Missa brevis (plural: Missae breves) is . The term usually refers to a mass composition that is short because part of the text of the

Mass ordinary The ordinary, in Roman Catholic and other Western Christian liturgies, refers to the part of the Mass or of the canonical hours that is reasonably constant without regard to the date on which the service is performed. It is contrasted to the '' ...

that is usually set to music in a full mass is left out, or because its execution time is relatively short.

Full mass with a relatively short execution time

The concise approach is found in the mostly syllabic settings of the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

, and in the custom of "telescoping" (or simultaneous singing by different

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

s) in

18th-century The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave tradi ...

masses. After the period when all church music was performed

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

, a short execution time usually also implied modest forces for performance, that is: apart from Masses in the "brevis et solemnis" genre.

Polyphony

Orlande de Lassus Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palest ...

: (''Hunters' Mass'') *

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina ( – 2 February 1594) was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de Victoria, Palestrina is considered the leading ...

Missa Brevis Missa brevis (plural: Missae breves) is . The term usually refers to a mass composition that is short because part of the text of the Mass ordinary that is usually set to music in a full mass is left out, or because its execution time is relati ...

Andrea Gabrieli Andrea Gabrieli (1532/1533Bryant, Grove online – August 30, 1585) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. The uncle of the somewhat more famous Giovanni Gabrieli, he was the first internationally renowned member of the Ven ...

: Missa brevis quatuor vocum *

Gaspar van Weerbeke Gaspar van Weerbeke ( – after 1516) was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance. He was of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, but unique in his blending of the contemporary Italian style with the older Burgundian style of Dufay. L ...

Missa brevis Missa brevis (plural: Missae breves) is . The term usually refers to a mass composition that is short because part of the text of the Mass ordinary that is usually set to music in a full mass is left out, or because its execution time is relati ...

Classical period

For composers of the classical period such as Mozart, ''missa brevis'' meant "short in duration" – as opposed to "missa longa" (long mass), a term that

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist and theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer gründlichen ...

used for his son's K. 262 – rendering the complete words of the liturgy. As the words were well known some composers had different voice parts recite simultaneously different sections of long texts. This is especially characteristic of Austrian masses in the

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

and the

Credo In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical setti ...

. *

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (3 February 1736 – 7 March 1809) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist, and one of the teachers of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a friend of Haydn and Mozart. Biography Albrechtsberger was born at Kl ...

: Mass in D major (A.I.11, 1783), ''Missa Sancti Augustini'' (A.I.17, 1784) *

Carl Heinrich Biber Carl Heinrich Biber (4 September 1681 – 19 November 1749) was a late Baroque violinist and composer. He was born in Salzburg, the sixth son of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. He received his first musical education from him. In 1704, he made a st ...

: '' Missa brevis sanctorum septem dolorum B.V.M.'' (1731) *

František Brixi František Xaver Brixi (2 January 1732 – 14 October 1771) was a Czech classical composer of the 18th century. His first name is sometimes given by reference works in its Germanic form, Franz. Biography Brixi was born in Prague, the son of co ...

: ''

Missa aulica The ' (Court mass) is a missa brevis in C major composed by František Xaver Brixi. The work is a setting of the Latin mass for SATB soloists and choir, trumpets, timpani, violins, organ and continuo. It was published by Carus in 2003. History ...

'', '' Missa brevis in C'' *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

: '' Missa brevis in F'' (1749) and ''Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo'' (''Little Organ Mass'') (1775), among others *

Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 173710 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohrau, near the Hungarian border. ...

: provided alternative "brevis" settings for the Gloria and the Credo in his *

, including some Missae breves formerly attributed to his son Wolfgang Amadeus *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

– Brevis: K. 49, K. 65, K. 140, K. 192, K. 194, K. 275; Brevis et solemnis: K. 220,

K. 257 K is the eleventh letter of the Latin alphabet. K may also refer to: General uses * K (programming language), an array processing language developed by Arthur Whitney and commercialized by Kx Systems * K (cider), a British draft cider manufactu ...

K. 258 K is the eleventh letter of the Latin alphabet. K may also refer to: General uses * K (programming language), an array processing language developed by Arthur Whitney and commercialized by Kx Systems * K (cider), a British draft cider manufac ...

K. 259 K is the eleventh letter of the Latin alphabet. K may also refer to: General uses * K (programming language), an array processing language developed by Arthur Whitney and commercialized by Kx Systems * K (cider), a British draft cider manufac ...

