German Mass D 872

Franz Schubert’s popular German Mass of 1827 follows in the footsteps of Michael Haydn’s work Deutsches Hochamt by turning to a German translation of the Ordinary mass. Its homophonic texture and largely syllabic setting of the words make it more accessible to lay choruses than Schubert’s masses in Latin, an advantage reinforced by its diatonic melodic writing and constantly slow tempos. The present edition reproduces the Urtext from the New Schubert Edition and presents the definitive second version for chorus and wind instruments. Since the piano reduction basically follows the choral lines and Schubert’s original organ part, however, the Mass can also be performed with organ accompaniment.