Johann Baptist Wanhal

Missa in Bb Nokki 57

Wanhal ?
Nokki 57
Weinmann deest

Authenticity: Possibly Authentic

This work's relations to Nokki 58 (discussed below) prove that some material by Wanhal is used in it. His own authorship of the remainder of the work is plausible, even if there is little strong evidence in favour of it. The use of clarinets is unusual, but these may either have been reorchestrated oboe parts or evidence of later practice.

Relation to Nokki 58

This work has a complex relation to the mass Nokki 58. The Kyrie appears to be based on the slow introduction from this work, and the Gloria is a reworking of the first Gloria movement from this work. This is likely to be the later work, judging from the presence of clarinets in this work. There are no further connections between the works.

It was decided that this was to be viewed as a work derived from Nokki 58 because of the extent of rewriting necessary in the Kyrie does not imply that this was done merely as a practical measure; on the contrary, it suggests a deliberate reworking (the retexting of the Gloria is plausible, but is based around quavers in a way that does not easily suggest whether it is likely to originate from Wanhal or not). It seems more likely that Wanhal returned to an older work to complete this work than for it to be a reworking by a local arranger. Whilst more work is required to give a definitive statement, such reworkings seem to occupy a modest place in Wanhal's oeuvre.

It is possible that other copies of this work are to be found amongst the copies of Nokki 58 not yet surveyed.

Completion

This work only survives in one copy. Whereas clarinet parts were begun and the title page clearly calls for them, these parts were never written out. At present, the work is therefore only known in an incomplete rendition.