; Alternatively indicated as brevis or longa:

K. 317 The ''Krönungsmesse'' (German language, German for Coronation Mass) (Mass No. 15 in C major, Köchel-Verzeichnis, K. 317; sometimes Mass No. 16), composed in 1779, is one of the most popular of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 17 extant settings of th ...

19th century

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantor ...

: Messe brève, Op.9 (1856) * Johann Gustav Eduard Stehle: ''Kurze und leichte Messe'', Op.50 (''Short and Easy Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary'', 1883)

Kyrie–Gloria masses

Partial settings are seen in both the Roman and Lutheran traditions, where many works consist of the

Kyrie Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives fr ...

and Gloria. These masses came to be called ''Missae breves'' because they are shorter in words, the opposite being '' Missae totae'' (complete Masses).

Baroque period

Protestant liturgies did not have a mandated set of

sections to be included in a Mass composition. Thus, in addition to settings of all five sections (e.g.

Hieronymus Praetorius Hieronymus Praetorius (10 August 1560 – 27 January 1629) was a Northern German composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque whose polychoral motets in 8 to 20 voices are intricate and vividly expressive. Some of his organ ...

Christoph Demantius Johann Christoph Demantius (15 December 1567 – 20 April 1643) was a German composer, music theorist, writer and poet. He was an exact contemporary of Monteverdi, and represented a transitional phase in German Lutheran music from the polypho ...

), there are many (short masses) that include settings of only the Kyrie, Gloria, and

Sanctus The Sanctus ( la, Sanctus, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' ( el, ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition. In Western Christianity, the ...

(e.g.

Stephan Otto Stephan Otto (1603–1656) was a German composer and kantor in Freiberg and Schandau. He worked for Count Rudolf von Bünau in Weesenstein, and was mentor and probably teacher to Andreas Hammerschmidt. Works, editions, recordings * Dialogue "Mein ...

Andreas Hammerschmidt Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611 or 1612 – 29 October 1675), the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German Bohemian composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was one of the most significant and popular composers of sacred music in Ger ...

). From the early 17th century, many consist only of Kyrie and Gloria sections, e.g. those by

Bartholomäus Gesius Bartholomäus Gesius (also: ''Göß'', ''Gese'', – 1613) was a German theologian, church musician, composer and hymn writer. He worked at Schloss Muskau and in Frankfurt (Oder) and is known for choral Passions in German and Latin and for the m ...

(eight out of ten Masses included in his 1611 ''Missae ad imitationem cantionum Orlandi''). In the second half of the 17th century the Kyrie–Gloria ''Kurzmesse'' was the prevalent type in Lutheranism, with composers like

Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633 – 10 October 1676) was a German composer, conductor and educator. He was the ''Thomaskantor'', cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig and director of the towns's church music, from 1657 to 1676.''Grove Concise ...

Christoph Bernhard Christoph Bernhard (1 January 1628 – 14 November 1692) was born in Kolberg, Pomerania, and died in Dresden. He was a German Baroque composer and musician. He studied with former Sweelinck-pupil Paul Siefert in Danzig (now Gdańsk) and in War ...

Johann Theile Johann Theile (29 July 1646 – 24 June 1724) was a German composer of the Baroque era, famous for the opera ''Adam und Eva, Der erschaffene, gefallene und aufgerichtete Mensch'', first performed in Hamburg on 2 January 1678. Life After stud ...

, Friedrich Zachow and

Johann Philipp Krieger Johann Philipp Krieger (also ''Kriger'', ''Krüger'', ''Krugl'', and ''Giovanni Filippo Kriegher''; baptised 27 February 1649; died 7 February 1725) was a German people, German Baroque composer and organist. He was the elder brother of Johann Krieg ...

Gottfried Vopelius Gottfried Vopelius (28 January 1645 – 3 February 1715), was a German Lutheran academic and hymn-writer, mainly active in Leipzig. He was born in Herwigsdorf, now a district of Rosenbach, Oberlausitz, and died in Leipzig at the age of 70. Rober ...

included a Kyrie–Gloria Mass in

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

on pages 421 to 423 of his ''Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch'' (1682), introducing its Gloria as "... what the old church has done furthermore in praise of the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

". In the first half of the 18th century Kyrie–Gloria Masses could also be seen as a Catholic/Lutheran crossover, for example for

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

: not only did he transform one of

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pren ...

