Georg MUFFAT (1653 - 1704)
Missa in labore requies
Soloists of the St. Florianer Sängerknaben (soprano, alto), Markus Forster (alto), Markus Miesenberger, Bernd Lambauer (tenor), Matthias Helm, Gerhard Kenda (bass)
Ars Antiqua Austria/Gunar Letzbor
rec. 19-22 August 2013, Dom in Gurk, Austria. DDD
Texts included with German translation
PAN CLASSICS PC10301 [47:25]
In 1724 François Couperin published a collection of instrumental
works under the title Les Goûts-Réünis. This
title was programmatic as he was an advocate of the 'mixed taste',
the blending of elements of the French and Italian styles. In Germany
various composers did the same: they incorporated them into what had come
down to them by tradition. These ideals were of a strictly artistic nature
and were seldom specified. The first advocate of the 'mixed taste'
was Georg Muffat. He not only explained this approach in the prefaces
to his publications but was also quite clear that his motivation was political.
"The warlike weapons and their causes are far from me; the notes,
strings, and lovely musical sounds are my daily preoccupation, and as
I mix the French style with that of the Germans and the Italians, I don't
make war but probably give to those people an example of desired harmony
and sweet peace".
Many composers who were in favour of the mixed taste knew the different
styles only through music publications or manuscripts. Neither Couperin
nor Telemann ever set foot in Italy. The latter visited France, but Bach
never left his own region. It was different with Muffat: he had firsthand
experience of both styles. He was of Scottish ancestry, but was born in
Savoy where his family had settled in the early 17th century. As a boy
he went to Alsace, and then to Paris, where he studied with Lully. He
worked in Strasbourg, studied in Bavaria, and then worked in Vienna, Salzburg
and Prague. In the 1680s he went to Rome, where he studied with Bernardo
Pasquini and became acquainted with the oeuvre of Corelli. He ended his
career in Passau. Despite his experiences in France and Italy he considered
himself German. Therefore he is probably the ideal of a musician who could
blend the various stylistic influences he experienced during his career.
It is through his instrumental music that the ideals of the mixed taste
were disseminated. He composed very little vocal music. Benedict Anton
Aufschnaiter, who succeeded him as Kapellmeister at the court
in Passau, stated that Muffat "left behind no more than three Masses,
an Offertory and two Salve Reginas (...)". Only one Mass has come
down to us, the Missa in labore requies which is the subject
of the present disc. It is in the tradition of large-scale festal masses
which we know also from other composers working in Austria, and in particular
in Salzburg. A striking example is the 64-part Missa Salisburgensis,
today attributed to Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. In comparison this
Mass, also written for Salzburg, is more modest in its proportions, but
it is still in 24 parts, divided over five vocal and instrumental choirs.
Especially notable is the choir of five trumpets and timpani. Also remarkable
are the virtuosic parts for two cornetts and the soloistic treatment of
the violins.
Obviously the main feature of a Mass like this is its splendour. However,
in the passages where the trumpets and cornetts are silent there is certainly
room for text expression. A notable example is in the opening section
of the Gloria, where the word "pax" (peace) is given special
treatment as it is repeated several times in various voices. Considering
the quotation given in the first paragraph of this review that can hardly
be accidental. The 'Crucifixus' is another eloquent specimen
where the text is illustrated through musical figures and harmonic progressions.
The opening figures are played with strong accents, as if the scourging
of Jesus at the cross is being exposed. When the trumpets are involved
in the proceedings their parts are treated with differentiation, for instance
in the Credo when they play with mutes on the words "passus et sepultus
est" (suffered and was buried), "et mortuos" (the dead)
and "(resurrectionem) mortuorum" ([the resurrection] of the
dead).
In his "Observations from the Podium" Gunar Letzbor explains
how difficult it is to perform this work. "All these efforts to create
a universal musical experience in sound were for the benefit of only a
small elite, namely the archbishop and his co-celebrants, who found themselves
at the sonic centre of the spatially distributed musical choirs. Just
a few metres away from the centre one noticed disturbing acoustic overlaps;
from greater distances the performance became so diffuse that it must
have been difficult to find anything positive about it". This must
have consequences for the way a work like this Mass is recorded. Letzbor
believes that it is only possible by making use of modern technical possibilities,
but realizes that not every music-lover has the equipment to reveal everything
as it has been recorded. Another matter of concern is the venue where
the recording has to take place. In his view the cathedral in Gurk has
the acoustic conditions of Salzburg Cathedral, and here various experiments
were made until he was satisfied with the results.
This disc, as it has been released, proves him right. I heard this work
in this performance in the 2013 Early Music Festival in Utrecht, where
the conditions are different. I was seated rather close to the ensemble
and could hear pretty much everything, but at the time I wondered how
many details would have been lost to those who were seated further back.
The recording is excellent: the details, especially in the episodes for
solo voices, come off very well, but that isn’t at the expense of
the ensemble. The tutti passages are meant to make an impression, and
here they certainly don't fail to do so. The performances by trumpeters
and cornett players are quite impressive, especially considering that
these instruments are hard to play and Muffat has written quite demanding
parts for them. The vocal ensemble is relatively small; it is hard to
say how many singers may have been involved in performances in Muffat's
time. Letzbor likes to work with largely the same singers, and that includes
the St Florianer Sängerknaben - the trebles and some altos are members
of this choir. It has been involved in various fine recordings, and this
one is no exception. One could argue that some of the upper parts are
a bit weak in volume, but the voices are very clear and the young singers
deliver stylish performances with some good dynamic shading. The adult
singers have a little more presence, but Letzbor has managed to create
a good balance within the vocal ensemble.
According to Aufschnaiter Muffat regretted that he did not compose more
sacred music. Listening to this Mass one can only agree. That makes a
recording of the only extant sacred piece from his pen all the more welcome.
It is not the first time this work has appeared on disc: in 1999 Harmonia
mundi released a recording by Cantus Cölln. I don't know whether
that one is still available. Even so, this disc deserves praise, because
of the quality of the music and the performance as well as the sensible
way it has been recorded.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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