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Mozart's Mass in C Minor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's composing had such a big influence on music, as Shakespeare had on poetry (Burk Introduction 8). The Mass in C Minor, "The Great," was written in Vienna from the period of July 1782 to May 1783 with a double chorus (Zaslaw and Cowdery 14). The following five sections of the mass sum of the eighteenth century: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Benedictus (15).
The first section, Kyrie, is composed to make a dramatic effect. The orchestra of this section sets the mood with a repetition behind the choral parts (Wiens, Ziegler, Aler, and Stone 13). The Kyrie, a distressed plea for mercy, has a strong melodic flow that is both orchestral and choral (Burk 264). As I was listening to this section, I could not help to think that it sounded like a person was on their deathbed and people around the person crying. Towards the end of the song, the melody becomes more upbeat as if someone is being reborn.
The second section, Gloria, is composed into a cantata mas...

Posted by: William Katz

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