Church Music in Salzburg

The history of church music in Salzburg

The Salzburg prince-archbishops set great store by music. They appointed distinguished musicians to positions at court and commissioned them to composed sacred works for performance in the town's churches.

The best-known of these masters was Wolfgang Amadé Mozart who, like his father Leopold, was placed under the artistic protection of the prince-archbishops. The majority of Mozart's masses date from his time in Salzburg; they include notably the Coronation Mass and the Requiem. Mozart's works are still performed regularly in local churches.

Johann Michael Haydn, a friend of Mozart's, was appointed by Prince-Archbishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach as court composer in Salzburg, where he wrote most of his masses, oratorios, choral works and symphonies. After his death many of these works were forgotten, and lie dormant in the diocesan archives.

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, a virtuoso violinist, gained a reputation through his highly complex compositions. From 1670, in the service of Prince-Archbishop Max Gandolf von Kuenburg, he wrote masses, requiems violin sonatas and tafelmusik. His most monumental work, the Missa Salisburgensis, a 53-part mass for several separate choirs, organ and orchestra was composed specifically for Salzburg Cathedral, to celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the Salzburg Archbishopric.

Further distinguished composers of sacred works include Anton Adlgasser, Paul Hofhaimer and Sigismund von Neukomm.

Church music today

The musical legacy is still very much present in Salzburg, ranging from choral concerts through organ recitals right up to top-class accompaniments of liturgical celebrations. Concert series and festivals also offer appropriate settings for sacred music.