Missa Katharina
Summary
Missa Katharina is a mass for choir, soprano, and wind band (or organ) and followed Jacob de Haan’s earlier Missa Brevis. Renowned for its beautiful timbres and themes, Missa Katharina has been performed in famous churches like St. Peter’s in Rome and Cologne Cathedral. It honors the Catholic name Katharina, with parts including Kyrie, Gloria, and Agnus Dei, along with additional instrumental sections.
About Missa Katharina
In october 2006 Jacob de Haan won a composition prize that involved writing Missa Katharina. The competition had been organized by the Dr. Dazert Foundation (Germany) in cooperation with CISM (the International Confederation of Music Societies).
The composition is a mass for choir, soprano, and wind band (or organ). Missa Katharina was the second mass by Jacob de Haan; he previously wrote the Missa Brevis, which is part of the repertoire of many choirs and bands.
Missa Katharina is a very special mass, rich in beautiful timbres, themes and chord lines. Performances took place in famous churches such as St. Peter’s Church in Rome, Cologne Cathedral, Les Invalides Church in Paris and the cathedral in Valencia, to name a few.
The name Catharina (meaning ‘the pure’) is a holy name in the tradition of the Catholic Church. Well-known martyrs who bear this name include Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Siena, and Catherine of Sweden.
Missa Katharina is a mass consisting of the mass ordinary: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. Jacob de Haan also included an Alleluia and an Amen as well as various instrumental parts, specifically a Preludium, Offertorium and Postludium.
Performance notes
Missa Katharina meets the needs of both the Catholic Mass and Protestant worship services musically.
Various performances are possible:
- A complete performance of all parts.
- A performance of only the ordinary parts.
- A performance without choir consisting only of the 3 instrumental parts.
- A performance consisting of a random selection of parts.
Missa Catharina was initially composed for choir, soprano solo and wind band. The accompaniment can also be provided by the organ instead of the wind band. There are 2 organ parts available: 1 keyboard part which can also be played on piano, and 1 part for organ with an obligatory pedal.
Additionally, there is an edition available for variable instrumentation, so the Mass can also be accompanied by a smaller ensemble, a brass band, or a fanfare.
The soprano solo parts are preferably sung solo, but can also be sung tutti by the sopranos of the choir.
Choir rehearsal tracks
Practice the choir parts of Missa Katharina with the choir learning tracks on soundcloud.