Messe solennelle de sainte Cécile
Arrangement for chamber orchestra (arr. U. Stäuble) CG 56, 1855 / 2025
“Radiant beams poured forth from the Messe de Sainte Cécile. First, one was dazzled, then enchanted, then overwhelmed.” This is how Camille Saint-Saëns described the impression made on him by Charles Gounod’s best known Mass setting. The work, which Gounod wrote in 1855 to honor the patron saint of church music, soon became famous far beyond the borders of France, achieving a level of popularity matched by few other sacred compositions.
The present arrangement by Urs Stäuble makes the Messe solennelle de sainte Cécile accessible to smaller choirs and orchestras, requiring only about one third of the original wind parts. At the same time, the arranger has striven to preserve the work’s festive splendor. The tonal balance and musical substance are retained, making this version a practical alternative to the original (Carus 27.095/00). The vocal scores and choral scores from the original version can be used.
| Original version | Arrangement for chamber orchestra |
| Soli STB, Coro SATB, Pic, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, 2 Clt, 4 Fg, 4 Cor, 2 Pist, 2 Tr, 3 Trb, Timp, Perc, Arpa, 2 Vl, Va, Vc, Cb, Org | Soli STB, Coro SATB, Fl, Ob, Clt, 2 Fg, Cor, Tr, Timp, Perc, Arpa, 2 Vl, Va, Vc, Cb, [Org] |
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Composer
Charles Gounod
| 1818-1893Charles Gounod is known today especially as the composer of the operas Faust (1859) and Roméo et Juliette (1867), and of the very popular Méditation sur le 1er prélude de piano de J. S. Bach (1852), arranged in 1859 as an Ave Maria. The fact that Gounod is regarded primarily as an important opera composer does not do justice to his extensive œuvre, which encompasses all genres. His creative output is dominated by his church music, which overshadows that of all other 19th-century composers. Personal details
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Arranger
Urs Stäuble
| 1951Urs Stäuble studied at the Conservatory of the Music Academy in Basel (organ with Eduard Müller, piano with Klaus Linder) and at the University of Music in Vienna (organ with Michael Radulescu, orchestral conducting with Karl Österreicher, choral conducting with Günther Theuring). In addition to teaching at the Basel Music Academy (1980–2016), he worked as an organist and choir and orchestra conductor in various European countries and Australia. Personal details
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Frequent questions about this work
Can the string parts of the original version (Carus 27.95/00) also be used for the arrangement?
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