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The Missa brevis No. 10 in C major, K. 220, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1775 or 1776 for Salzburg. The mass is scored for soloists, choir, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings and organ, the latter supplying figured bass for most of the duration.

It is called the Sparrow Mass (or Spatzenmesse) on account of "the violin figures in the "Hosanna" of the "Sanctus" and "Benedictus" which recall the chirping of birds." It may have been performed on 7 April 1776, during a celebration of Easter Mass at the Salzburg Cathedral. A copy was loaned to the Heiligenkreuz Monastery the following year.

The Sparrow Mass is the first of five Mozart wrote in the same key, C major, as if he was setting himself a compositional challenge. Furthermore, Mozart wrote four other missae breves in C major.

The setting is divided into six movements.

1. "Kyrie" Allegro, C major, common time
2. "Gloria" Allegro, C major, 3/4
3. "Credo" Allegro, C major, common time

   —"Et incarnatus est..." Andante

   —"Et resurrexit..." Allegro

4. "Sanctus" Andante, C major, 3/4

   —"Pleni sunt caeli..." Allegro, common time

5. "Benedictus" Andante, G major, common time

   —"Osanna..." Allegro, C major

6. "Agnus Dei" Adagio, C major, 3/4

   —"Dona nobis pacem..." Allegro, common time

Even in a missa brevis, fugues are expected to conclude the Gloria and the Credo, but Mozart does not write fugues at those points in this mass. Following the example of Joseph Haydn (such as in the Nicolaimesse) and Michael Haydn, Mozart in this mass recalls the music of the Kyrie in the Dona nobis, something which Franz Xaver Süssmayr did in his completion of Mozart's Requiem. Incidentally, the Requiem contains an almost literal quotation from this mass in the Requiem aeternam.

Notes

1. p. 11 (1990) B.
2. p. (1991) Beyer
3. Eisen, Cliff; Keefe, Simon, eds. (2006). The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia. p. 274.
4. pp. 652 - 653 (1995) Heartz
5. p. 101 (2002) Green. Namely, K. 115, K.en 257—259.
6. p. (1991) Beyer
7. p. 652 (1995) Heartz
8. p. (1991) Beyer
9. R. J. Summer, Choral Masterworks from Bach to Britten: Reflections of a Conductor Rowman & Littlefield p. 28

References

• B. (1990) A. New York. "K. 220, Missa brevis in C major, "Sparrow" (K 196b</ref> Zaslaw, Cowdery (editors) Neal, William The Compleat Mozart: A Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart W. W. Norton & Co.
• Beyer (1991) Franz. Wiesbaden, Munich Preface to Missa brevis et solemnis in C für Soli, Chor, Orchester und Orgel (Spatzen-Messe) Breitkopf & Härtel
• Green (2002) Jonathan D. New York A Conductor's Guide to Choral-Orchestral Works, Classical Period: Volume 1: Haydn and Mozart Scarecrow Press
• Heartz (1995) Daniel. New York. Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School: 1740 — 1780 W. W. Norton & Co.
• Hugues (1974) Rosemary. London. Haydn. J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd
• Schenbeck (1996) Lawrence. Chapel Hill, North Carolina Joseph Haydn and the Classical Choral Tradition Hinshaw Music

External links

• Free scores by Missa brevis in C major, K.220/196b at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)

• Masses by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Compositions in C major