The art of musical parody, defined in the sense of setting new texts to preexisting music, reached a peak in Bach's day and had declined by the late eighteenth century. This resulted more from a general decline in religious music, historically (from Heinrich Isaac all the way down to Christian hip-hop) the main stimulus for this kind of adaptation, than from any stylistic incompatibility. The Classical-era mass was steeped in operatic language, with Mozart's incomplete Mass in C minor, K. 427, being an excellent example. So ...
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The art of musical parody, defined in the sense of setting new texts to preexisting music, reached a peak in Bach's day and had declined by the late eighteenth century. This resulted more from a general decline in religious music, historically (from Heinrich Isaac all the way down to Christian hip-hop) the main stimulus for this kind of adaptation, than from any stylistic incompatibility. The Classical-era mass was steeped in operatic language, with Mozart's incomplete Mass in C minor, K. 427, being an excellent example. So the revival of this rare item at the hands of a group of German Mozart veterans is a welcome find. The piece dubbed the "Così fan tutte" Mass in C major was known to Mozart cataloger Ludwig Köchel, who included it in the appendix, or Anhang, to his registry of Mozart's works as number 235e. It was the creation of an unknown arranger and was copied out several times by people who presumably wanted to perform it, including in a version with complete instrumental parts by a...
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