Franz Xaver Richter probably wrote his Missa in A, with the nickname “Hyemalis” (winter), between 1781 and 1783, during his tenure as Kapellmeister at the Strasbourg Cathedral. This peculiar epithet leads us to presume that the Mass was meant to be performed during a sacred service in a time period between Epiphany and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday (Quinquagesima). The present work, a first edition, is a “Messe sollenne senza Trombe,” in which Richter achieved a festive character with musical variety by means of a comparably modest ensemble.
- ISMN: 9790007059804 (M007059804)