's a cappella missae totae in such a Kyrie–Gloria Mass for use in Lutheran practice, he also composed one in this format for the Catholic court in Dresden. *

Dietrich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; ; born Diderik Hansen Buxtehude; c. 1637 – 9 May 1707) was a Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal a ...

: Missa brevis, BuxWV 114 *

Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offi ...

's Mass in F major (Mügeln Mass), the only extant Mass composition of this composer, is a ''Kurzmesse''. *

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow or Zachau (14 November 1663, Leipzig – 7 August 1712, Halle) was a German musician and composer of vocal and keyboard music. Life Zachow probably received his training from his father, the piper Heinrich Zachow, o ...

: '' Missa super Christ lag in Todesbanden'' *

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara (ca 1670 – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, ...

: *

Jan Dismas Zelenka Jan Dismas Zelenka (16 October 1679 – 23 December 1745), baptised Jan Lukáš Zelenka was a Czech composer and musician of the Baroque period. His music is admired for its harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint. Zelenka was raise ...

wrote and acquired many Kyrie–Gloria Masses for the

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

court, all of them later expanded into a

Missa tota The Mass ( la, missa) is a Musical form, form of sacred music, sacred musical composition that sets the invariable portions of the Christian Eucharistic liturgy (principally that of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism), kn ...

or into a Missa senza credo. For example, around 1728 Zelenka expanded Caldara's ''Missa Providentiae'' into a Missa tota, basing a Sanctus and

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the " Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and ...

on Caldara's composition, and adding a newly composed . *

Johann Ludwig Bach Johann Ludwig Bach ( – 1 May 1731) was a German composer and violinist. He was born in Thal near Eisenach. At the age of 22 he moved to Meiningen eventually being appointed cantor there, and later Kapellmeister. He wrote a large amount of musi ...

: Missa super cantilena "Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr", JLB 38 (1716), for some time attributed to Johann Nikolaus Bach. The Gloria section of this Mass intersperses the Latin text with all four stanzas of "

Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr "" (Alone to God in the highest be glory) is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius. With the reformers intending church service in German, it was intended as a German version of the Gloria part of the Latin mass ...

" as cantus firmus. The first measures of that section were amended by

J. S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

in his Leipzig copy of the work (1729,

BWV Anh. 166 Most of Johann Sebastian Bach's extant church music in Latin— settings of (parts of) the Mass ordinary and of the Magnificat canticle—dates from his Leipzig period (1723–50). Bach started to assimilate and expand compositions on a Latin text ...

Klaus Hofmann Klaus Hofmann (born 20 March 1939) is a German musicologist who is an expert on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Würzburg, Hofmann studied after graduation (1958) from 1958 to 1959 at the University of Erlangen. He then continued his ...

(editor)
''Johann Nikolaus Bach: Missa brevis Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr''.

Carus Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. The catalogue currently includes more than 26,000 ...

, 1976 (²1993)Maria Zadori, Lena Susanne Norin, Guy de Mey, Klaus Mertens, Veronika Winter, Gundula Anders, Hans Jörg Mammel, Hans-Joachim Weber, Annette Schneider,

Rheinische Kantorei The Rheinische Kantorei is a German vocal ensemble of baroque music accompanied by an instrumental ensemble called Das Kleine Konzert. History The Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert were founded in 1977 by the German conductor Hermann M ...

, Das Kleine Konzert and

Hermann Max Hermann Max (born 1941 in Goslar) is a German choral conductor. In 1977, he founded the Jugendkantorei Dormagen, which in 1985 became the basis of the Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert. In 1992 he founded the Knechtsteden Early Music Fes ...

(conductor)
''Johann Ludwig Bach: Trauermusik (für Soli, Doppelchor, 2 Orchester)''.
Capriccio, 2011
at *

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), often referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist. His best-known works include his Stabat Mater and the opera ''L ...

: for five voices and orchestra (1732) *

wrote five Kyrie–Gloria masses: in 1733 he wrote the Mass for the Dresden court (quarter of a century later expanded into the

Mass in B minor The Mass in B minor (), BWV 232, is an extended setting of the Mass ordinary by Johann Sebastian Bach. The composition was completed in 1749, the year before the composer's death, and was to a large extent based on earlier work, such as a Sanctu ...

), and around 1738 he wrote four so-called ''Lutherische Messen'', BWV 233–236. Kyrie–Gloria Masses Bach copied from other composers include and

167 Year 167 ( CLXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Quadratus (or, less frequently, year 920 ''Ab urbe ...

