Haydn - Te Deum

Haydn’s Te Deum in C Major was written for the Empress Maria Theresa in around 1800. This was the second of two that he wrote, this later one being for choir only and no solo voices.

The Bright Key of C Major

This Te Deum is written in the key of C Major and many settings of Te Deum in the Classical era were in C major. Mozart and Haydn wrote most of their masses in C major. Twenty of Joseph Haydn's 104 symphonies are in C major, making it his second most-used key, second only to D major. Before the invention of the valves, Haydn did not write trumpet and timpani parts in his symphonies, except those in C major. Most of Haydn's symphonies in C major are labelled "festive" and are of a primarily celebratory mood.

Temple Church

The backing tracks for our course are provided by Temple Church in London. While writing the score for Interstellar, film composer Hans Zimmer chose the Temple Church for the recording of the parts of the score that included an organ. The Church's organist Roger Sayer played the organ, while a large orchestra played throughout the church. Zimmer is quoted saying that “Setting foot into Temple Church is like stepping into profound history… Temple Church houses one of the most magnificent organs in the world.”

The organ for our Te Deum course is again played by Roger Sayer, the Organist and Director of Music at Temple Church in London and the singers are under-members of the Temple Singers.

Timings

The timings for the 60 minute online rehearsals are as follows (all UK time) and they can all be watched afterwards so do not feel obliged to be there on time.

Saturday 20th November - Sopranos at 15:00

Saturday 20th November - Altos at 16:15

Sunday 21st November - Tenors at 15:00

Sunday 21st November - Basses at 16:15

Saturday 27th November - Sopranos at 15:00

Saturday 27th November - Altos at 16:15

Sunday 28th November - Tenors at 15:00

Sunday 28th November - Basses at 16:15

Saturday 4th December - Sopranos at 15:00

Saturday 4th December - Altos at 16:15

Sunday 5th December - Tenors at 15:00

Sunday 5th December - Basses at 16:15

Tuesday 7th December - START RECORDING

Saturday 8th January 2022 at 22:00 - CLOSE RECORDING

Sunday 6th February at 19:00 - CONCERT PERFORMANCE

Score

We are learning the Te Deum in Latin. The score is free and a link to a digital score will be sent to you with your joining instructions.

Cost of Course

We operate a tiered system of pricing so that affordability is not a significant issue and we hope that everyone who wishes to, can join us.