St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, has always been very special to me. From when I was a kid I heard them many times performed live on Sundays at church and I was always fascinated by what imagined to be the sound of the holy spirit. Today I realise I was spot on – if you listen closely to the compositions of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, you will not fail to resonate with a sense of deep spirituality and devotion. Many of those pieces carry the handwriting of the spirit, created through the masters of music at the time.

In a time prior to mass media and spiritual teachings to be found on every corner – this is how the spirit touched people’s life.

I realise that the Mass may be frowned upon by some because of cultural, religious or even musical identity or taste. Just give it a try – free yourself from preconceived notions and listen with an open heart.  I promise, you will not fail to notice the divine.

In continuation of my previous post about “sacred music”, I would like to introduce particularly beautiful examples of the the “Kyrie”, which is the first movement of the Ordinary of the  Mass.

Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison: Kyrie eleison
(Κύριε ελέησον. Χριστέ ελέησον. Κύριε ελέησον)
Lord have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Joseph Haydn
The Missa in Angustiis (“Mass for troubled times”) or “Nelson Mass” (Hob. XXII:11)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s  Kyrie, Mass in C Minor, K.427.

Spatzenmesse (Kyrie)

Enjoy….