Johann Michael Haydn's 30 or so mass settings are masterpieces of their genre and were extremely popular during his lifetime. In his sacred music, the composer achieved a synthesis of counterpoint and song-like melody, which is influenced by Gregorian chant and local folk music. Haydn may have applied for a job in Brno with this mass dedicated to the Slavic apostles Cyril and Methodius, and it does indeed seem as if the 21-year-old composer wanted to present a showpiece of his skills here. Composed in 1758, this early work is still indebted to the Baroque stylistic tradition of southern Germany, but at the same time already shows a subjective inspiration that sets it apart from many mass settings by his contemporaries. It is a cantata mass in which the Ordinary parts are divided into individual movements which interpret the text in different scorings and compositional techniques aimed at variety and contrast. The mass has been published as a first edition by Carus as part of the Urtext Complete Edition.
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