Haydn wrote a total of 14 masses. The Harmoniemesse is the last Mass he
composed and the sixth Mass in the series of six late, symphonic Masses
that were performed in Eisenstadt in September 1802 to coincide with the
celebration of the name day of Princess Maria
Josepha Hermengilde Esterházy, the wife of Prince Nicholas II Esterházy. Haydn no doubt recalled hearing the large-scale performances of Handel
oratorios in Westminster Abbey when composing
his Creation and Seasons oratorios and elements of that grandeur also inhabit the
grandly conceived Harmoniemesse.
The nickname Harmoniemesse is not Haydn's, but dates from the 19th century. The nickname refers to the instrumental scoring, with a full wind section in addition to the strings: in Austria, music for wind instruments was called Harmoniemusik. But the name may also refer to the interesting harmonic structures in the music. Those structures are evident in the - very long - Kyrie where the choir begins with a fortissimo on the dissonant chord of a diminished seventh, and at the beginning of the repetition where after a long "false" preparation on the dominant of the key g minor the choir abruptly affirms the tonic of B-flat. Also in the Cruxifixus, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, Haydn's harmonic mode of writing is his main form of expression.
Haydn had grown up in the Baroque period strict counterpoint and the use of rhetorical figures in the melody line, but by the end of his life he was using a musical language that already showed the characteristics of Romanticism. The Harmoniemesse requires the largest orchestra of any of Haydn's masses.
Haydn, 70 years old, conducted the first performance of the mass, his last major work, at the Bergkirche in Eisenstadt on Sept. 8, 1802 (later to be Haydn's burial place and memorial). It is the only performance of the Eisenstadt Mass for which a record exists of an attendee: Prince Ludwig Starhemberg, diplomat in Austrian service and ambassador to the court of St. James in London, describes in his diary how he stayed in Eisenstadt during the celebration of Princess Maria Josepha's name day, and the performance of the mass:
"Wednesday, September 8. It was the feast day of the princess, and thus at 10 o'clock we went to her from Eisenstadt in great ceremonial attire, and then in a great procession of many carriages to Mass. A magnificent Mass - new, exquisite music by the famous Haydn and conducted by him (he is still employed by the prince) [...]. Followed by a great and magnificent dinner, as excellent as it was extensive, with music during the meal. The prince drank to the health of the princess, answered by fanfares and salutes - so it went on, people also drank to me, and I raised my glass to Haydn, who dined with us. After dinner we went in skirts to the ball, which was truly magnificent, like a court ball; Princess Marie opened it together with her daughter with a minuet. After that nothing but waltzes were danced. Thursday, September 9. We left at 9 a.m. for the hunt, having been awakened by the hunting horns. Then we had a magnificent concert conducted by Haydn that consisted of the finest pieces from the previous day's Mass. After the supper I bade farewell to the inhabitants of Eisenstadt..."
Haydn had reached the position of a celebrated artist who, as in London, was in the highest social circles and was treated on an equal footing with aristocrats and diplomats and was royally honored at dinner after his 40 years of service to the Esterházy's.
Haydn seems to have found the composition process wearisome, though this does not show at all in the bright and optimistic music. After composing the mass, Haydn complained of fatigue and finally resigned from his position at Esterhazy in 1804. He wrote no major pieces after the Harmoniemesse. But the work is a true delight and it is difficult to believe that this life-affirming music was written by someone who felt tired because of his age. But then, Haydn was 70 at the time and had a busy and fulfilled musical life behind him.
The Harmoniemesse was performed at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for the Mass of the Solemnity of Pentecost on 31 May 2009, which coincided with the 200th anniversary of Haydn's death.
Listen to a performance by the Chor Collegium Musicum Bruneck and Streicherakademie Bozen, directed by Clau Scherrer:
Contains translations from the article about the Harmoniemesse in the Dutch-language Wikipedia.
Choral Masterworks