SOPRANO SUZANNE SHAKESPEARE
13 April 2022
CONCERTMASTER RACHAEL BEESLEY
18 April 2022
DISCOVERING MOZART'S 'LITANIAE LAURETANAE' K. 109
W.A. Mozart (1756 – 1791)
By the time he wrote this piece in 1771 as a 15-year-old, the young Mozart already had a considerable list of credits to his name. Extensive international tours alongside his sister and accompanied by his father were undertaken to cement his reputation as a child prodigy and showcase his talents as an emerging virtuoso performer and composer. Even by his teenage years, Wolfgang’s output of work spanned all major genres and styles of the period, including his first opera written in 1770 while in Milan.
Written back home in Salzburg shortly after his return from Italy, the Litaniae Lauretanae, K. 109 reflects the ‘modern Italian’ style of the 18th century. Clarity is at the forefront of this setting which differs from the more ornate and complicated texture of the traditional church style of the time. The work adopts a similar structure to a piece by his own father Leopold, whom we know guided the young Wolfgang with a firm hand, and is likely to have been written for the chapel of the Mirabell Palace.
Mozart’s earlier works provide a fascinating insight into the development of one of the most intriguing minds the world has ever seen. The work is one of verve and vitality, with some interesting and sometimes surprising shifts of mood. The work provides an ideal opening to our ‘Austrian Encounters’ performances with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra and establishes the key of the first half of the concert – the mellow sonority of B-flat major. It also contrasts nicely with the final work on the program (another work by Mozart written several years later) in terms of genre, mood, structure, orchestration, key, and compositional style. Without eschewing his impressive talents as a teenager, hearing the Litaniae Lauretanae also shows us just how far Mozart came as a composer in a relatively short space of time. The fact that it was written when Mozart was 15 years old is a fascinating aspect for many of the singers of the Australian Boys Choir, who are also around the same age!
The manuscript score for Mozart's 'Litaniae Lauretanae' K. 109
This work is a devotional piece of music to the Virgin Mary, and the title of the piece translates as “Litany of Loreto”. A litany is structured as a meditative series of petitions to a particular saint or a number of saints by those seeking assistance. With the church having served as a centre of artistic endeavour over many centuries, musical dedications to the Virgin Mary were common both before and after Mozart’s time. The key phrase that recurs throughout the structure of a litany is “Pray for us” (in Latin “Ora pro nobis”), with the idea being that the more dedicated and focussed one’s attention is while praying, the more likely one is to be heard by the saint.
The work is scored for a four-part chorus, four soloists and orchestra. We hear violins in two groups, parts for low strings accompanied in a subtle way by a small organ, as well as three trombones which serve to reinforce the lowest three voices of the choir. This was a key feature of 18th century church music, and adds much to the overall sonority. The players in our presentation are playing on instruments from Mozart’s time (or replicas of them, as many have not survived in full working order) and these have their own unique qualities. Groups of musicians who play on these sorts of instruments sound different to a modern symphony orchestra with the sound being quite characteristic and more mellow overall. Listen too for the contrast between the fuller sections for chorus and the moments when the texture is paired back and solo voices are brought to the fore. The work starts in B-flat major but makes a sudden redirection to the relative key of B-flat minor in the concluding section. This shift is unexpected and adds an air of solemnity and even desperation to this litany. B-flat minor is an extremely unusual key for musicians of Mozart’s time, and even for us today.
Sections of joyful optimism contrast with others that are more dramatic and what we could describe as “broody”. The intent of composers who create these contrasts is generally to stir an emotional response in the listener. Before attending our ‘Austrian Encounters’ performances, you can listen to excerpts of the Litaniae Lauretanae, K. 109 performed on modern instruments below.
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
Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra perform at the City Recital Hall – Angel Place, Sydney (Photo by Oscar Smith)
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