# Missa solemnis (Beethoven)

The Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123, is a Solemn Mass composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819 to 1823. It was first performed on 7 April 1824 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, under the auspices of Beethoven's patron Prince Nikolai Golitsyn; an incomplete performance was given in Vienna on 7 May 1824, when the Kyrie, Credo, and Agnus Dei were conducted by the composer. It is generally considered one of the composer's supreme achievements and, along with Bach's Mass in B minor, one of the most significant Mass settings of the common practice period.
Written around the same time as his Ninth Symphony, it is Beethoven's second setting of the Mass, after his Mass in C major, Op. 86. The work was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf of Austria, archbishop of Olomouc, Beethoven's foremost patron as well as pupil and friend. The copy presented to Rudolf was inscribed "Von Herzen—Möge es wieder—Zu Herzen gehn!" ("From the heart – may it return to the heart!")

## History
### Composition history

The Missa Solemnis is Beethoven's third choral composition on a sacred subject, after the oratorio Christus am Ölberge (1802), and his earlier mass setting, the Mass in C major (1807). The new composition was written to celebrate the investiture of Rudolph of Habsburg-Lorraine as Archbishop of Olomouc, which took place on 9 March 1820.
The sketchbooks and the correspondence reveal that the composer worked on the Missa solemnis for a period of four years, starting on the spring of 1819; it is also of the same year the text of the Ordinary that Beethoven chose for the composition: it contains the Latin text, with the signs of the words' accentuation and the simultaneous translation in German. The autograph score was completed on the spring of 1823.
As a preparation for the Mass, Beethoven extensively studied monophonic plainchant, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque sacred music of composers such as Palestrina, J. S. Bach and Handel, and the rich tradition of Austrian Masses.
It is certainly known that in 1820, while working on the Missa, Beethoven resorted for the study of the church modes to Glareanus' Dodekachordon and Gioseffo Zarlino's Istitutioni Harmoniche, two of the most influential music treatises of the Renaissance, of which the Lobkowitz library possessed a copy.
In a letter dated June 5, 1822, Beethoven called the Missa solemnis "his greatest work".

### Performance history

The first performance did not take place in a sacred setting, but at the Philharmonic Society in Saint Petersburg on the initiative of the Russian nobleman and patron Nikolai Golitsyn on 7 April 1824 (March 26 Old Style). The premiere, originally planned for Christmas 1823, was delayed by rehearsing the demanding choral parts, which proved to be more time-consuming than planned, and by incorrectly copied parts. Who conducted the premiere on 7 April 1824 is unknown.
Parts of the mass (Kyrie, Credo, Agnus Dei) were performed on 7 May 1824, under the direction of Kapellmeister Michael Umlauf at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna, together with the overture The Consecration of the House and the premiere of Symphony No. 9. The three movements of the mass performed were designated “hymns” because the Viennese censorship authorities objected to the performance of mass settings in a secular venue.
Another performance of the entire mass took place in a liturgical setting in 1830 in the Church of St. Peter and Paul in the Bohemian town of Varnsdorf.

## Scoring and instrumentation

The mass is scored for a quartet of vocal soloists, a substantial chorus, and the full orchestra. Each at times is used in virtuosic, textural, and melodic capacities. The full roster consists of 2 flutes; 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in A, C, and B♭); 2 bassoons; contrabassoon; 4 horns (in D, E♭, B♭ basso, E, and G); 2 trumpets (D, B♭, and C); alto, tenor, and bass trombone; timpani; organ continuo; strings (violins I and II, violas, cellos, and basses); soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists; and mixed choir.

