Mass No. 1 in B flat

In 1804, Johann Nepomuk Hummel followed in the footsteps of Joseph Haydn as the director of the Esterházy court orchestra in Eisenstadt. The royal house of Esterházy commissioned numerous Masses composed by significant composers, including Hummel’s Mass in B flat major op. 77. This first mass by Haydn’s successor received a surprisingly positive response. Although the wind passages are fairly uncomplicated, Hummel makes great demands on the strings and choir with a wide range of expressiveness spanning pastoral clarity, martial trumpet signals and sophisticated fugues.