.Kirsten Beißwenger (ed.
''Werke zweifelhafter Echtheit, Bearbeitungen fremder Kompositionen''
(Volume 9 of Series II: Masses, Passions, Oratorios from the

New Bach Edition The New Bach Edition (NBE) (german: Neue Bach-Ausgabe; NBA), is the second complete edition of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, published by Bärenreiter. The name is short for Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): New Edition of the Complete W ...

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it also ...

, 2000. *

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesh ...

: several Kyrie–Gloria Masses, including Missa sopra 'Ach Gott im Himmel sieh darein', TWV 9:1, Missa sopra 'Durch Adams Fall ist ganz', TWV 9:4, Missa sopra 'Ein Kindelein so löbelich', TWV 9:5, Missa sopra 'Erbarm dich mein o Herre Gott', TWV 9:6, Missa sopra 'Es wird schier der letzte Tag herkommen', TWV 9:7 and Missa sopra 'Komm heiliger Geist', TWV 9:11 *

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (13 January 1690 in – 27 November 1749 in Gotha) was a prolific German composer of the Baroque era. Stölzel was an accomplished German stylist who wrote a good many of the poetic texts for his vocal works. Biogra ...

wrote several Masses consisting of a Kyrie and Gloria exclusively, including a (words in German) and a ''Missa Canonica'' (all movements as

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

s – this mass exists in several versions).Stölzel, Gottfried Heinrich: 14 Geistliche Gesänge; V (X), Coro, orch, bc, 1740–1770 (1740–1770)
at SBB website

19th century

* Antonio Bencini: '' Messa in pastorale'' (1810) *

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

: ''

Messa di Gloria ''Messa di Gloria'' is a nine movement mass, composed by Gioacchino Rossini for the Arciconfraternità di San Luigi. First performed on 24 March 1820 in the Chiesa di San Ferdinando in Naples, it is in the traditional form of a "Gloria" mass, ...

'' (1820)

Other partial settings

Some Mass settings consisting of only three or four sections of the

can be indicated with a specific name, rather than with the generic Missa brevis name: * Missa (in) tempore (Adventus et) Quadragesimae: without Gloria * Missa senza credo: without Credo * Missa ferialis: without Gloria and Credo Masses written for the Anglican liturgy often have no Credo (usually recited by the congregation and rarely sung to a choral setting in

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

services) and no

. For American denominations, the Sanctus is usually without Benedictus. The

section may be moved to the end of the composition. Some Masses in this category are rather to be seen as incomplete, while the composer did not write all the movements that were originally planned, or while some movements went lost, but the extant part of the composition found its way to liturgical or concert practice recast as a Brevis. Whatever the reason for omitting part of the text of the Mass ordinary from the musical setting, the umbrella term for such Masses became Missa brevis. Partial Mass settings that are not a Kyrie–Gloria Mass include: *

Johannes Ockeghem Johannes Ockeghem ( – 6 February 1497) was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of early Renaissance music. Ockeghem was the most influential European composer in the period between Guillaume Du Fay and Josquin des Prez, and he was—with his ...

: Missa Sine Nomine (Kyrie – Gloria – Credo) *

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was ''Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti be ...

: ''Missa brevis'' in F, ''Missa brevis'' in D Minor (Kyrie – Sanctus & Benedictus – Agnus Dei settings) * The three (''

Windhaager Messe The ''Windhaager Messe'', WAB 25, is a missa brevis composed by Anton Bruckner in 1842. History Bruckner composed the ''Windhaager Messe'' ( WAB 25) in 1842, while he was a schoolteacher's assistant in Windhaag. It was first believed that it ...

'', ''

Kronstorfer Messe The ''Kronstorfer Messe'', WAB 146, is a missa brevis composed by Anton Bruckner in 1843-1844. History Bruckner composed the ''Kronstorfer Messe'', WAB 146, in 1843–1844, while he was a schoolteacher's assistant in Kronstorf. This ''Cho ...

'' and ''

Messe für den Gründonnerstag The ''Messe für den Gründonnerstag'' (Mass for Maundy Thursday), WAB 9, is a missa brevis composed by Anton Bruckner in 1844. History Bruckner composed the ', a ''Choral-Messe'' in F major ( WAB 9) for mixed choir a cappella, in 1844 while ...

''), all partial settings which

Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

composed between 1842 and 1844, were intended for the celebration of the mass in the villages Windhaag and

Kronstorf Kronstorf is a municipality in the district Linz-Land in the Austrian state of Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders G ...