## Structure

The Missa solemnis consists of five movements, corresponding to the first five sections of the Ordinary.
Note: Under "Scoring", the performers are indicated with the following abbreviations: "S" vocal soloists, "C" chorus, "O" orchestra. Additionally, "T" stands for the tenor soloist in 'Et homo factus est', and "V" the violinist in the Benedictus. Under "Note", the remarks in italics were written into the score by the composer.
| № | Movement | Bars | Incipit | Tempo | Bars | Scoring | Key | Meter | Note |
| 1 | Kyrie | 224 | Kyrie eleison | Assai sostenuto | 86 | SCO | D major | | "Mit Andacht" |
| 1 | Kyrie | 224 | Christe eleison | Andante assai ben marcato | 42 | SCO | B minor | $^3$ $_2$ | |
| 1 | Kyrie | 224 | Kyrie eleison | Tempo I | 96 | SCO | D major | | |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | Gloria in excelsis Deo | Allegro vivace | 130 | CO | D major | $^3$ $_4$ | Gloria theme |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | Gratias agimus tibi | Meno Allegro | 43 | SCO | B♭ major | $^3$ $_4$ | |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | Domine Deus | Tempo I | 56 | SCO | B♭ major, F major | $^3$ $_4$ | Gloria theme |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | Qui tollis peccata mundi | Larghetto | 80 | SCO | D minor, D major, B♭ major, D major | $^2$ $_4$ | |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | Quoniam tu solus Sanctus | Allegro maestoso | 50 | CO | D major | $^3$ $_4$ | |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | In gloria Dei Patris. Amen | Allegro, ma non troppo e ben marcato | 99 | SCO | D major | | Fugue |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | In gloria Dei Patris. Amen | Poco piu Allegro | 66 | SCO | D major | | Fugue |
| 2 | Gloria | 569 | In gloria Dei Patris. Amen | Presto | 45 | CO | D major | $^3$ $_4$ | Reprise of 'Gloria in excelsis Deo' |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Credo in unum Deum | Allegro ma non troppo | 124 | CO | B♭ major | | Credo theme |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et incarnatus est | Adagio | 20 | SCO | D Dorian | | |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et homo factus est | Andante | 12 | TCO | D major | $^3$ $_4$ | Tenor solo |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Crucifixus etiam pro nobis | Adagio espressivo | 32 | SCO | D minor | $^3$ $_4$ | |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et resurrexit tertia die | Allegro | 6 | C | G Mixolydian | | A cappella chorus |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et ascendit in coelum | Allegro molto | 70 | CO | F major | | |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Credo in Spiritum Sanctum | Allegro ma non troppo | 42 | CO | F major | | Credo theme |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et vitam venturi... Amen | Allegretto ma non troppo | 67 | CO | B♭ major | $^3$ $_2$ | Double fugue |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et vitam venturi... Amen | Allegro con moto | 60 | CO | B♭ major | $^3$ $_2$ | Double fugue |
| 3 | Credo | 473 | Et vitam venturi... Amen | Grave | 40 | SCO | B♭ major | $^3$ $_2$ | |
| 4 | Sanctus | 235 | Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus | Adagio | 33 | SO | D major | $^2$ $_4$ | "Mit Andacht" |
| 4 | Sanctus | 235 | Pleni sunt coeli | Allegro pesante | 19 | SO | D major | | Fugue |
| 4 | Sanctus | 235 | Osanna in excelsis | Presto | 27 | SO | D major | $^3$ $_4$ | |
| 4 | Sanctus | 235 | - | Sostenuto ma non troppo | 32 | O | G major | $^3$ $_4$ | "Praeludium" |
| 4 | Sanctus | 235 | Benedictus qui venit | Andante molto cantabile e non troppo mosso | 124 | SCVO | G major, C major, G major | $^{12}$ $_8$ | Violin solo |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Agnus Dei | Adagio | 95 | SCO | B minor | | |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Dona nobis pacem | Allegretto vivace | 68 | SCO | D major | $^6$ $_8$ | "Bitte um innern und äussern Frieden" |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Dona nobis pacem | Allegro assai | 26 | SCO | B♭ major | | Martial episode 1 |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Dona nobis pacem | Tempo I | 76 | SCO | F major, D major | $^6$ $_8$ | Handel's Messiah citation: "And he shall reign" |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Dona nobis pacem | Presto | 88 | SCO | D major, B♭ major | | Martial episode 2 |
| 5 | Agnus Dei | 434 | Dona nobis pacem | Tempo I | 81 | SCO | B♭ major, D major | $^6$ $_8$ | |
Duration: A performance of the complete work runs from 70 to 90 minutes.

