Michael Haydn: Pro Festo Innocentium, Masses & Vesper

Johann Michael Haydn (1737-1806), younger brother of Joseph, was born in Rohrau Austria, on 14th September 1737. Aged eight, he joined Joseph among the choirboys at St. Stephen's in Vienna, while he studied singing, violin and organ. Aged twenty-five, Michael was appointed court composer and Konzertmeister in Salzburg, having already completed more than a dozen masses, fifteen symphonies and other works. In 1781 he became the organist of Salzburg Cathedral. He stayed the rest of his long and productive life in Salzburg.

Although nowadays Michael Haydn is overshadowed by the fame of his brother Joseph, during his lifetime he was highly respected and praised by Leopold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and notably by his brother Joseph.

Joseph Haydn considered his brother Michael’s vocal works even better than his own. For sure their sacred works are different: Joseph opts for a theatrical, sometime operatic vocal style, whereas Michael’s works breath a deeply pious, devotional atmosphere.

This new recording presents three large scale liturgical works: the Missa sub titulo Sancti Leopoldi MH 837, the Missa Sancti Aloysii MH 257 and the Vesper in F MH 548.

Performed by the Genova Vocal Ensemble - Accademia Vocale di Genova and an instrumental ensemble, directed by Roberta Paraninfo.