Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier. Institutionen, Formen, Komponisten. Wissenschaftliche Tagung 10. bis 11. Oktober 2008, Ruprechtshofen, N. O.

Peters, Mark A.

Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier. Institutionen, Formen, Komponisten. Wissenschaftliche Tagung 10. bis 11. Oktober 2008, Ruprechtshofen, N. O. Edited by Andrea Harrandt and Erich Wolfgang Partsch. (Publikationen des Instituts fur osterreichische Musik-dokumentation, no. 35.) Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 2010. [279 p. ISBN 9783862960118. [euro]48.] Music examples, illustrations, index.

The collection of essays Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier originated from the Sixth Biedermeier-Tagung der Benedict Randhartiager-Gesellschaft, held October 10-11, 2008, in Ruprechtshofen. As explained in the volume's foreword, the choice of topic for the conference grew out of the recognition both of Randhartinger's own interactions with many church compositions of this period in the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle and of the paucity of research on church music in the Biedermeier (p. 7). The volume provides an important contribution to the study of Roman Catholic church music in Austria and surrounding regions in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Peter Hrncirik's widely ranging and insightful opening essay, "Tendenzen der Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier. Historische und stilidiomatische Aspekte," lays the groundwork for the study of church music in the Biedermeier and also for the more focused studies contained in the remainder of the volume. Hrncirik begins with the question, "Is there a Biedermeier style in church music?" (p. 10; translations throughout this review are my own), and his essay both answers the question positively and defines characteristics of such a style. He argues that church music of the Biedermeier must he understood not only as a counterpoint to romanticism, but also in relation to both Viennese classic and empfindsam styles (see pp. 11, 15, 18-19, 23). Hrncirik not only introduces readers to important composers, institutions, and trends in Biedermeier church music, but also positions these within the broader social and intellectual history of the early nineteenth century. Drawing upon the imagery of Friedrich Sengle, Hrncirik describes church music in this period as "ein hoffnungsfroher Inselarchipel spiritueller Erbauung im Sturmmeer des ungnadigen Weltgetriebes" (a hopeful island archipelago of spiritual devotion in the stormy sea of the unkind hustle and bustle of the world, p. 12). He presents a concise yet insightful summary of the principal influences on church music in the period, including philosophical and theological conceptions of the sacred arts (for example, the writings of Francois Rene Chateau-briland, Johann Michael Saliers, and E. T. A. Hoffmann); renewed interest in the historical inquiry, research, and publication of church music; the revival of church works of earlier periods in performance; and the use of earlier works as models and inspiration for new compositions. Hrncirik further summarizes the "organizational, pedagogical, socioeconomic, and liturgical aspects" (p. 29) of Biedermeier church music. Moving on to aspects of musical style and performance, he concludes with a valuable summary of many of the essay's important ideas about the musical styles of church music in the Biedermeier under the headings "Stylistic Aspects" (p. 34) and "Attempt at the Construction of a Compositional Vocabulary" (p. 37).

After Hrncirik's detailed introduction to and characterization of church music in the Biedermeier, the remainder of the volume presents case studies of Biedermeier musicians (Randhartinger, Joseph Eybler, Anton Diabelli, Carl Czerny, the Maschek family, and Tirolean church music composers), locales (the pilgrimage church Maria Taferl and Atzenbrugg/Heiligeneich), and compositional approaches (operatic music parodied for the church and songs of pilgrimage in Lower Austria). The essays treat topics not only in Vienna and the surrounding area, but also in Tirol, Lower Austria, southern Germany, and the Czech Republic.

One example of the best of the research found in Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier is Christian Fastl's "Zu Joseph Eyblers Kirchenmusik," which prosides an overview of Eybler's church compositions, probes their significance within compositional trends of the early nineteenth century, catalogues and characterizes Eybler's mass settings, and offers a detailed introduction to a single work, the Missa Sanctorum Apostolorum in E-flat major of 1825. Several other essays in Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier likewise provide valuable introductions to the lives and works of individual composers. Of particular interest for many readers will be two essays that explore the mass settings of composers much better known for their other musical endeavors, Anton Diabelli (Andrea Harrandt, "Anton Diabelli and seine Kirchenmusik--Am Beispiel seiner Pastoralmesse op. 147") and Carl Czerny (Simon Haasis, "Zu den Messen Carl Czernys").

