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Frederick Delius

A Mass of Life

Eine Messe des Lebens

DCW 71
RT II/4
DCE 10

Composer: Frederick Delius
Author: Friedrich Nietzsche
Dedicatees: Fritz Cassirer, Arthur Krönig (Part II/6)

Eine Messe des Lebens represented the culmination of several years of composing on Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra. In addition to the Mitternachtslied Zarathustras of 1898, Delius composed a setting of the Tanzlied in 1904, also incorporated into the final composite work. Threlfall notes that two themes from Over the Hills and Far Away are used in Section II/1, figs. 61-4.

Is related to:

Mitternachtslied Zarathustras
Over the Hills and Far Away

Composition: Between 1898 and 1905.

Instrumentation:

Orchestra : 2 fl., picc.fl., 3 ob., cor.ingl., bass ob., 3 cl., cl.b., 3 fg., cfg., 6 cor., 4 tr., 3 trb., tb., timp., gr.c., s.dr., cym., castanets, trgl., glsp., tam. (deep), bells, 2 arp., str.

Choir SATB: S., A., T., B.

Soloists: S., A., T., Bar.

Sources

Early sketch

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, sketch]

An early sketch in ink marked 'The song of midday' and 'women's voices', apparently for section II/3 of the work.

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/9. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Fragmentary sketch material

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, sketch]

A sketch for section I/3 of the work.

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/13/4. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Sketch material

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, sketch]

Ink sketches for section II/3 of the work, and a setting for voice and piano of 'O Mensch! gib Acht!'.

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/6. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Sketch material

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, short score, sketch]

Ink sketch in short score, headed 'Mittags', for section II/4.

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/11/4. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Sketches and draft scores

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, draft]

This manuscript contains i) various sketches for different sections of the work; ii) a fragmentary pencil draft short score, with German words; iii) a pencil draft score with many corrections and alterations. The latter draft score does not include II/3 or II/6. Included with this last item is the original, rejected introduction to the work.

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/13/3. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Autograph score

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score, engraver's copy, complete]

In two volumes, the autograph score in ink and ink over pencil. This manuscript was used as the publisher's Stichvorlage (see RT.1986, 207).

GB-Lbl (British Library, London) MS Mus. 1745/2/13/7 and 1745/2/13/8. Link to external resource

British Library source record

Published score

[Classification: notated music, print, score, first edition, complete]

Verlag Harmonie, Berlin 1907.

Full score in two volumes, German and English words (latter by John Bernhoff). Containing a number of errors subsequently corrected in the autograph score. A vocal score by Otto Singer was issued the same year. and the work was transferred to Universal Edition in 1921 and to Boosey and Hawkes in 1952.

Collected Edition

[Classification: notated music, print, score, later edition, complete]

Editor: Thomas Beecham

Boosey & Hawkes, London 1987.

This edition was entirely new, incorporating Beecham's detailed editing of the score, and constitutes vol. 10 of the Collected Edition.

Performances

Last changed 2020-10-26T14:16:56+00:00

4 June 1908	Tonkünstlerfest, Munich (Konzertgesellschaft für Chorgesang; Münchener Hofkapelle; conductor: Ludwig Hess; performers: M. von Lammen; Olga von Welden; Benno Hebert; Rudolf Gmür).
7 June 1909	Queen's Hall, London (North Staffordshire District Choral Society; Beecham Orchestra; conductor: Thomas Beecham; performers: Gleeson White; M.G. Grainger-Kerr; Webster Millar; Charles Clark).
11 December 1909	Stadthalle, Elberfeld (Elberfelder Gesangverein; conductor: Hans Haym; performers: Emma Tester; Meta Diestel; Matthäus Römer; Charles Clark).