To Christianity and the spirit of religion in man we are indebted for some of the finest arts which adorn our civilization.  It was the religious principle which brought into being the temples and statuary of ancient Greece, as well as the splendid examples of Gothic architecture, which have come down to us from the middle ages.  It is this which has given us those masterpieces in painting and sculpture, which have so enriched the world; but above all it has given us music, highest of all the arts.  Here its influence has been most potent.  Originating outside the church, it found its best development within it.  Religious fervor had inspired some imperishable works of genius at a period when nothing much had yet been done in secular music.  The Masses of Palestrina, the entire life-work of Sebastian Bach, the oratorios of Haendel, are cases in point.  The old masters with hardly an exception gave their best thought to sacred music.  Bach has been mentioned.  Haydn’s important work comes under this classification.  Of the works of Haendel, only those of a religious nature have survived to the present day, although he composed many operas.

The Masses and Passion-music of the old composers were often written without hope of reward, entirely from love of the subject; they were impelled to it, either through religious ardor, or from the force of their artistic perceptions.  The stateliness and solemnity of the Mass, the tragic possibilities of the Passion, appealed to them, and satisfied the tendency toward mysticism, which is so often a part of the artistic nature.

As an art, music finds its best development when of a religious character.  While operatic and even orchestral music in general, is written more for the sake of giving pleasure than with any clearly defined ethical purpose, the music of the Mass and Passion, religious ceremonies, entering into man’s profoundest experiences, is given for spiritual enlightenment, and, being a part of the soul’s needs, demands and receives higher treatment and more serious consideration than secular music.  The very frame of mind which takes possession of a person while listening to music of a religious character, is favorable to a true appreciation of it.  The listener is more in earnest, and the emotions called up by the subject impress him more strongly than when listening to secular music.  These considerations have their influence on the composer also.  We usually find in religious music of the best class, depth and earnestness of purpose commensurate with the expectation of the listener.

These few words are preliminary to a consideration of the Mass in D, the work in which Beethoven reached his culmination as an artist.  He himself so regarded it, declaring it to be his greatest and best work.  It is certain that he spent more time on it, and gave it a larger share of his attention than was devoted to any other of his works.