St. Cecilia Mass


St. Cecilia Mass is the common name of a solemn mass in G major by Charles Gounod, composed in 1855 and scored for three soloists, mixed choir, orchestra and organ. The official name is Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile, in homage of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The work was assigned CG 56 in the catalogue of the composer's works.

History

The first work by Gounod performed in public was on 1 May 1841 a mass at the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. The St. Cecilia Mass was his first major work. Parts of it, the Sanctus and Benedictus, were performed in London on 13 January 1851, together with works such as Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht. Gounod's new music was acclaimed in the press, rendering details and culminating in an enthusiastic summary: "It is... the work of a thoroughly trained artist – and what is more, the poetry of a new poet". The review was published in Paris and raised expectations. The premiere was performed on St. Cecilia's day, 22 November 1855, in Saint-Eustache, Paris, where it was customary to celebrate the day by the performance of a new mass. The conductor was Théophile Tilmant.

Text

The Order of Mass is slightly extended. In the Gloria, the prayer miserere nobis is intensified by an added Domine Jesu. The Credo is followed by a threefold supplication, rendering the same text, "Domine, salvum fac Imperatorem nostrum Napoleonem, et exaudi nos in die qua invocaverimus te", sung once as Prière de l'Eglise by the choir a cappella after a short instrumental introduction, the second time as Prière de l'Armée by the men's voices and brass, the third time as Prière de la Nation by the choir with orchestra. The mass has an instrumental offertory. In the Agnus Dei, the soloists sing between the three invocations the text "Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea", sung once by the tenor, once by the soprano. The movement ends with an added Amen. The changes have been criticized as not liturgically strict.

Scoring and structure

The vocal parts of the mass are performed by three soloists and a choir of four parts, sometimes with divided tenor and bass. The soloists act mostly as an ensemble, without arias. Gounod scored the mass for a large orchestra, demanding six harps. In Gloria and Sanctus, he highlighted passages by pistons, typical instruments of the romantic French orchestra. In Benedictus and Agnus Dei, he was the first composer to use the newly developed octobass, a string instrument of the violone family. He included the great organ, mostly in Grand jeu.
In the following table of the movements, the markings, keys and time signatures are taken from the choral score, using the symbol for alla breve.
No.PartIncipitMarkingKeyTime
IKyrieModerato, quasi AndantinoG major
IIGloriaLarghettoD major
IIICredoCredo in unum DeumModerato molto maestosoC major
IIICredoEt incarnatus estAdagioC major
IIICredoEt resurrexitTempo primoC major
Offertory----
IVSanctusAndanteF major9/8
VBenedictusAdagioB-flat major-
VIAgnus DeiAndante moderatoD major12/8

Reception

commented after the premiere:
He ranked the mass among the best works by Gounod:
The Sanctus was used in Werner Herzog's film Nosferatu the Vampyre.

Selected recordings