Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis
"Mass in Difficult Times”

Joseph Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis (Mass in Difficult Times) was composed in Vienna during the tense summer of 1798. Napoleon had just gained a major foothold in northern Italy and for the first time in over a century, Austria’s imperial capital, Vienna, was actively threatened by a foreign invader. The imperial court prepared to flee, and citizens scrambled to pack up their valuables. The atmosphere was a volatile mix of patriotic fervor and sheer panic. But when the Mass premiered, just fifteen days before the performance, the balance of power in Europe and the Middle East had changed. Horatio Nelson had destroyed Napoleon's fleet in the Battle of the Nile, a victory that has been called “the most decisive naval engagement of the great age of sail.” 

With its orchestration and ominous use of trumpets and drum, the Mass also came to represent this naval victory and became known as the "Lord Nelson" Mass.

The solo vocal quartet for Haydn’s "Lord Nelson" Mass has won rave reviews for past performances with the Chorale. It includes:
Carley DeFranco, soprano
Krista River, alto
Matthew DiBattista, tenor
David Kravitz, bass

Handel's Coronation Anthems

George Frideric Handel’s Coronation Anthems are masterpieces of Baroque extravagance. Their sound must have been overwhelming in Westminster Abbey on October 11, 1727, when the choir of the Chapel Royal, 47 additional singers, and an orchestra of almost 160 musicians gave their premiere. Despite missed cues, faulty timing, a forgotten anthem (only three of the four were performed), confused singers, and a generally disorganized mass of singers and instrumentalists, the anthems were a great success.

Marked by explosive drama, the Anthems, like much of Handel’s music, are built on surprisingly simple themes, despite the Baroque era’s reputation for complexity. By paring down their musical motifs, Handel created music ideally suited to the vast acoustics of Westminster Abbey. Thirty-two years later, held in the highest esteem, he was buried there.