## Analysis

The writing displays Beethoven's characteristic disregard for the performer, and is in several places both technically and physically exacting, with many sudden changes of dynamic, metre and tempo. This is consistent throughout, starting with the opening Kyrie where the syllables Ky-ri are delivered either forte or with sforzando, but the final e is piano. As noted below, the reprise of the Et vitam venturi fugue is particularly taxing, being both subtly different from the previous statements of the theme and counter-theme, and delivered at around twice the speed. The orchestral parts also include many demanding sections, including the violin solo in the Sanctus and some of the most demanding work in the repertoire for bassoon and contrabassoon. The difficulty of the piece combined with the requirements for a full orchestra, large chorus, and highly trained soloists, both vocal and instrumental, mean that it is not often performed by amateur or semi-professional ensembles.

### Kyrie

Perhaps the most traditional movement, the Kyrie is in a traditional ABA′ structure. The grand opening 3 D major chords motif, contrasts sharply with the 4th pianissimo response: (GOD/man) followed by humble stately choral writing in the first section and more contrapuntal vocal textures in the Christe section. The four (SATB) vocal soloists and chorus share the thematic material throughout, the former particularly in the Christe Eleison section. The Kyrie is closed by a plagal-tending coda.

### Gloria

Quickly shifting textures and themes highlight each portion of the Gloria text, in a beginning to the movement that is almost encyclopedic in its exploration of $^3$ $_4$ time. The movement ends with the first of the work's two fugues, on the text "In gloria Dei patris. Amen", leading into a recapitulation of the initial Gloria text and music.

### Credo

The form of the Credo may be divided into four parts:
* 'Credo in unum Deum' through 'descendit de coelis' in B♭
* 'Et incarnatus est' through 'Resurrexit' in D
* 'Et ascendit' through the Credo recapitulation in F
* Fugue and coda 'Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen' in B♭.
The movement opens with a chord sequence that will be used again in the movement to effect modulations. The word "Credo" is repeatedly sung in a two-note motif, and the work thus joins the tradition of so-called "Credo Masses", including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Missa brevis in F major, K. 192 and Mass in C major, K. 257 "Credo". The Credo, like the Gloria, is an often disorienting, mad rush through the text. The poignant modal harmonies for the "Et incarnatus", an hymn-aria immersed in an archaic and austere Dorian polyphony filled with paradisal trills, yield to ever more expressive heights through the Crucifixus, and into a remarkable a cappella setting of the "Et resurrexit". Most notable about the movement, though, is the closing fugue on "Et vitam venturi saeculi" that includes one of the most difficult passages in the choral repertoire, when the subject returns at doubled tempo for a thrilling conclusion.

### Sanctus

Up until the Benedictus of the Sanctus, the Missa solemnis is of fairly normal classical proportions. But then, after an orchestral preludio, a solo violin enters in its highest range—representing the Holy Spirit descending to earth in a remarkably long extension of the text. The music here is markedly slow, close-textured and chromatic, reminiscent of the Baroque organ works of Girolamo Frescobaldi and the French organ school.

### Agnus Dei

A setting of the plea "miserere nobis" (have mercy on us) that begins with the men's voices alone in B minor yields, eventually, to a bright D major prayer "dona nobis pacem" ("grant us peace") in a pastoral mode. After some fugal development, it is suddenly and dramatically interrupted by martial sounds (a convention in the 18th century, as in Haydn's Missa in tempore belli), but after repeated pleas of "miserere", eventually recovers and brings itself to a close.

## Critical reception

Some critics have been troubled that, as Theodor W. Adorno put it, "there is something peculiar about the Missa solemnis." In many ways, it is an atypical work, and lacks the sustained thematic development that is one of Beethoven's hallmarks. The fugues at the end of the Gloria and Credo align it with the work of his late period—but his simultaneous interest in the theme and variations form is absent. Instead, the Missa presents a continuous musical narrative, almost without repetition, particularly in the Gloria and Credo, the two longest movements. The style, Adorno has noted, is close to treatment of themes in imitation that one finds in the Franco-Flemish masters such as Josquin des Prez and Johannes Ockeghem, but it is unclear whether Beethoven was consciously imitating their techniques to meet the demands of the Mass text.
Donald Tovey has connected Beethoven to the earlier tradition in a different way:
   Not even Bach or Handel can show a greater sense of space and of sonority. There is no earlier choral writing that comes so near to recovering some of the lost secrets of the style of Palestrina. There is no choral and no orchestral writing, earlier or later, that shows a more thrilling sense of the individual colour of every chord, every position, and every doubled third or discord.
Michael Spitzer presents an alternative view of the historical context of Beethoven's mass composition:
   Gregorian melodies, of course, continued to be used in the Mass throughout the eighteenth century; but by Beethoven's time they were relatively rare, especially in orchestral Masses. The one composer who still used them extensively is Michael Haydn, in his a cappella Masses for Advent and Lent. It is significant that in some of these he limits the borrowed melody to the Incarnatus and expressly labels it "Corale." In the Missa dolorum B. M. V. (1762) it is set in the style of a harmonized chorale, in the Missa tempore Qudragesima of 1794 note against note, with the Gregorian melody (Credo IV of the Liber Usualis) appearing in the soprano. I have little doubt that Beethoven knew such works of Michael Haydn, at that time the most popular composer of sacred music in Austria.
Maynard Solomon has written about Beethoven's influences and compositional method:
   Beethoven's musical archaisms and reminiscences—Dorian and Mixolydian modes, Gregorian "fossils", quotations from Handel's Messiah in the Gloria and Agnus Dei—and his employment of procedures and musical imagery derived from older liturgical styles are, in context, modernistic devices that also serve to stretch the expressiveness of his music beyond the boundaries set for liturgical music by his contemporaries.

## Recordings
### Audio

| Year | Conductor | Orchestra and choir | Soloists | Label |
| 1928 | Bruno Kittel | Berliner Philharmoniker, Bruno-Kittel-Chor | Lotte Leonard/Emmy Land, Elenor Schlosshauer-Reynolds, Anton Maria Topitz/Eugen Transky, Wilhelm Guttmann/Hermann Schey | Polydor |
| 1935 | Arturo Toscanini | New York Philharmonic, New York Schola Cantorum | Elisabeth Rethberg, Marion Telva, Giovanni Martinelli, Ezio Pinza | Archipel |
| 1937 | Thomas Beecham | London Philharmonic Orchestra, Leeds Festival Chorus | Isobel Baillie, Mary Jarred, Heddle Nash, Keith Falkner | EMI |
| 1938 | Sergey Koussevitzky | Boston Symphony, Radcliffe Choral Society, Harvard Glee Club | Jeanette Vreeland, Anna Kaskas, John Priebe, Norman Cordon | RCA |
| 1939 | Arturo Toscanini | BBC Symphony Orchestra BBC Choral Society | Zinka Milanov, Kerstin Thorborg, Koloman von Pataky, Nicola Moscona | Archipel |
| 1940 | Clemens Krauss | Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper | Trude Eipperle, Luise Willer, Julius Patzak, Georg Hann | Archipel |
| 1940 | Arturo Toscanini | NBC Symphony Orchestra, Westminster Choir | Zinka Milanov, Bruna Castagna Jussi Björling, Alexander Kipnis | Music and Arts |
| 1946 | Erich Kleiber | Teatro Colon Orchestra and Chorus | Nilda Hoffmann, Mafalda Rinaldi, Lydia Kindermann, Kolomon von Pataky | Archipel |
| 1948 | Bruno Walter | New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Westminster Choir | Eleanor Steber, Nan Merriman, Walter Hain, Lorenzo Alvary | Music and Arts |
| 1948 | Erich Kleiber | Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus | Birgit Nilsson, Lisa Tunnel, Gosta Backlein, Sigurd Bjorling | Music and Arts |
| 1950 | Otto Klemperer | Wiener Symphoniker, Akademiechor Wien | Ilona Steingruber, Elsa Schürhoff, Ernst Maykut, Otto Wiener | Vox |
| 1953 | Arturo Toscanini | NBC Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw Chorale | Lois Marshall, Nan Merriman, Eugene Conley, Jerome Hines | RCA |
| 1955 | Otto Klemperer | Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Kölner Rundfunkchor, Chor des Norddeutschen Rundfunks | Annelies Kupper, Sieglinde Wagner, Rudolf Schock, Josef Greindl | Archiphon |
| 1955 | Karl Böhm | Berliner Philharmoniker, Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale | Maria Stader, Marianna Radev, Anton Dermota, Josef Greindl | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1955 | Volkmar Andrae | Wiener Symphoniker, Wiener Singverein | Teresa Stich-Randall, Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Julius Patzak, Gottlob Frick | Archipel |
| 1957 | Carl Schuricht | Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale | Maria Stader, Elsa Cavelti, Ernst Haefliger, Heinz Rehfuss | Archiphon |
| 1957 | Otto Klemperer | Concertgebouworkest, Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam, Collegium Musicum Amstelodamense | Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nan Merriman, József Simándy, Heinz Rehfuß | Archipel |
| 1958 | Jascha Horenstein | Philharmonia Orchestra, Leeds Festival Chorus | Teresa Stich-Randall, Norma Procter, Peter Pears, Kim Borg | Pristine Audio |
| 1959 | Herbert von Karajan | Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein | Leontyne Price, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, Nicola Zaccaria | EMI |
| 1960 | Leonard Bernstein | New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Westminster Choir | Eileen Farrell, Carol Smith, Richard Lewis, Kim Borg | Columbia |
| 1960 | Herbert von Karajan | Philharmonia Orchestra Wiener Singverein | Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, Nicola Zaccaria | Testament |
| 1961 | Jascha Horenstein | BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Chorus | Teresa Stich-Randall, Norma Procter, Richard Lewis, Kim Borg | BBC Legends |
| 1963 | Günter Wand | Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Gürzenich-Chor | Leonore Kirchstein, Jeanne Deroubaix, Peter Schreier, Günther Morbach | Nonesuch. Testament |
| 1965 | Otto Klemperer | New Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus | Elisabeth Söderström, Marga Höffgen, Waldemar Kmentt, Martti Talvela | EMI |
| 1966 | Herbert von Karajan | Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein | Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Walter Berry | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1967 | Eugene Ormandy | Philadelphia Orchestra, Singing City Choirs | Martina Arroyo, Maureen Forrester, Richard Lewis, Cesare Siepi | Columbia |
| 1967 | George Szell | Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus | Sara Mae Endich, Florence Kopleff, Ernst Haefliger, Ezio Flagello | Urania |
| 1970 | Eugen Jochum | Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Chorus | Agnes Giebel, Marga Höffgen, Ernst Haefliger, Karl Ridderbusch | Philips |
| 1973 | William Steinberg | Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Kölner Rundfunkchor | Heather Harper, Julia Hamari, Sven Olof Eliasson, Peter Meven | ica classics |
| 1974 | Karl Böhm | Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor | Margaret Price, Christa Ludwig, Wiesław Ochman, Martti Talvela | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1975 | Herbert von Karajan | Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein | Gundula Janowitz, Agnes Baltsa, Peter Schreier, Jose Van Dam | EMI |
| 1975 | Carlo Maria Giulini | London Philharmonic Orchestra New Philharmonia Chorus | Heather Harper, Janet Baker, Robert Tear, Hans Sotin | EMI |
| 1977 | Rafael Kubelík | Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks | Helen Donath, Brigitte Fassbänder, Peter Schreier, John Shirley-Quirk | Orfeo |
| 1977 | Colin Davis | London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus | Anna Tomova-Sintow, Patricia Payne, Robert Tear, Robert Lloyd | Philips |
| 1978 | Georg Solti | Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus | Lucia Popp, Yvonne Minton, Mallory Walker, Gwynne Howell | Decca |
| 1978 | Leonard Bernstein | Concertgebouw Orchestra, Radio Chorus of the NOS, Hilversum | Edda Moser, Anna Schwarz, René Kollo, Kurt Moll | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1982 | Georg Solti | London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edinburgh Festival Chorus | Helen Donath, Doris Soffel, Siegfried Jerusalem, Hans Sotin | LPO |
| 1985 | Herbert von Karajan | Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein | Lella Cuberli, Trudeliese Schmidt, Vinson Cole, José van Dam | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1985 | Michael Gielen | ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Wiener Singverein | Alison Hargan, Marjana Lipovšek, Thomas Moser, Matthias Hölle | Orfeo |
| 1987 | Michael Gielen | SWF-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Prague Philharmonic Choir | Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Marjana Lipovšek, Josef Protschka, Kurt Rydl | Intercord/Aurophon |
| 1987 | Terje Kvam | The Hanover Band, Oslo Cathedral Choir | Marianne Hirsti, Carolyn Watkinson, Andrew Murgatroyd, Michael George | Nimbus |
| 1988 | Antal Doráti | European Symphony Orchestra, University of Maryland Chorus | Tina Kiberg, Rosemarie Lang, William Cochran, Mikhail Krutikov | BIS |
| 1988 | Antal Doráti | European Symphony Orchestra, University of Maryland Chorus | Barbara Martig-Tüller, Rosemarie Lang, William Cochran, Thomas Brandis | Melodiya |
| 1988 | Robert Shaw | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus | Sylvia McNair, Janice Taylor John Aler, Tom Krause | Telarc |
| 1989 | John Eliot Gardiner | Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique Monteverdi Choir | Charlotte Margiono, Catherine Robbin, William Kendall, Alastair Miles | Archiv Produktion |
| 1989 | Helmuth Rilling | Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart | Pamela Coburn, Florence Quivar, Aldo Baldin, Andreas Schmidt | Hänssler |
| 1990 | Jeffrey Tate | English Chamber Orchestra, Tallis Chamber Choir | Carol Vaness, Waltraud Meier, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Hans Tschammer | EMI |
| 1991 | Daniel Barenboim | Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus | Tina Kiberg, Waltraud Meier John Aler, Robert Holl | Erato |
| 1991 | James Levine | Wiener Philharmoniker, Leipziger Rundfunkchor, Swedish Radio Choir, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir | Cheryl Studer, Jessye Norman, PlácidoDomingo, Kurt Moll | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1992 | Nikolaus Harnoncourt | Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Arnold Schoenberg Chor | Eva Mei, Marjana Lipovsek, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Robert Holl | Teldec |
| 1993 | Rudolf Barshai | Russian National Orchestra, Sveshnikov Male Choir, Moscow Radio Children's Choir | Ursula Fiedler, Barbara Hölzl, Werner Hollweg, Jakob Stämpfli | Capriole |
| 1994 | Georg Solti | Berliner Philharmoniker Rundfunkchor Berlin | Julia Varady, Iris Vermillion, Vinson Cole, René Pape | Decca |
| 1996 | Kurt Masur | Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Rundfunkchor Leipzig | Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Annalies Burmeister, Peter Schreier, Hermann Christian Polster | Berlin Classics |
| 2001 | David Zinman | Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Schweizer Kammerchor | Luba Orgonasova, Anna Larsson, Rainer Trost, Franz-Josef Selig | Arte Nova |
| 2001 | Roger Norrington | Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, NDR-Chor, SWR Vokalensemble | Amanda Halgrimson, Cornelia Kallisch, John Aler, Alastair Miles | Hänssler |
| 2002 | Philippe Herreweghe | Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Collegium Vocale Gent La Chapelle Royale | Rosa Mannion, Birgit Remmert, James Taylor, Cornelius Hauptmann | Harmonia Mundi |
| 2003 | Kenneth Schermerhorn | Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus | Lori Phillips, Robynne Redmon, James Taylor, Jay Baylon | Naxos |
| 2006 | Colin Davis | Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayrischen Rundfunks | Luba Orgonasova, Jadwiga Rappé, Uwe Hellmann, Jan-Hendrik Rootering | RCA |
| 2007 | Gustav Kuhn | Bolzano-Trento Haydn Orchestra, Chorus Academy of the Tyrolean Festival | Ingrid Kaiserfeld, Hermine Haselbock, Wolfram Wittekind, Liang Li | Col Legno |
| 2008 | Valentin Radu | Ama Deus Ensemble | Sarah Davis, Jody Kidwell, Timothy Bentch, Ed Bara | Lyrichord |
| 2010 | Alan Gilbert | New York Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Choral Artists | Christine Brewer, Jane Henschel, Anthony Dean Griffey, Eric Owens | NY Philharmonic |
| 2010 | Enoch zu Guttenberg | Orchester und Kammerchor der KlangVerwaltung | Susanne Bernhard, Anke Vondung, Pavol Breslik, Yorck Felix Speer | Farao Classics |
| 2011 | Charles Mackerras | Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choir | Rosamund Illing, Elizabeth Campbell, Christopher Doig, Rodney Macann | ABC Classics |
| 2012 | Herbert Blomstedt | Gewandhausorchester, MDR Rundfunkchor | Simone Schneider, Gerhild Romberger, Richard Croft, Jochen Kupfer | Querstand |
| 2012 | Christoph Eschenbach | London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir | Anne Schwanewilms, Annette Jahns, Nikolai Schukoff, Dietrich Henschel | LPO |
| 2012 | Philippe Herreweghe | Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Collegium Vocale Gent | Marlis Petersen, Gerhild Romberger, Benjamin Hulett, David Wilson-Johnson | PHI |
| 2012 | John Eliot Gardiner | Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Monteverdi Choir | Lucy Crowe, Jennifer Johnston, James Gilchrist, Matthew Rose | SDG |
| 2013 | Marc Soustrot | Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno | Hillevi Martinpelto, Elena Zaremba, Herbert Lippert, Ronnie Johansen | MDG |
| 2014 | Bernard Haitink | Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks | Genia Kühlmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Mark Padmore, Hanno Müller-Brachmann | BR Klassik |
| 2015 | Nikolaus Harnoncourt | Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg Chor | Laura Aikin, Bernarda Fink, Johannes Chum, Ruben Drole | Sony |
| 2016 | Daniel Reuss | Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Cappella Amsterdam | Carolyn Sampson, Marianne Beate Kielland, Thomas Walker, David Wilson-Johnson | Glossa |
| 2017 | Marek Janowski | Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig | Regine Hangler, Elisabeth Kulman, Christian Elsner, Franz-Josef Selig | Pentatone |
| 2018 | Masaaki Suzuki | Bach Collegium Japan | Ann-Helen Moen, Roxana Constantinescu, James Gilchrist, Benjamin Bevan | BIS |
| 2019 | Frieder Bernius | Hofkapelle Stuttgart, Kammerchor Stuttgart | Johanna Winkel, Sophie Harmsen, Sebastian Kohlhepp, Arttu Kataja | Carus |
| 2021 | René Jacobs | Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor | Polina Pastirchak, Sophie Harmsen, Steve Davislim, Johannes Weisser | Harmonia Mundi |
| 2023 | Jordi Savall | Le Concert des Nations, La Capella Nacional de Catalunya | Lina Johnson, Olivia Vermeulen, Martin Platz, Manuel Walser | AliaVox |

### Video

| Year | Conductor | Orchestra and choir | Soloists | Label |
| 1977 | Rafael Kubelík | Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks | Helen Donath, Brigitte Fassbänder, Peter Schreier, John Shirley-Quirk | |
| 1978 | Leonard Bernstein | Concertgebouw Orchestra, Radio Chorus of the NOS Hilversum | Edda Moser, Anna Schwarz, René Kollo, Kurt Moll | |
| 1979 | Herbert von Karajan | Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein | Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Ruža Baldani, Eric Tappy, José van Dam | Deutsche Grammophon |
| 1994 | John Eliot Gardiner | Sinfonieorchester und Chor des Norddeutschen Rundfunks, Monteverdi Choir | Luba Orgonasova, Catherine Robbin, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Alastair Miles | ZDF |
| 2005 | Fabio Luisi | Staatskapelle Dresden, Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden | Camilla Nylund, Birgit Remmert, Christian Elsner, René Pape | EuroArts |
| 2005 | Gilbert Levine | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir | Bozena Harasimowicz, Monica Groop, Jerry Hadley, Franz-Josef Selig | Arthaus Musik |
| 2009 | Jiří Bělohlávek | Prague Philharmonia, Brno Philharmonic Choir | Katarina Štúrová, Eva Garajova, Tomáš Černý, Gustav Belacek | |
| 2009 | Colin Davis | London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir | Helena Juntunen, Sarah Connolly, Paul Groves, Matthew Rose | BBC |
| 2014 | John Eliot Gardiner | Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique Monteverdi Choir | Lucy Crowe, Jennifer Johnston, Michael Spyres, Mathew Rose | BBC |
| 2014 | Bernard Haitink | Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks | Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Mark Padmore, Hanno Müller-Brachmann | BR Klassik |
| 2016 | Nikolaus Harnoncourt | Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir | Marlis Petersen, Elisabeth Kulman, Werner Güra, Gerald Finley | C Major |
| 2016 | Andrés Orozco-Estrada | Sinfonie-Orchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, Wiener Singverein | Regine Hangler, Katrin Wundsam, Steve Davislim, Hanno Müller-Brachmann | |
| 2016 | Daniel Reuss | Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Cappella Amsterdam | Carolyn Sampson, Marianne Beate Kielland, Thomas Walker, David Wilson-Johnson | Avrotros/NPO |
| 2019 | Frieder Bernius | Hofkapelle Stuttgart, Kammerchor Stuttgart | Johanna Winkel, Sophie Harmsen, Sebastian Kohlhepp, Arttu Kataja | Naxos |
| 2020 | Christian Thielemann | Staatskapelle Dresden, Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden | Krassimira Stoyanova, Elina Garanča, Michael Schade, Franz-Josef Selig | C Major |
| 2021 | John Eliot Gardiner | Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks | Lucy Crowe, Gerhild Romberger, Julian Prégardien, Tareq Nazmi | |
| 2021 | Riccardo Muti | Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor | Rosa Feola, Alisa Kolosova, Dmitry Korchak, Ildar Abdrazakov | Unitel |
| 2021 | René Jacobs | Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor | Polina Pastirchak, Sophie Harmsen, Steve Davislim, Johannes Weisser | Mezzo |
| 2022 | Philippe Herreweghe | Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Collegium Vocale Gent | Eleanor Lyons, Eva Zaïcik, Ilker Arcayürek, Hanno Müller-Brachmann | |