Missa brevis St. Joannis de Deo Hob. XXII:7 - Little Organ Mass

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.