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Beethoven considered the Missa Solemnis to be his greatest work; yet only recently has it come to be performed with any frequency. Even now, the work continues to be surrounded with an aura of impenetrability, an aura this book helps dispel. Roger Fiske first outlines the fascinating story of the work's growth in the composer's mind, then traces the process of composition and the first performances by drawing on Beethoven's letters and contemporary eyewitness accounts. Beethoven's very personal religious beliefs, the war-torn times in which he lived, and the tradition of the Austrian mass, along with Beethoven's own musical development, are all seen to have played their parts in shaping the Missa Solemnis. Following this consideration of the genesis of the work, the mass itself as seen in detail. Roger Fiske leads the reader on a musical journey filled with suspense, dramatically pointing up Beethoven's stupendous achievement. The final chapters are devoted to the orchestral writing in the mass and to the impact that the work has made since it was first performed in 1823. - Dust jacket.