Masses for Double Choir
Josef Rheinberger: Mass in E flat major Cantus Missae Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir
ST MARY THE VIRGIN CHURCH, WHEATLEY OX331LZ SUNDAY 1 MARCH 2026 AT 4PM
Our concert in Wheatley celebrates two
European composers, Josef Rheinberger
(1839-1901) and Frank Martin (1890 – 1974).
Their lives were both spent in central Europe,
Rheinberger was born in Leichtenstein and worked
for much of his life in Bavaria, Martin was born and
educated in Geneva, working occasionally in Italy, France
and the Netherlands.
Rheinberger: Mass in E flat major
Cantus Missae ex octo modulatione vocum concinnatus
A glorious setting incorporating all the Romantic style of his
era with an acute sense of Renaissance polyphony.
Martin: Mass for double choir
Written in 1922, but not performed until 1963 when Martin
was finally persuaded to bring it to the public. This is now
acknowledged to be one of Martin’s finest creations and
one of the greatest C20 a cappella works.
