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

The recovery of several autographs from the collection of Louis Dité allows us to
refine a number of details in Dorothea Schröder’s thematic catalogue of Albrechtberger’s
sacred music. 34 Notably, the gradual Si observaveris J.13, incorrectly described by Schröder as
a motet, can now be dated to 1791 on the basis of a partially autograph set of parts bearing
performance dates from that year to 1801; see Figure 2.4. It is possible that the parts were
used at the Hofkapelle or St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where Albrechtsberger succeeded Mozart as
adjunct Kapellmeister in December 1791. 35 The Mass in E flat A.II.4, previously known only
in copies, survives in an autograph set of parts that also appears to date from this time. 36
Albrechtsberger’s increased production of mass propers may be related to an
interesting decision taken by the Carmelite authorities in 1783. As Mathias Eisterer
explained in his history of the monastery,
Mit allerhöchster Verordnung vom 21. April 1783...wurden sämmtliche Stiftungen bei der
Karmeliterkirche, welche sich auf Novenen, Litaneien, Rosenkränze, Bruderschaften u. dgl.
Bezogen, für aufgehoben erklart. Hierauf beschlossen die Karmeliten, vom Ertrage der
betreffenden Stiftungskapitalien von nun an alle Sonn- und Feiertage das Hochamt musikalisch
zu halten, während vordem nur die Bruderschaftsandachten musikalisch gehalten, dagegen die
Ämter an Sonn- und Feiertagen nach Ordensvorschrift choraliter gesungen wurden. Die
gestifteten musikalischen und gesungenen Litaneien, Vespern u. s. w. wurden nicht mehr
gehalten, sondern bloß die stillen Messen gelesen. 37
In other words, Joseph’s financial restrictions caused an increase in the amount of sacred
music heard at his namesake’s church every Sunday and feastday. Although instrumental
litanies and vespers were generally no longer heard, the performance of instrumental masses
on those days was entirely consistent with the Gottesdienstordnung and the new parochial
34 On the Dité collection, see the following chapter.
35 The offertory is designated for St. Leopold (15 November), and the first performance date on the parts is 15
November 1791. The second date, 26 December 1791, corresponds to St. Stephen; it is possible that the parts
were used at St. Stephen’s Cathedral that day, two weeks after Albrechtsberger succeeded Mozart. The paper is
very likely contemporary to the performance dates: the principal watermark is similar to Duda FV-1 and FV-2,
found in Süssmayr manuscripts from 1792-94.
36 The parts are incomplete: only Violino Primo, two copies of the Soprano and an Alto part now survive. The
watermark is Tyson 62, found with various staff rulings in works by Mozart from 1782 to 1791.
37 Quoted in Karl Pfannhauser, ed., Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Messe in Es-Dur (Missa Sancti Josephi), vol. 8,
Österreichische Kirchenmusik (Vienna: Doblinger, 1951).
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