, where he was schoolteacher's assistant. *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

: – the composers only attempt to set the Mass, is composed of Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei only, a fourth movement, the Credo believed to have been completed five years after the other movements, is lost. *

Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and operas. His works include the ballets ''Coppélia'' (1870) and '' Sylvia'' (1876) and the opera ''Lakm� ...

: ''Messe brève'' (1875, no Credo) *

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

: ''

Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville The ''Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville'' (Mass of the fishermen of Villerville) is a missa brevis written by Gabriel Fauré in collaboration with his former pupil André Messager. A later version, published as ''Messe basse'' contained only mov ...

'' (1881, includes two movements composed by

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

– partial setting); '' Messe basse'' (1906, based on the parts composed by Fauré of the former – Kyrie, Sanctus/Benedictus and Agnus Dei only) *

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

: ''

Messe des pauvres The ''Messe des pauvres'' (''Mass for the Poor'') is a partial musical setting of the mass for mixed choir and organ by Erik Satie. Composed between 1893 and 1895, it is Satie's only liturgical work and the culmination of his "Rosicrucian" or "mys ...

'' (mid 1890s, Kyrie apparently incomplete, Gloria missing, several other non-Ordinary movements composed) *

William Lloyd Webber William Southcombe Lloyd Webber (11 March 1914 – 29 October 1982) was an English organist and composer, who achieved some fame as a part of the modern classical music movement whilst commercially facing mixed opportunities. Besides his long ...

: ''

Missa Princeps Pacis The ' (Mass ''Prince of Peace'') is a mass composed by William Lloyd Webber in 1962 for a four-part choir and organ. Lloyd Webber, who was the father of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, was the organist and ...

'' for

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and organ (1962, no Credo) *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

, '' Cambridge Mass'' for

SATB SATB is an initialism that describes the scoring of compositions for choirs, and also choirs (or consorts) of instruments. The initials are for the voice types: S for soprano, A for alto, T for tenor and B for bass. Choral music Four-part harm ...

, double

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

& orchestra, 1899 (Sets only the Credo and Sanctus)

Brevis for various reasons

From the late 19th century Missa brevis (or French: "Messe brève") may refer to a Mass composition with any combination of the following characteristics: (1) short execution time, (2) limited forces for performance, (3) leaving out part of the

and/or (4) the composition is incomplete so that the extant complete parts are seen as a Missa brevis. A Mass being short in this sense does however not exclude that sections based on texts outside the Mass ordinary are added to the composition (like the O Salutaris Hostia in several of Gounod's Messes brèves).

19th century

As concert performance of liturgical works outside a liturgical setting increased, for some of the composers the brevis/solemnis distinction is about the breves, which not always needed professional performers, being intended for actual liturgical use, while a Missa solemnis was rather seen as a concert piece for professional performers, that could be performed outside an actual Mass celebration, similar to how an oratorio would be staged. *

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

: ** CG 63: ''Vokalmesse pour la fête de l'Annonciation'' in C minor (five voices a cappella, 1843) ** CG 64: Mass No. 1 in A major (three voice parts and organ, 1844) ** CG 65: Mass No. 2 in C major (no Credo, 1845 – publ. 1872), and later revision Messe brève No. 5 en ut majeur à trois voix d'hommes, soli et choeurs ( ''Messe Brève aux séminaires'' – 1870, rev. & publ. 1892) ** CG 66: Messe brève et salut pour 4 voix d'hommes in C minor, Op. 1 ( 1845, publ. 1846) ** CG 67: Messe à 4 voix d'hommes No. 2 in C major (without Gloria, incomplete, c. 1845) ** CG 68: Messe à 4 voix d'hommes No. 3 in A minor (without Gloria, only Kyrie extant, c. 1845) ** CG 69: Messe à 5 voix libres in E minor (incomplete, c. 1848 – Kyrie published in 1878) ** CG 70: Messe No. 1 à 3 voix d'hommes in C minor (''aux Orphéonistes'', 1853) ** CG 71: Messe brève No. 2 pour choeur d'hommes in G major ('' Messe pour les sociétés chorales'', 1862), and its later revisions: Messe No. 3 à trois voix égales (''Messe aux communautés religieuses'', c. 1882, publ. 1891) and pour solistes choeur et orgue (1890, publ. 1893) ** CG 72: Messe brève No. 4 à deux voix égales ('' Messe à la Congrégation des dames auxiliatrice de l'Immaculée-Conception'', no Credo – 1876), revision as Messe brève No. 7 ''aux chapelles'' (1890, publ. 1893) ** CG 73: ''Messe des anges gardiens'' in C major (SATB soloists and choir, 1872) ** CG 74: ''Messe à la mémoire de Jeanne d'Arc libératrice et martyre'' in F major (no Credo 1886–1887) ** CG 78 and 79: Messe brève pour les morts en fa majeur (Introit/Kyrie – Sanctus – Pie Jesu – Agnus Dei, 1871 – publ. 1873), and a later reworking (1875) ** CG 147b: Messe funèbre in F major (Kyrie – Sanctus – Pie Jesu – Agnus Dei, 1865 – publ. 1883) is a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

