In the 1860s, Ferenc Liszt was a regular guest in Rome. He stayed at the monastery on Monte Mario, and in the middle of the decade he joined the Franciscans, reaching the fourth degree of the order. This was a period when ‘Abbé Liszt’s’ greatest preoccupation was the reformation of church music. Several works of great importance were born in this spirit, including the 1865 Missa Choralis. In it, Liszt took the path of simplification and archaization, with melodies that revived the tradition of the Gregorian chant.
As the sounds of the Missa Choralis unfolded, wrote a reviewer of Neue Zeitschrift für Musik of its 1871 Magdeburg performance, ‘the mood became increasingly devout, and the faces were filled, more and more, with joyful surprise and elation. Unusually striking in this work was the captivating power of the expression, and it was surprising to observe how the greatest effect was often achieved by some simple means; the most characteristic is the stern Catholic colouration, achieved by the brilliantly captivating application of old ecclesiastical keys. In short, the performance of this very significant work had a poignant effect.’