A historical study of Joseph Haydn's 'Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo' Hob. XXII:7

This document is a study of Joseph Haydn's Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo from historical and analytical perspectives. It first examines the mass in the Classical period in Vienna: considering issues of style and function, investigating ecclesiastic and Imperial influences, and illustrating the many trends and traditions that were a part of mass composition at this time. Haydn's biography is discussed, particularly in light of its influence on his mass composition. An overview of his fourteen masses is given, including a discussion of the characteristics of the missa breves. Lastly, the entire mass is analyzed movement by movement, and the mass is considered within the context of the history of the genre and the biography of the composer.;One of the purposes of this study is a search for meaning within this mass. Meaning becomes evident as the Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo is examined within historical and biographical contexts. Meaning is also extracted by ultilizing Deryck Cooke's method of analysis presented in his book The Language of Music, and by considering key characteristics as described by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart in Rita Stebblin's book A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth Century.