Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) enlarged and enriched the many musical forms in which he composed -- symphony, quartet, sonata, mass, and oratorio among them -- with rare expressiveness, freshness of vision, and brilliant and refined musicianship. His Nelson Mass and Mass in Time of War are two of his finest works, nominally associated with war, but richly devotional in spirit and exemplary in their elegant synthesis of vocal and instrumental music.
Both were written in the late 1790s, when Europe was at war. Portions of the Nelson Mass are thought to mark the news of Admiral Nelson's victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile, which altered Napoleon's planned conquest of Egypt and made Nelson a national hero. Both masses were first performed at Eisenstadt, the Austrian country estate of the Esterhazy family, Haydn's lifelong patrons. The scores are reprinted here from authoritative German editions.