7 April 1824 A.D. ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" Premieres
7 April 1824 A.D. ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis Premieres Graves, Dan. “Premiere of Beethoven’s.” Christianity.com. Jun 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/premiere-of-beethovens-11630396.html . Accessed 6 Apr 2015. My chief aim when I was composing this grand Mass was to awaken and permanently instill religious feelings not only into the singers but also into the listeners," wrote Ludwig von Beethoven. The Missa Solemnis (Solemn Mass) premiered on this day, April 7, 1824* in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is one of the greatest pieces of religious music ever written. Beethoven wrote it with his usual attention to detail. Originally he planned it to celebrate the consecration of his favorite pupil who had been named archbishop of Olmutz (a city now in Czechoslovakia). This was Rudolph, Archduke of Austria, who studied with Beethoven for fifteen years. Beethoven wrote to Rudolph, "The day on which a High...