In the composition of the mass, Beethoven was on familiar ground; the
work was congenial to him. The emotions called up by the subject swayed
him to such an extent that he had difficulty in keeping it within
bounds. The mass was a form of music with which he had been associated
from childhood. It will be remembered that he played the organ at the
age of twelve years at church services, a practice which was kept up for
some years. His earliest impressions on the subject of music were in
this style. He was, in addition, inclined to it by temperament.
The beautiful text appealed to him strongly. It is related that when the
German version of his first Mass (in C) was brought him, he quickly
opened the manuscript and ran over a few pages. When he came to the Qui
tollis, the tears trickled from his eyes and he was obliged to desist,
saying with the deepest emotion, "Yes, that was precisely my feeling
when I composed it."
His journal entries at the time of beginning work on the Mass in D show
how completely the subject had taken possession of him.
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