This exuberant, vibrantly colored Te Deum in C major features a grand orchestral arrangement for three trumpets and three trombones, but does not call for soloists. It was commissioned by the Empress Marie Thérèse, consort of the Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (not to be confused with Maria Theresa, who was Empress of Austria in her own right during Haydn's youth and for whom his Symphony No. 48 is named). Marie Thérèse was an enthusiastic admirer of Haydn's music and ardently promoted his compositions at the imperial court.
The Te Deum is in one continuous movement, lasting just under ten minutes, but it packs a big punch. Divided into three distinct sections, it begins with a jubilant Allegro, moves into a brief and subdued central Adagio in C minor - the only somber interlude in the composition - and concludes with an Allegro moderato. The final section crescendos into a breathtaking double fugue.
The Te Deum is in one continuous movement, lasting just under ten minutes, but it packs a big punch. Divided into three distinct sections, it begins with a jubilant Allegro, moves into a brief and subdued central Adagio in C minor - the only somber interlude in the composition - and concludes with an Allegro moderato. The final section crescendos into a breathtaking double fugue.
Listen to: Choeur de Chambre de Namur, La petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken