Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison is a phrase of the original Greek Christian mass that was preserved in the Latin translation when that language became dominant. The form of ancient Greek called Koine “common” was the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean in Jesus’s day, and was the language of the New Testament.
Kyrie Eleison.
Lord have mercy.
Christe eleison.
Christ have mercy.
Kyrie Eleison.
Lord have mercy.
Movement 2 — Kyrie. Allegro,
D minor, 52mm
Singerly
· Every entering voice with subject or countersubject is a main character and should be foregrounded. Everything that is not subject or countersubject should play a supporting role.
· Crassly speaking, that means the subject and countersubject entries should be louder and other episodic material should be softer in order for the contrapuntal nature of the music to be readily heard.
· What of all the material that is not either subject or countersubject? From a singer’s standpoint, these bits are not as obvious as the subject and counter subject entries, may contain pitch or rhythm surprises, and should be carefully prepared.
· Second subject phrased across the beat (forward momentum) rather than on the beat (sewing-machine)
· Pronunciation:
o Kyrie eleison: the e at the end of kyrie and the e at the beginning of eleison are the same sound. As is the e at the end of Christe. N “Kyriay” “Christay” are no-nos.
o The “K” can be used especially should be employed as a rhythmic accent.
· Articulations:
o Separate kyri-e ‘ eleison.
o Sing lifts on the eighth notes, idiomatically Baroque.
Gossipy stuff: How Constanze influenced Mozart's music popped up on Facebook:
Constanze was a trained, talented musician and many people believe she played an important role in her husband’s career. One example of this is the soprano solo in Great Mass in C Minor he wrote for her to sing, which she did in 1783 at the premier of his work in Salzburg. Another example is how Constanze’s love for Baroque counterpoint influenced Mozart’s work so greatly that he started paying frequent visits to Baron Gottfried van Swieten during their courtship so we could browse his extensive Bach and Handel manuscript collection. Inspired by Constanze’s love of the genre and excited by the material presented before him, Mozart prepared several compositions in the Baroque style.
A double fugue tour de force
Fugue: from Fugere Latin (to flee): imitative counterpoint, where different voices "chase" each other by repeating the subject at different pitches and intervals.
A fugue structure typically includes an exposition where the main subject or theme is introduced by each voice in turn, followed by episodes which provide contrasting material often derived from the subject, and finally a concluding section or recapitulation with a final statement of the subject. The final entry often features a powerful statement of the subject in the tonic key to conclude the fugue.
Subject: The primary melodic idea presented at the beginning of the fugue by the first voice.
Countersubject: A secondary melodic line that can accompany the subject in some voices, often introduced alongside the answer in the exposition.
Exposition: The initial section where all voices present the subject and answer, usually in a set order.
Episode: A transitional section that develops material based on the subject, often modulating to different keys.
Stretto: A technique where the subject entries overlap in different voices, creating increased tension.
1. Form
Double Exposition: Mm 1-16
Episodes/Development : 16(3)-43
Recapitulation : 43(3)-52
2. First subject
· “Kyrie eleison”
· Derived from first movement first subject “Requiem aeternam”
· Both open with dotted quarter, eighth
· Sturdy, robust, upright
· Always paired with a second subject
3. Second subject or countersubject
· “Christe eleison”
· Derived from two elements in first movement:
· 3 repeated eighths for choral “et lux per-“ Letter B, mm 15-16 and Letter E, mm 43-45
· Sixteenths mm 20-24 in the strings, lyrical, with forward momentum, and always grouped across the beats.
· Fluid and forward-flowing
4. 12 Pairings of first and second subjects
Pairings most frequently happen between B and A and T and S, in either order. But not always, and when the pairing is something different, it is done for special interest.
And many pairings are in the circle of fifths key relationships (noted as *)
1. M 11 first subject in bass starting on A paired with M2(1+) second subject alto starting on E.*
2. M 43 first subject in soprano starting on D paired with M 5(3+) second subject in tenor starting on B.
Then the inverse of these two paired entries: Where bass was first subject and alto second subject followed, now alto first subject, and bass second subject: and tenor first subject and soprano second subject, thus:
3. Letter F M8(1) first subject in alto starting on A paired with M9(1+) second subject starting on E.*
4. M11(3) first subject in tenor starting on D paired with M12(3+) second subject in soprano starting on B.
Now the highest—soprano—and lowest—bass—of the 4 voices combine for intensification, and both start on the same letter pitch:
5. M16(3) first subject in soprano starting on C paired with M17(3+) second subject in bass, also starting on C.
6. Letter H M20(1) first subject in tenor starting on D paired with M21(1+) second subject in soprano starting on A.*
This tenor entry and the preceding tenor entry at M11 both start on D, but differ starting with the 3rd note.
7. M23(3) first subject in bass starting on G paired with M24(3+) second subject in alto starting on D. *
8. M27(3) first subject in soprano starting on F paired with m 28(3) second subject in tenor starting on F. (same letter name! starts)
Now a single stretto produces an intensification:
9. M29(3) First subject in bass starting on F paired with M30(3+) second subject in tenor (again) starting on C.
10. M32(3) First subject in alto starting on C is paired with M333+ second subject in bass starting on C.
Now Mozart lets go of the first subject for a bit, and stretto entries of the second subject pile atop each other, creating a vortex of energy.
· After the M333+ second subject in bass starting on C (detailed above), then in one measure after another, a pile of second subject entries, again *:
· M34(3+) tenor on G
· M35(3+) Alto on D
· M36(3+) soprano on A
· M37(3+) bass on E. (All circle of fifth* relationships).
11. M 39(1+) first subject enters once more, for the first time on the “and” of 1, in the bass, starting on A, paired with second subject Letter M, M401+ soprano starting on E.*
12. M43(3+) first subject enters again off beat, in alto starting on A and paired with M433+ second subject in bass starting also on A and starting a chain of second subjects.
Here is another instance of the second subject subsuming the first:
· The bass entry M43(3+) on A
· is followed by soprano on A, Letter N, M 453+,
· alto M46(3+) on E,
· and soprano M47(3+) also on E.
The piling up of second subjects creates a tornado of excitement.
The unusually rhythmically placed entries also create tension.
Finally, note entries that resemble the first subject but aren’t it. Mozart “fakes” a true first subject entry here or there, usually to inject excitement:
· M52 bass
· M 17(3+) alto
· M38(2 and 4) alto and tenor (2 not-quite-the-subject-but-oh-so-close entries.
· M 42(2) alto has a “false entry” before the real subject in the next measure.
· M 48(2and 4) Alto and Tenor.
The final chord has three tonics and one fifth, and no third, giving it appropriately archaic grandeur.
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