage of such music.  Although it awas commessed by the
Empress, it saw its first performance on a nameday celebration at
Esterhazys anno 1800.

Finally it would be important to stress that this is a period performance,
played on original - or copies of original - instruments and with a pitch
A set to 430, contrasting the modern 442.  The performance is glowing, when
it comes to the orchestra - which Hickox himself founded 1990 - as well as
to the soloists.  When I first heared the trumpets set in, I thought they
were playing on modern instruments; so round and secure is their tune.
Else the great soloist is Nancy Argenta, who in the "Kyrie" sings with
great phrasing, and don't break her voice when she climbes up from "kyr.."
and "..ei.." in the first "Elesion" to the "..on" in the second.  With a
clear diction every tone comes out exactly where it should be, and a great
compassion there is too.  And the other singers matches her well, although
they don't really reach her perfection.  The conductor Richard Hickox has
a firm grip on the score, and draws a great energy from the orchestra,
whichs fine playing is very vivid.

Mats Norrman
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