MOZART AND THE PRACTICE OF SACRED MUSIC, 1781-91 a ...

Hofkapelle in 1788, and the presence of four horns would not be seen until Biedermeier
times. 206 Commentators have perhaps unwisely assumed that what is termed the full
“classical” orchestra, as seen in a number of Mozart’s symphonies and operas, was also
present in the city’s churches. 207 The reality was a much smaller ensemble, and the allegedly
pared-down forces for which Mozart scored in the Requiem were in fact entirely in line with
contemporary expectations. In this light, Landon’s idea that K. 341 was the beginning of a
Missa solemnis for St. Stephen’s – an ensemble that lacked even salaried oboists – is simply
impractical. 208
If such forces were unknown in Vienna, was there a church orchestra in existence
that was capable of performing K. 341 during Mozart’s lifetime? The answer is yes, and
Mozart heard it in Mannheim on 1 November 1777:
ich war sammstag am allerheiligen tag in der kapelle in Hochammt. das orchestre ist sehr gut und
starck. auf jeder seite 10 bis 11 violin, 4 bratschn, 2 oboe, 2 flauti und 2 Clarinetti, 2 Corni, 4
violoncelle, 4 fagotti und 4 Contrabaßi und trompetten und Paucken. es läst sich eine schöne
Musick machen, aber ich getrauete mir keine Mess von mir hier zu produciren. warum? – –
wegen der kürze? – Nein, hier muß auch alles kurz seyn – – wegen dem kirchenstyl? – nichts
weniger. sondern weil man hier iezt bey dermaligen umständen hauptsehlich für die istromenti
schreiben muß, weil man sich nichts schlechters gedencken kann, als die hiesige Vocal=stimmen.
6 soprano, 6 alti, 6 tenori, und 6 Baßi, zu 20 violin und 12 Baßi, verhält sich just wie 0 zu 1. 209
This was of course the ensemble that merged with the Munich establishment the following
year and provided players for Idomeneo. The close correspondence between the forces Mozart
describes and those required in K. 341 further strengthen the case for a Munich or perhaps
even a Mannheim origin for the Kyrie. It is remotely possible that Mozart could have
assembled a Viennese church orchestra capable of playing K. 341 through hiring extra
206 It should be noted that the Hofkapelle’s performance material for K. 317 omits the horn parts written at the
back of Mozart’s autograph.
207 On Viennese church orchestras, see Biba1783, 68-78 and Dexter Edge, “Mozart's Viennese Orchestras,”
Early Music 20 (1992): 67-8. Note also the absence of horns in the Waisenhausmesse K. 139.
208 H. C. Robbins Landon, 1791: Mozart's Last Year (London: Thames and Hudson, 1988), 49.
209 MBA, ii.101.
197