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K. 66

Missa in C, "Dominicus"

The 13-year-old composer wrote this Mass for the ordination of Cajetan Hagenauer, the son of the Mozart family landlord, Lorenz Hagenauer. The connection between the two families was a close one: Cajetan Hagenauer was a boyhood friend of Wolfgang's, and Lorenz served as Leopold's chief correspondent during the family's "grand tour" of 1763-66.

It was during that tour that Cajetan entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter. On Oct. 15, 1769, the day of his ordination, he assumed the name "Dominicus" and celebrated his first solemn high Mass. For the occasion Mozart composed not only this work, but also the Offertory in C, "Benedictus sit Deus" (K. 117).

Alfred Einstein, who considers this the "sister work" of the Missa solemnis in C minor, "Waisenhaus" (K. 139), writes: "The Mass itself follows closely the model of the Vienna C minor Mass in its construction, in the disposition of the text of the Gloria and the Credo, and in the distribution of its chorus and solo and galant and 'learned' sections. But, though it is not shorter, it is more heartfelt and individual in melodic invention than that work performed in the presence of the Empress."

Recommended recordings:

• Mozart: Dominicus Messe/Vesperae de Dominica, Teldec 2292-46469-2
• Mozart: Masses KV 66 & KV 167, EMI CDC 7 49882 2

References:

• Einstein, Alfred. Mozart, His Character, His Work. New York, 1962.
• Giegling, Weinmann and Sievers, eds. Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis samtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amadé Mozarts. 6th edition. Wiesbaden, 1964.
• Sadie, Stanley. The New Grove Mozart. New York, 1983.
• Zaslaw, Neal, and Cowdery, William, eds. The Compleat Mozart. New York, 1990.