de Billy, Singverein / Schubert "Mass No. 6"

Franz Schubert composed numerous sacred works during his lifetime, including six Latin masses. He is considered the first great composer of masses of the “bourgeois tradition”, meaning he no longer wrote his masses for use at court only but for performance in parish churches by church choirs. His last one, the Mass in E-flat major, which will now be performed, is not only the longest and largest but is thought by many to be his best sacred work. In contrast to the four earlier masses from 1814-1816, the Mass in E-flat major was not intended for liturgical use alone. The very size of it already goes beyond the scope of a normal church service; also, the technical demands on the voices and instruments suggest that Schubert did not have in mind a performance by laypersons but rather pursued the path towards the concert mass, or, as in this case, the choral mass. It was written in June and July 1828 in Schubert’s last year of life. Like many others of his great late works, Schubert heard it himself. It was premiered posthumously on 4th October 1829 at the Trinity Church in the Viennese district of Alsergrund under the direction of Schubert’s brother Ferdinand. Despite positive reactions from the audience, however, the work soon fell into oblivion. It was only through Johannes Brahms, who stood up for an edition in 1862, that the high musical rank of the composition became manifest.