Mass in C Major, Hob. XXII:9 (lyrics) | Joseph Haydn

📜Complete classical music playlist:    • Best of Classical Music | De Carli   00:00 - Kyrie 05:17 - Gloria 16:20 - Credo 26:39 - Sanctus 29:06 - Benedictus 35:40 - Agnus Dei Joseph Haydn’s Mass in C major, known as the Missa in tempore belli or Paukenmesse, is one of the most powerful and emotionally charged sacred works of his late career, composed in August 1796 during a period of deep political anxiety as Austria faced the threat of invasion during the wars following the French Revolution. Haydn wrote the mass while serving as Kapellmeister to the Esterházy family, fulfilling his annual duty to compose a new mass for the name day of Princess Maria Hermenegild, and although the liturgical purpose of the work was celebratory, the atmosphere of Europe at the time left unmistakable traces in the music. The autograph manuscript bears the title Missa in tempore belli, and the nickname Paukenmesse (“Kettledrum Mass”) comes from the dramatic and ominous use of timpani that appears especially in the Benedictus and Agnus Dei, where the rolling drums evoke the distant approach of war. The mass was first performed on 26 December 1796 in Vienna’s Piarist Church of Maria Treu, and shortly afterward at the Bergkirche in Eisenstadt, where Haydn’s masses were traditionally presented for the Esterházy family. Although the text of the Mass itself contains no explicit political message, the music conveys a sense of unease and tension that was unusual for Haydn, whose sacred works often radiate serenity and joy. Scholars have long noted the unsettled character of certain movements, especially the Benedictus, where sharp accents and anxious harmonic turns seem to reflect the fear gripping Austria as Napoleon’s armies advanced. The Agnus Dei intensifies this atmosphere: Haydn himself remarked that the soft, persistent drumroll should sound “as if one heard the enemy approaching in the distance,” a striking example of musical imagery within a liturgical context. Despite these dark undertones, much of the mass retains Haydn’s characteristic lyricism and vitality. The Kyrie opens with a slow, foreboding introduction before moving into a more flowing main section, blending symphonic drama with devotional expression. The Gloria unfolds in three contrasting sections—fast, slow, fast—mirroring the structure of a classical symphony, and within its central portion Haydn writes an expressive duet for solo cello and bass accompanying the words Qui tollis peccata mundi, creating a moment of intimate supplication. The Credo bursts forth with joyful counterpoint before shifting into a solemn triple meter for the Crucifixus, and then concludes with a fugue that is abruptly interrupted by a jubilant coda, as though the affirmation of faith cannot be contained by strict musical form. The Sanctus begins with grandeur but quickly turns stormy at the words pleni sunt coeli, reflecting the awe and trembling of divine presence, before resolving into the bright Hosanna. The Benedictus, as noted, is filled with tension, its sudden forte outbursts and unsettled harmonies suggesting the turmoil of the world outside the church walls. Finally, the Agnus Dei begins with that haunting drumroll, a musical symbol of fear and uncertainty, but the mass ends in triumph: Dona nobis pacem erupts into a dance‑like triple meter accompanied by trumpet fanfares and timpani, a vision of peace achieved not through quiet resignation but through hard‑won victory. Haydn was a deeply religious man, and he famously wrote “Praise be to God” at the end of every completed score. In the Mass in Time of War, his faith meets the turbulence of history, producing a work that is both devotional and dramatically human. It stands today as one of his greatest sacred compositions, a mass that captures the tension of its era while affirming hope through music of extraordinary beauty and power. 🔥Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed, please, subscribe!