Digital edition of the Mass in E major by Simon Sechter
The Bruckner Archive of the Department of Musicology (ÖAW) contains the autograph score of a hitherto unknown Missa in E major by the Viennese composer Simon Sechter (1788-1867). The music was scanned and processed by students on the practical course Digital Music Edition (Department of Musicology, University of Vienna, S 2015). The notation was painstakingly coded in the XML Oxygen-Editor (without using traditional music notation software).
Technical implementation: The 42 pages of the original score were distributed across the students. The coding in Oxygen followed consistent editorial guidelines. Finally, the individual files were compiled and xml:ids were added retrospectively. A visually adapted version of the Verovio JavaScript-Toolkit expanded with bootstrap elements (zoom, page navigation, various music fonts, XML view and shifting between works) is used to display the music (rendering in the browser). In the current version of Verovio (Release 0.9.10), it is not yet possible to display additional text (title, performance, tempo), dynamics and figured bass. An Edirom edition of the Mass that will display the facsimile and the MEI-coded score simultaneously is currently in progress.
Student participants: Philipp Bonell, Irene Egger, Lisa-Viola Hofer, Christoph Janeschitz, Imke Oldewurtel, Wolfgang Osztovics, Peter Provaznik, Stefan Safranek, Yuka Sato, Ulrike Wagner, Georg Wersching und Rolf Wissmann. Post-processing of the data: Robert Klugseder and Peter Provaznik.
View the digital edition of the Mass here
Simon Sechter was born on 11 October 1788 in Friedberg (Bohemia) and died on 10 September 1867 in Vienna. He worked as an organist, music teacher and composer. From 11 years of age, Sechter was taught music by J. N. A. Maxandt (the local schoolteacher and choir director). In 1802 he was a school assistant in Pfarrkirchen (Upper Austria), and subsequently attended teacher training college in Linz; he came to Vienna in 1804 via Friedberg as private tutor to the children of Andreas Johann Kowarz. In Vienna, he received piano lessons from L. A. Kozeluch and was taught theory by a student of J. G. Albrechtsberger named Hartmann. He studied the music theoretical writings of Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, Johann Philipp Kirnberger und Albrechtsberger independently in his own time. From 1806 (1808?) onwards, he worked as a private music tutor, and in 1810 was appointed as a teacher of piano, organ and singing at the Vienna K. k. Blindenerziehungsinstitut (the Royal and Imperial Institute for the Blind), remaining there until 1825. In 1824 he became the second court organist, advancing to first organist one year later. Besides this, he also gave piano lessons to the court boys’ choir and taught at the Conservatoire of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde between 1851 and 1867. Sechter was regarded as an excellent music theorist and contrapuntist and was one of the most influential and important teachers of the 19th century. His students include Th. v. Döhler, E. Pauer, C. F. Pohl, S. Thalberg, A. Bruckner, J. v. Herbeck, G. Nottebohm, G. v. Preyer, L. Blahetka, D. Finkes, C. Umlauf, A. Huebmer, C. Zeller, J. Vesque v. Püttlingen, R. Bibl, C. M. Ziehrer and Th. Leschetizky. Sechter even gave Fr. Schubert a lesson shortly before the latter’s death.