Missa in A

Franz Xaver Richter probably wrote his Missa in A, with the nickname “Hyemalis” [winter], between 1781 and 1783, during his tenure as Kapellmeister at the Strasbourg Cathedral. This peculiar epithet leads us to presume that the Mass was meant to be performed during a sacred service in a time period between Epiphany and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday [Quinquagesima]. The present work, a first edition, is a “Messe sollenne senza Trombe,” in which Richter achieved a festive character with musical variety by means of a comparably modest ensemble.