by Jules Dormois of Gounod's ''Les Sept paroles de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ sur la croix''

20th century

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.Zachary Woo ...

: Missa Brevis (1990) *

Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley (12 May 190326 December 1989) was an English composer. Biography Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Oxford, England, the younger child and only son of Aline Carla (1863–1935), daughter of Sir James Char ...

: Missa Brevis, Op. 57 (1960) * Leonard Bernstein:

(1989 – without Credo) * Benjamin Britten:

(1959 – without Credo) *

Lorenzo Ferrero Lorenzo Ferrero (; born 1951) is an Italian composer, librettist, author, and book editor. He started composing at an early age and has written over a hundred compositions thus far, including twelve operas, three ballets, and numerous orchestral ...

: Missa Brevis, for five voices and two synthesizers (1975) *

Vivian Fine Vivian Fine (28 September 1913 – 20 March 2000) was an American composer. Life Vivian Fine was born in Chicago to David and Rose Fine. A piano prodigy, she became at age five the youngest student ever to be awarded a scholarship at the Chic ...

: Missa Brevis for Four Cellos and Taped Voice (1972) * : for three-part mixed choir *

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (; hu, Kodály Zoltán, ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music ed ...

: Missa Brevis for soloists, chorus and organ (1942, 1948) *

Lowell Liebermann Lowell Liebermann (born February 22, 1961 in New York City) is an American composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at Carnegie Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op. 1. He studied at the Juilliar ...

: Missa Brevis, Op. 15 (1985) * Frank Martin *

Vytautas Miškinis Vytautas Miškinis (born 5 June 1954) is a Lithuanian composer, choral conductor and academic teacher. He is artistic director of Ąžuoliukas, a boys' and youth choir and music school, and of other ensembles, performing internationally. He has ...

: Missa Brevis "Pro pace" * Knut Nystedt:

, Op. 102 (1984) *

Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature. His best-known piece is his 1 ...

Brian Ferneyhough Brian John Peter Ferneyhough (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer. Ferneyhough is typically considered the central figure of the New Complexity movement. Ferneyhough has taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and ...

: Missa Brevis (1969) *

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

: Missa brevis, for double mixed chorus and organ (1966) * Christopher Wood: Missa Brevis, for choir and organ

21st century

* Andrew Ford: Missa Brevis for SATB choir and organ (2015) *

Douglas Knehans Douglas Knehans (born 1957, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American/Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Aust ...

: Missa Brevis for SATB and organ (2010) *

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

: for eight cellos (Kyrie – Sanctus – Agnus Dei, 2009–2010)Arvo Pärt: Missa brevis
at

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, they originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market (which had until then been dominated by Leipzig-base ...

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', ''Polish Requiem'', ''A ...

: Missa brevis for chorus a capella (2013) *

Gerhard Präsent Gerhard Präsent (born 21 June 1957) is an Austrian composer, conductor and academic teacher. Professional career Born in Graz, Präsent studied from 1976 at the Musikhochschule Graz, composition with Iván Erőd and conducting with Milan Horvat ...

: ''Missa minima'' (2001)

References

Sources

* {{cite book , last1=Rimbach , first1=Evangeline , date=2005 , chapter=The Sacred Vocal Music of Johann Kuhnau , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVKHZaLFUkAC&pg=PA83 , editor1-last=Messerli , editor1-first=Carlos R. , title=Thine the Amen: Essays on Lutheran Church Music in Honor of Carl Schalk , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oVKHZaLFUkAC , others= Marty, Martin E. (Foreword) , publisher=Kirk House Publishers , pages=83–110 , isbn=9781932688115 Christian liturgical music