Franz Schubert's Mass in G major is one of the most popular settings of the mass ordinary: the charming song-like melodic writing, especially in the "Kyrie" and the "Credo", forms a magical counterpoint to more concertante passages in the "Gloria" and the "Sanctus". For a long time it was thought that Schubert's final version was scored for string orchestra alone, whilst a version with wind, brass, and timpani was thought to be an expanded orchestration by his brother Ferdinand Schubert. However, since the mid-1990s it has been known that the parts for trumpets and timpani were additionally composed by Franz Schubert himself for use "ad libitum". The present edition offers this "Klosterneuburg Version" - with trumpets and timpani ad libitum, but without Ferdinand's wind parts - in an Urtext edition reflecting Schubert's own intended orchestration.
