The premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Missa Solemnis" in Spain (Barcelona, 1906)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/pms.2306Keywords:
Barcelona, Beethoven, mass, liturgy, premiere, receptionAbstract
After 82 years of being unknown in Spain, Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” was premiered in Barcelona by the orchestra and choir of the Barcelona Musical Association under the direction of Joan Lamote de Grignon (1872–1949). This historic event took place at the Teatro Principal with the participation of 150 performers. However, due to difficulties in preparing the work, the mass had to be performed over three concerts between March 5 and 29, 1906. Critics of that time took the opportunity to delve into the religious significance of Beethoven’s work and to analyze the mass from a formal and stylistic point of view. They also mentioned its complexity for the listener, who was not accustomed to the symphonic-vocal grandeur of the German composer. Both the specialized critics and the public were enthusiastic about the first performance, which has since become part of the repertoire of Spanish orchestras and choirs throughout the 20th century.
References
Aviñoa X., Historia de la música catalana, valenciana i balear, vol. 4: Del modernisme a la guerra civil (1900–1939), Barcelona 1999.
Aviñoa X., Joan Lamote de Grignon, in: Diccionario biográfico electrónico, https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/11589/joan-lamote-de-grignon-i-bocquet (September 25, 2024).
Barcelona, “Diario de Barcelona”, March 31, 1906, p. 3917.
Beethoven desde España: estudios interdisciplinares y recepción musical, ed. by P. Capdepón, J. J. Pastor, Madrid 2021.
Benavides A., Antonio Nicolau, in: Diccionario biográfico electrónico, https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/6967/antonio-nicolau (September 25, 2024).
Bertrán M. J., Teatro Principal. Asociación Musical de Barcelona, “La Vanguardia”, March 6, 1906, p. 9.
Bertrán M. J., Teatro Principal. Asociación Musical de Barcelona, “La Vanguardia”, March 31, 1906, p. 4.
Bertrán M. J., Teatro Principal. II concierto de la Asociación Musical, “La Vanguardia”, March 22, 1906, p. 8.
Bonastre F., Joan Lamote de Grignon (1872–1949): biografía crítica, Barcelona 1998.
Bonastre F., Lamote de Grignon, Joan, in: Diccionario de la música española e hispanoamericana, ed. E. Casares, vol. 6, Madrid 2000, pp. 727–729.
Cortés F., Història de la música a Catalunya, Barcelona 2011.
Drabkin W., Beethoven: Missa solemnis, Cambridge 1991.
Espectáculos, “Diario de Barcelona”, February 17, 1906, p. 2078.
Espectáculos, “Diario de Barcelona”, March 17, 1906, pp. 3302–3303.
F. S. B., La Missa solemnis de Beethoven, “Diario de Barcelona”, March 6, 1906, p. 2027.
Friesenhagen A., Die Messen Ludwig van Beethovens. Studien zur Vertonung des liturgischen Textes zwischen Rhetorik und Dramatisierung, Bergheim 1996.
Hiemke S., Ludwig van Beethoven. Missa solemnis, Kassel 2003.
Kerman J. et al., Beethoven, Ludwig van, Grove Music Online, https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40026 (September 24, 2024).
Millet L., Nicolau, Antonio, in: Diccionario de la música española e hispanoamericana, ed. E. Casares, vol. 7, Madrid 2000, pp. 1026–1028.
Notas locales, “La Vanguardia”, March 15, 1906, p. 2.
Noticias locales, “El Noticiero universal”, March 2, 1906, p. 686.
Un Beethoven ibérico. Dos siglos de transferencia cultural, ed. T. Cascudo, Granada 2021.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Paulino Capdepón
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions, and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
