Messe de minuit pour Noël (Midnight mass for Christmas),[1] H.9,[a] is a mass for four voices and orchestra by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, written in 1694 based on the melodies of ten French Christmas carols. Charpentier called for eight soloists, a duo of two sopranos and two trios of alto, tenor and bass, but it can be performed by five soloists. Choir and orchestra are in four parts, scored for flutes, strings (violins and viols), organ and basso continuo. The mass is regarded as unique in both the composer's work and in the genre.[2] While in Charpentier's time, the mass was performed by all-male choirs, it has later been performed and recorded also by mixed choirs with modern instruments.
History
L'église Saint-Louis
Charpentier composed the Messe de minuit pour Noël c. 1694 for the Jesuit church of the Église Saint-Louis in Paris where he was music director. He upheld a longstanding tradition for this mass to be celebrated around midnight as the first of three on Christmas Day: to base the music on melodies of French noëls (Christmas carols). Some of these tunes were secular in origin, and in theory the use of secular material in church music had been forbidden by the Council of Trent, but long traditions were tolerated. Charpentier had written instrumental version of nine carols, of which he used seven also for the mass.[2] The texts of the mass ordinary were matched with ten carol tunes. The music is set for four vocal parts and a small orchestra of two flutes, strings and organ.[1][3]
Charpentier structured the mass in several movements.[2]: 2 He scored it for soloists and choir, two flutes, two violins, two violas, bass, organ and basso continuo.[1] In his wording, the voices are dessus, haute-contre (high tenor), taille (tenor) and bass, which were all male singers at his time. Modern performances also use SATB mixed choirs.[2] Charpentier called for instruments: "2 flutes, 2 violons, 2 altos, basses, orgue, et basse-continue. Flutes could be recorders which might correspond to pastoral music, but the range is better suited to flauto traverso; "violons" are violins; altos and tailles stand for alto and tenor viols; basses or "basses de choeur" mean a bass viol that goes with the vocal bass in choral movements.[2]: 12 The instrumental music is in four parts and basso continuo, with the flutes and violins playing in the soprano range. Some vocal parts are marked for soloists ("seule"), always in groups: a duo of two sopranos, or a trio of alto, tenor and bass. He thought of two of the trio groups, so eight soloists, but the music can also be performed by only one trio, which makes for five soloists, SSATB.[2]: 12 The mass takes about 25 minutes to perform.[1]
14. Crucifixus "Voici le jour solennel de Noël"[2]: 48, 75
15. Et ascendit in coelum
16. Et in Spiritum Sanctum "A la venue de Noël"[2]: 57, 76
17. Et unam sanctam
Sanctus e Benedictus
18. Sanctus "O dieu ! Que n'ètait-je en vie"[2]: 64, 76
19. Benedictus
Agnus Dei
20. Agnus Dei "A minuit fut fait un réveil"[2]: 70, 76
Some of the sections use a single carol, including Kyrie I, for which Charpentier quoted a cheerful carol first unchanged and repeated, then with different instrumentation and some imitation, then in two more again different treatments. In Kyrie II, he does not quote the carol completely but only the beginning for imitation music. He did not write a Kyrie III, but the organ would repeat the carol from Kyrie 1.[2]: 12
The mass was recorded, with other Christmas music (H.416) by Charpentier including four instrumental settings (H.531 n°2, H.534 n°3,4,6) of carols used in the mass, in 2002 by Les Arts Florissants Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by William Christie.[8][9]
The Messe de minuit H.9 was recorded, with other Christmas music (H.416, H.421, H.44, H.147) by Charpentier including two instrumental settings (H.534 n°3 & H.531 n°2) of carols used in the mass, in 2023 by L’Ensemble Corresondances conducted by Sèbastien Daucé. CD Harmonia Mundi.
Notes
^Charpentier's compositions were catalogued by H. Wiley Hitchcock in his Les œuvres de Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Catalogue Raisonné, (Paris: Picard, 1982); references to works are often accompanied by their H (for Hitchcock) number.
^Charpentier, Marc-Antoine; Lott, Felicity; Harrhy, Eiddwen; Brett, Charles; Partridge, Ian; Roberts, Stephen; Trotter, Thomas; Sansom, Marilyn; Cantelo, April; Gelmar, Helen (2001), Te Deum ; Messe de minuit pour Noël (in Latin), [England]: EMI Classics, OCLC53256417
^Charpentier, Marc-Antoine; Guest, George; Poulenc, Francis; St John's College (University of Cambridge).; City of London Sinfonia (2007), Messe de minuit pour Noël (in Latin), Colchester, England: Chandos Classics, OCLC811241102
^Charpentier, Marc-Antoine; Christie, William; Arts florissants (Musical group) (2006), In nativitatem Domini canticum ; Messe de minuit ; Noëls sur les instruments (in Latin), [Paris]: Erato, OCLC1252713038
