Missa sacra c-Moll

Scoring: Soli STB, Coro SATB, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, 2 Clt, 2 Fg, 2 Cor, 2 Tr, 3 Trb, Timp, 2 Vl, Va, Vc, Cb, Org

A mass setting by Robert Schumann? This is still likely to cause surprise among audiences – after all, Schumann is not generally viewed as a sacred composer. Indeed, his little-known late work, the Missa sacra, Op. 147, is a discovery not just for listeners but often for the performers themselves. The mass combines an acute fascination with sacred liturgy typical of Schumann’s time with the pragmatism of its intended use by a local choral society.

The composer employs his considerable skills to create a captivating and varied score that is almost ethereal in the Kyrie, leading to passages of an intimate and lyrical piano that alternate with fortissimo for words of praise, while always displaying the utmost sensitivity and a delight in dissonance. The composer declared his setting to be “fashioned with great love”.

The demanding orchestral mass can be realized with limited means. The solo parts can be filled from the choir. The work, which the composer himself did not have published, is here reissued on the basis of Schumann’s partial autograph score.

Carus has also produced an arrangement of the work for choir & organ, enabling performances without orchestra in smaller venues (Carus 40.687/45).