Paukenmesse

The concert I attended was Franz Joseph Haydn’s Paukenmesse (also known as Missa in Tempore Belli, Mass in Time of War, or Kettledrum Mass) in a choral composition with piano accompaniment. It was performed by the West Village Chorale members and conducted by Gwen Toth. Being a vocal arrangement, the piece featured a standard SATB format. The songs included were Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. Kyrie opens up with a largo paced tempo, piano dynamic, with everyone in unison (tutti). The dynamics shift back and forth through the beginning, switching from piano to forte to pianissimo and back to forte for the end (of the first part). After this came the soprano solo, sung at an allegro/allegro molto tempo. The timbre of the piece changes from a somber quality to a more upbeat, chirpy one as the soprano does her solo and then changes again to joyous at the end. I think Kyrie features two of the textures; Monophony in the solo, Homophony when they all sing tutti. Polyphony is possibly there at the end when the sopranos and altos carry the melody while the tenors, baritones, and the piano are doing something there in the background but I’m not sure how to properly explain it. Gloria begins in a vivace tempo and a forte dynamic. The quick introduction is then lead by several rests and then the singers come back but down in the piano range with the second verse. The piece changes to an adagio tempo and plays sforzando before switching to piano for the upcoming bass solo. After the solo all of the vocals return briefly in tutti, the piano dynamic carries over this and into another bass solo. The solo ends followed by a rest and the vocals return in tutti forte for the “suscipe” lyric and then down into piano for the “de practionem nostrum” bit. After a while the tempo picks up into an allegro, there is a quick “amen” soprano solo and ends soon after that. Credo begins in the allegro tempo, starts off with only the piano playing but is soon