singular that Beethoven, whose nature was on the whole
essentially religious, although he affiliated with no church, did not
take earlier to mass composition. Some of the best work of Mozart and
Haydn is in this form; as organist he must have been familiar with their
masses. One can readily believe that the emotional quality of certain
portions of Mozart's Mass in B flat, such as the Et incarnatus and the
Agnus Dei, must have strongly appealed to him. His thoughts often went
toward religious music, and it was easy for him to compose in this
style. He recognized the mass as one of the great art-forms, equal to
the oratorio or the opera. From Bach's time on, it may indeed be said to
have been regarded in this light. It is quite evident that Bach so
considered it when composing his grand mass in B minor, which in
difficulty of execution, as well as in its extraordinary length, is no
longer practicable as a church service, its range in all directions
going beyond the requirements of a congregation, or the capacity of the
choir.

It is evident that Beethoven enjoyed working on the Mass, and was quite
at home in this form of composition. Here was plain sailing; he knew
what he wanted to do, and went at it without hesitation. There is none
of that doubt and groping which is the case with Fidelio, which was
continually being worked over, and in reality, never was finished. That
religious works had a great hold on his mind, appears from a letter to
his publisher in after years in which he states that if he had an
independent income he would write nothing but grand symphonies, church
music and perhaps quartets. In another letter dated March 29, 1823,
toward the close of his life, he stated his intention of writing three
more masses.

In the Mass in C a new theory is developed in mass composition. It
differs radically from the style of church composition made popular by
Haydn and Mozart, beautiful as some of that is. Their music is a concord
of sweet melodies, illustrating the peace and happiness which a
contemplation of the religious life affords. Acting on the principle
that beauty is its own excuse for being, they give many examples where
the music does not even attempt to fit the sentiment of the words. The
Kyrie of Haydn's Imperial Mass would do for a Te Deum, or a Song of
Triumph rather than a cry for help. The Kyrie of Mozart's Mass in B flat
is an Italian street song which he heard on one of his tours in Italy
and worked