The Choir of St. James Cathedral will be devoting their next concert to the music of the late 18th century, spotlighting beloved pieces by Haydn and Mozart. Alongside the two giants of the Classical era, the program for the May 11 concert fills out with the music of their lesser known contemporaries and friends William Herschel, Marianna Martines, and Samuel Wesley.
The Haydn Connection
Haydn provides the connection between the works in the concert. There are many written accounts documenting the friendship and admiration between Joseph Haydn and Amadeus Mozart. During the 1780s, the pair were known to stage impromptu concerts throughout Vienna.
18th Century Vienna
The world of music is a small one, then and now. During the last decades of the 1700s, Vienna was home to a young Haydn, who lived in a small apartment on the Michaelerplatz. The Martines family, where daughter Marianna was learning to compose and sing, lived a few floors below him. In fact, Haydn became her piano teacher for several years. Italian singer and composer Nicolo Porpora, also a resident of the same building, was her vocal teacher.
It was through Porpora that Haydn first got work as an accompanist after arriving in Vienna, alone, at the age of 17. Mozart would play four-handed piano sonatas with Marianna, and some scholars believe he took inspiration from Marianna’s Mass in D major when he composed one of his own early masses.
Haydn in the UK
After a period of success at the Esterhazy court and in continental Europe, Haydn found himself in the position of receiving a salary without being required to write any music after the death of his main patron. Violinist Johann Peter Salomen arrived with a large commission for six symphonies and 20 smaller compositions, all of which were to premiere in London. For two years, from 1790 to 1792, Haydn lived and worked in London.
Haydn was curious about science, and went to visit the observatory in Slough, (just outside London), run by Anglo-German astronomer — and composer — William Herschell. Herschell is credited with developing the telescope, and discovering the planet Uranus.
Haydn would later say that his Creation was influenced by what he saw and experienced at the observatory. Herschell was an accomplished organist along with his other talents.
Samuel Wesley, an English composer and organist, was often dubbed “the English Mozart”. Popular in his day, he pioneered the organ recital in the UK; today much of his work has fallen into obscurity, and is difficult to find in print.
Along with the music, the theme of the concert is one of friendship and connections.
The Concert
The concert takes place May 11 in the acoustically glorious St. James Cathedral in downtown Toronto.
The Program
- The Nelson Mass by Franz Joseph Haydn
- Dixit Dominus by Marianna Martines
- Laudate Dominum by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Organ Sonata by William Herschel
- Sinfonia Concertante by Samuel Wesley
- Te Deum by Franz Joseph Haydn
Soloists
- Soprano: Ineza Mugisha
- Mezzo-Soprano: Christina Stelmacovich
- Tenor: Charles Davidson
- Baritone: Jorell Williams
Thomas Bell will conduct, with organist Jeffery Nathan.
More details on the concert, and tickets, [HERE].
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