Missa solemnis

Show & Culture

Do you know this famous portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven? Tousled hair, determined gaze, a scarlet scarf around his neck, and pen in hand, the composer writes. If you look closer, you will read the title of the work he sketches: Missa solemnis, the Solemn Mass which he considered his most accomplished creation. Let it transcend and move you. This is surely true, if we refer to the heartfelt dedication Beethoven scribbled in the margin of his manuscript: "From the heart, may it return to the heart."