Haydn's Conversion Masses

Abstract

Among the “multiple audiences” for Haydn's Masses were nonbelievers and catechumens: that is, congregants in the process of converting to Catholicism. The clue to this interpretation is Haydn's omission of a crucial article of faith in the Credo settings of four masses. In three settings, the textual omission relates to the conversionary experiences of the patron saint in whose name the mass is offered: St. John of God, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Martin of Tours. A detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding the composition of the Missa St. Joannis de Deo (ca. 1775), a missa brevis honoring the patron saint of the Barmherzige Brüder (Brothers Hospitalers), suggests that Haydn was sensitive to the needs of both the clergy and the congregants to whom they ministered. Haydn's use of brevior practices disguises the textual omission by declaiming different lines of text simultaneously. The resulting polytextuality produces the aural equivalent of Mauscheln, a term associated with the muddle or mixture of language, dialects and accent associated with Yiddish or Jew-speak. In accommodating the needs of transitioning believers, Haydn demonstrates his understanding of the important role played by conversionary ministry in the history of the church.