I. Kyrie  II. Gloria  III. Credo  IV. Sanctus   V. Agnus Dei

„I do not like to say anything about my Mass or in general about myself”, wrote Beethoven in a letter to the publisher Breitkopf and Härtel, dated June 8th, 1808, „but I believe I have treated the text in a manner it had not been treated before.” The words may reflect self-confidence but contain no trace of exaggeration: by composing the the five tradition mass movements as five major units Beethoven broke new ground also in this genre. He turned his back on the earlier practice of dividing his movements into segments of varying lengths. In view of the kinship of the motives of the various themes and the strict order of tonalities, this approach might even be called „symphonic”, except that the very opening motives are vocally inspired – in line with a later remark by the composer who said that „with the exception of the Gloria and one or two similar passages, all real church music should be vocal”. In other respects, the Mass in C major is clearly modelled after the late masses by Haydn, a fact not to be seen as a sign of the humbleness of the disciple. The work was commissioned by the same Prince Nicholas Esterházy (again for the nameday of his wife) who had commissioned Haydn’s last six compositions. (That is why the piece has been labelled the Kismarton Mass.) Yet, the small gestures of politeness could not win the sympathy of the prince who is known to have turned to the composer after the premiere with these words, „But my dear Beethoven, what have you have done now?”