Missa brevis St Joannis de Deo (Little Organ Mass) (Hob.XXII:7) (Vocal Score)

J Haydn Missa brevis St Joannis de Deo (Little Organ Mass) (Hob.XXII:7) (Arrangement for female choir SMezAA) Vocal score

For performance material on sale, use regular 4-part edition BA4653

Arrangement for SMezAA based on the Henle Complete Edition of the Works of Joseph Haydn

Idiomatic piano reduction

Haydn presumably wrote his Missa brevis in 1775 for the Brothers Hospitallers of Eisenstadt Abbey. The work takes its nickname, the ‘Little Organ Mass’, from the organ solo in the Benedictus.  This arrangement for female choir (SMezAA) is based on the complete edition of the Works of Joseph Haydn.

The original soprano and alto parts have, for the most part, been taken over, as has the soprano solo in the Benedictus.  The tenor and bass parts are distributed among the mezzo-sopranos and altos, with a few well thought-out alterations to preserve the harmonic structure.  Heribert Breuer has retained the original substance with great skill while giving the work a wholly new and attractive sound.

Heribert Breuer was professor of choral conducting and music theory at Berlin University of the Arts until 2010. He is the founder and conductor of the Berlin Bach Academy.