Wagner's tone coloring is
intrinsically the more ecstatic.... Wagner is the first who has broken
through this harp conventionality."
In the Wagner-Liszt correspondence, Wagner states that the Lohengrin
Prelude typifies choirs of angels bearing the Holy Grail to earth. This
idea and the method of its development can be found in the symphonic
thought which follows the Preludium to the Benedictus of the Beethoven
Mass.
It will be necessary to make a short digression and explain a portion of
the canon of the Mass to enable the reader to understand what follows.
During the office of the Eucharist the celebrant repeats certain prayers
inaudible to the congregation. These begin during the latter part of the
Sanctus, which immediately precedes the Benedictus, and are connected
with the ceremony of the consecration of the Host. A part of them are
conducted in absolute silence. The choir is not required to be silent
during all the prayers said by the celebrant, and the occasion is
frequently utilized, particularly at high festivals, by the introduction
of orchestral music or a brilliant chorus.
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