The Hoboken catalogue had also placed the masses in presumed chronological order, but further research has undermined that sequence.
[2] The composition of these masses was Haydn's principal duty to his old employers at this time of his career.
The Heiligmesse in B-flat major, composed for the Capuchin friar Bernard of Offida, is thought to have been performed at the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary on September 11, 1796.
Fourthly, the Theresienmesse in B-flat major is from 1799, and was written for Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.
Fifth, the Schöpfungsmesse in B-flat major was performed on September 13, 1801, and features melodies from the Creation, especially in the "Gloria".