Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Mass in C minor (1783) - "Et incarnatus est" (Sylvia McNair)

History (based on materials from the Grove Dictionary of Music): Mozart's rich collection of musical works is so gargantuan in scope that at times we allow ourselves to believe a preconception of the composer's unfailing strive for complete perfection. Yet it is this faith that in many cases can make us forget that the man in question was a human being capable of both feats of great talent and surprising lack of inspiration (1). This notion is proven partially correct when we approach the curious genesis and, indeed, variable musical quality of the Great Mass in C minor. The origins of the work suggest a romantic disposition of the composer towards the project -- Mozart, after his wedding with Constanze Weber on August 4, 1782, pledged to compose a mass in her honor to be performed in Salzburg when the newlyweds visited Mozart's father -- but by late July of 1783, after the couple arrived in Salzburg, the piece was still incomplete and would remain unfinished by the time of Mozart's passing (2). A religious conflict between the Emperor Joseph II and the Jesuits seems to have been a key factor behind this lack of motivation on the composer's part for finishing the work. Soon after the premiere of the Mass on October 26, 1783, in St. Peter's Church with Constanze singing the part of the first soprano, Mozart reused some of the material from the work in a 1785 oratorio "Davidde penitente". (1) This duplicity has been earlier discussed in the series of uploads dedicated to the Mozart's concert arias. (2) On an interesting note, Mozart finished almost none of the pieces he wrote specifically for his wife. Music: In my honest opinion, the Mass in general is a more workmanlike rather than an inspired effort on Mozart's part, the few moments of interesting music, such as the graceful soprano duettino "Domine Deus", accompanied by some rather plain choral music. And yet it is here where we encounter one of Mozart's most heartwarming soprano arias and possibly a somewhat belated wedding gift for Constanze - the lovely "Et incarnatus est". The aria is effectively unfinished: the string lines for a small string ensemble in the principal aria which appear in most recorded versions are, in fact, a modern yet seemingly necessary addition to the score. The whole piece opens with an evocative prelude which establishes the main thematic material of the subsequent aria: in particular, the primary obbligato trio (flute/oboe/bassoon) in a brief canonic gesture quotes the material which will later form the base of the concluding cadenza (0:32 & 0:58). The prelude leads into a disarmingly warm aria in two distinctive sections (1:16). The short A section is a highly lyric cantabile, accompanied solely by sighing strings, while the winds briefly appear in a unified echo of the soprano's lines (1:23, 1:38). This model of restraint is followed by a contrasting ornamental interplay of the obbligato trio with the soprano voice in the B section which presents an elaborate series of contrapuntal devices (1:57): the canto and the trio exchange duplets (2:00), soprano/flute/oboe engage in a charming series of descending lines, the bassoon providing quadruplet figures that continue the main line (2:28), the oboe progressively introduces two motives which are then repeated by flute/bassoon over the long notes of the soprano/oboe with the former stating the logical closings of the motives (2:42 & 2:54). Ultimately, the soprano initiates a rising line which forms an elegant culmination of the aria proper (3:08). A brief orchestral tempo di mezzo (3:28) is followed by a second statement of the aria (3:39). The music remains virtually unchanged for the duration of the da capo with a few important effects added to provide variety of expression, such as the sudden interpolation of an exposed variation of the vocal line at 4:25-4:40 or the effective passage of three triplet figurations between the players (4:57). If, after hearing such lovely writing, we were to suggest that the principal aria is similar in execution to a number of Mozart's lyric solos, we would still be won over by the concluding cadenza, entirely written-out by Mozart himself (6:13), which offers a properly celestial closing to what is surely one of the composer's most endearing creations for the soprano voice. Score: Mozart's unfinished manuscript of the aria can be found here (P. 121-130): http://216.129.110.22/files/imglnks/u... Recording: The 1990 Philips recording of John Eliot Gardiner's reconstruction of the Mass with the English Baroque Soloists and a generously handsome-voiced cast headed by a properly luminous Sylvia McNair is recommendable on all possible counts. Hope you'll enjoy =).