Haydn's Missa in Tempore Belli was composed in 1796 for SATB chorus and soloists with orchestra. It is one of the finest of the six Hermenegild masses that, together with The Creation and The Seasons, represent the crowning glory of Haydn's final creative period. Although the work was originally written for relatively modest orchestral forces, the wind scoring was expanded when it was performed to great acclaim in Vienna in late 1796. This critical edition by Dr David Russell Hulme is the first to include both the original and Viennese scorings, and the vocal score contains a specially prepared piano reduction that provides a full and practical representation of the instrumental textures and clearly identifies the additional Viennese material. |
