TENOR HENRY CHOO
27 March 2022
CONTRALTO EMILY BAUER-JONES
30 March 2022
UNEARTHING A FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE
J. M. Haydn (1737 – 1806)
Michael Haydn has been relegated almost entirely to the ranks of the neglected. Completely overshadowed today by his older brother Joseph, he was however no less respected during his time. Composing a vast array of both instrumental and vocal music, Michael Haydn is only now beginning to enjoy a renaissance of sorts, but much of his music is yet to enter the realm of regular performance in either church or concert settings.
Contemporary sources tell us the brothers were close but that of the two of them, Michael was the better student and his singing as a boy soprano in the choir of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna was more admired. Michael ultimately would go on to hold the position of concertmaster in Salzburg for an incredible 44 years, which is where he became acquainted with the young Mozart, who had a tremendous fondness for his music and exchanged letters. The similarities between Mozart's Requiem and Michael Haydn's setting in C minor of the same text are striking.
In Salzburg, Michael Haydn also taught a number of important composers, with Carl Maria von Weber and Anton Diabelli chief among them. He was meticulous in dating the manuscripts of his works, which makes the task cataloguing them relatively straightforward, and although he did write in other genres such as the symphony, string quartet and trio sonata, it is his sacred music that is considered most important among his output.
Although this music has faded into obscurity, it has thankfully been preserved in the composer's manuscript in the archives of the Cathedral in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt. The collection was digitised a few years ago and can be accessed here.
Using this source material, the Austrian scientist, musician and mountaineer Wolfgang Esser-Skala has prepared a number of editions of music by forgotten composers and made these readily available. Our performance is certainly the first time the work has been heard in Australia, if not anywhere in the world since it was written!
Wolfgang has created a beautifully clear edition for performers to use. It includes separate parts for all of the instruments in the orchestra in modern notation, as well as score featuring all of the choral parts plus a full score for the conductor.
The organ part of Michael Haydn's 'Litaniae Lauretanae' MH 71 in the composer's hand, preserved in the archive of the Diocese of Eisenstadt.
The creator of the modern edition of this piece, Wolfgang Esser-Skala, writes:
For some reason, history has decided that almost everyone has heard of Mozart, and that his Complete Works are readily available. By contrast, history has denied Michael Haydn comparable publicity, and most of his works remain unpublished. Don't get me wrong – Mozart was indeed a genius, and his music has rightfully survived. But the more I occupy myself with the works of Haydn (as a continuo player, I have performed most of his masses and his requiem; as an editor, I have published several of his litanies and am currently assembling a comprehensive collection of hist short liturgical works) – the more I realise that Haydn was no less a genius and should be mentioned along his brother Joseph, Mozart, and Beethoven as one of the greatest composers of the classical era. Just hear how beautifully cantabile his soprano parts are; how "colorful" the harmonies proceed; how playful the violins leap around; and how exceptionally gifted Haydn's counterpoint is.
And if you look beyond Haydn: There are literally hundreds of beautiful works by other (nowadays largely forgotten) composers slumbering in the archives; works that (given the wearing of some manuscripts) have been regularly performed and thus presumably were quite popular. As an editor, you never know what to expect from a newly discovered work. I admit that some of those works are, well, not particularly exciting, but from time to time you discover real gems. While I love editorial work, the ultimate goal is, of course, that someone picks up my editions and actually performs them – after all, music is meant to be played and listened to. Hence, I am indeed looking forward to the Australian premiere of Haydn's litany!
This work, like the mass by Joseph Haydn we are also performing in the same concert, features an extended part for an organ soloist. It is nothing short of virtuosic with decorative figurations and beautiful, ornate melodies weaving in and around the orchestral texture. Soloists take a back seat in this particularly litany, with only three short contributions for a soprano, while the choir takes on the starring role throughout. Also note the highly unexpected shift from F major to F minor in the middle of the second movement ('Virgo Prudentissima"). This comes as a total shock to the listener.
The work is overall an optimistic one. Drama is created by introducing sudden shifts of key and mood, but the piece is largely joyous and celebratory in tone. The inclusion of trumpets and timpani adds an air of majesty, and all of this pairs well with the mass by Mozart that follows it in the program.
Austrian Encounters Concert Details
Saturday 21st May at St. Mary's Basilica Geelong | Sunday 22nd May at Sacred Heart Carlton
Also live-streamed on the Australian Digital Concert Hall platform. World-wide digital access.
To learn more about the exciting concerts and events planned for 2022,
please see
www.australianboyschoir.com.au/concerts
The Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra perform at the City Recital Hall – Angel Place, Sydney (Photo by Oscar Smith)
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