Beethoven and the Mass in C

The Mass in C major was written in 1807 as a commission from the Hungarian nobleman Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II (pictured). This commission continued a tradition established by Joseph Haydn, who, before suffering failing health in 1802, composed Masses to celebrate the name day of the Prince’s wife. However, Beethoven’s patron was displeased with the work, the humiliation driving the composer to leave in a rage.

It is one of the least often performed of Beethoven’s larger works but is described in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs (2004) as a “long-underrated masterpiece”.

Watch a video introduction to the Mass in C

Learn more about Beethoven at this website dedicated to the composer

Listen to the Mass in C (MP3 files)

Find out more

Janáček and Beethoven homepage
Janáček and the Glagolitic Mass
Janáček: a Moravian composer
Beethoven and deafness