Two further essays are worthy of particular note. First is Franz Grad's "Tiroler Kirchenmusikkomponisten des Biedermeier," which provides an overview of church music in Tirol during this period in relation to larger political, religious, and musical trends. Grad's essay further introduces the lives and church compositions of four important Tirolean composers: Johann Baptist Gansbacher, Joseph Alois Ladurner, Joseph Netzer, and Michael Sebastian Pegger. Also noteworthy is Klaus Petermayr's "Niederosterreichische Wallfahrt and Wallfahrtslieder im Biedermeier," an excellent study of the practice of pilgrimage and of pilgrimage songs in Lower Austria. Petertnayr discusses details of pilgrimage practices, motivations, and destinations through contemporary accounts, while also framing pilgrimage practices in the early nineteenth century within a broader history of pilgrimage in the region. He further addresses the broad repertory of songs published for pilgrimage in the period, as well as the varied uses of such songs.

Each of the essays in Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier address interesting topics and repertories, and each author should be lauded for their efforts to broaden our understanding of nineteenth-century music. As Erich Wolfgang Partsch argues, scholars who address topics like these which lie outside the mainstream of musicological research face many challenges, including difficulty in acquiring the primary sources, the lack of secondary sources, the paucity of recordings, and the negative reception many of the composers have received in the historical record (p. 61). The efforts made to meet these challenges throughout the volume are laudable. But despite this well-deserved praise, not all the articles deal as convincingly with their subject matter as do those described above. Several simply list information or describe sources with little discussion of their meaning or significance. For example, Partsch's "Benedict Randhartingers Messen im Kontext ihrer Zeit" is composed primarily of brief general descriptions of each movement of Randhartinger's Mass no. 1 in C major (1835) and Mass no. 3 in E major (1839), and Florian Pejrimovsky's "Benedict Randhartingers Requiems-Vertonungen" likewise provides only basic descriptions of the movements of Randhartinger's two Requiem Masses (both in C minor, of 1846 and 1865).

Most disappointing is Michaela Freemanova's "'Borrowings': Operative Repertoire Transferred into the Church," for the subject matter is utterly fascinating. In Bohemian lands in the early nineteenth century, it seems to have been common practice to borrow music from an opera or other stage work and set it to a new text for performance in parish churches, and Freemanova has identified such borrowings from a wide range of composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giovanni Paisiello, Gioacchino Rossini, and Carl Maria von Weber. But while she describes this general practice and refers to some particular works, Freemanova cites only a few specific examples and treats none in detail. Several of these examples provide fascinating subject matter for detailed study, but receive here little more than mention: Tamino's aria "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon" from Mozart's Die Zauberflote arranged with four possible new texts for the church, "O salutaris hostia," "O Maria virgo pia," "Maria mater gratiae," and "Tu Trinitatis unitas"; Caspar's aria "Der Hohle Netz" from von Weber's Der Freischutz set to two new sacred texts, either "Haec dies quam fecit Dominus" or "Tu es Petrus"; and Rosina's cavatina "Una voce poco fa," from Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia set as "O gloriosa virgo." There is clearly here a wealth of fascinating source material, but not even one example is discussed in detail.

Despite these caveats, Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier represents an important contribution to scholarship on church music in the nineteenth century. While the volume is of particular interest for scholars of church music or of music and musicians of the Biedermeier. Kirchenmusik im Biedermeier introduces both scholars and performers to a wealth of composers, pieces, and source materials which are largely unknown today. In so doing, it not only provides interesting case studies from Austria and the surrounding regions, but also presents much opportunity for further research and performance.

MARK A. PETERS

Trinity Christian College

EDITED BY STEPHEN LUTTMANN