Missa solemnis, op. 123
by Ludwig van Beethoven
4-Part - Sheet Music

Solo voices, SATB chorus,orchestra (Soprano solo, Alto solo, Tenor solo, Bass solo, Mixed choir (SATB), Orchestra)

SKU: BA.BA09038

Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Edited by Barry Cooper. This edition: urtext edition. Paperback. Barenreiter Urtext. Score. Opus 123. Baerenreiter Verlag #BA09038. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA09038).

ISBN 9790006563838. 31 x 24.3 cm inches. Text Language: Latin. Preface: Barry Cooper.

Beethoven described his grandly conceived “Missa solemnis” as “my greatest work” and sold manuscript copies to some of the subscribers even before it had appeared in print.

This Urtext edition takes into account all the sources including the old and the new complete editions whose relationship is clearly explained in a stemma. In several passages the renowned Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper has arrived at variant readings, such as in the “Sanctus”, where the choir enters instead of the soloists, rather than coming in at “Pleni sunt coeli”. No less worthy of mention is the addition of the soloists to the choir in most of the “Credo”. These matters and many other editorial decisions are documented in the detailed Critical Commentary (Eng).

The appendix contains Beethoven’s arrangement of the Gregorian chant “Tantum ergo” for the first time. This was composed at the same time as the “Missa solemnis” and most probably stands in a close relation to it.

This edition is designed for everyone seeking a combination of a reliable musical text and well-founded editorial suggestions for a successful performance of this masterpiece.

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