Missa Brevis
Encyclopedia
Missa brevis literally means "short mass" and can refer to different types of musical setting of the Mass
. Modernly, Missa brevis is generally understood as a setting of parts of the ordinary mass
. Composers of the 20th and 21st century have contributed to the genre with choral works
.
and also to their musical setting
:
Note that although the Sanctus and Benedictus form a single part of the liturgical Mass, composers often choose to set it as two (or more) musical parts.
and other Lutheran composed works called Missa consisting only of Kyrie
and Gloria
, in Latin
. These masses came to be called Missa brevis because they are shorter in words, the opposite being Missa tota (complete Mass).
Bach wrote four so-called "Lutherische Messen" and the Missa for Dresden (composed 1733) that later became part of his only missa tota, to be called Mass in B minor.
The four masses are
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
wrote a Deutsche Messe on the words of Kyrie and Gloria in German.
such as Mozart missa brevis meant "short in duration" – as opposed to "missa longa" (long mass), a term that Leopold Mozart
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 and the Credo.
. Fauré
's Messe basse is a famous example.
's Deutsche Messe, D. 872, is based on German songs, set for 4-part-choir, replacing the parts of the liturgy. Missa canonica of Johannes Brahms
is composed of Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei, reflecting the widespread practice of mixing settings.
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
. Modernly, Missa brevis is generally understood as a setting of parts of the ordinary mass
Order of Mass
The Order of Mass , also called the Ordinary of the Mass, is the set of texts of the Roman Rite Mass that are generally invariable. This contrasts with the proper, which are items of the Mass that change with the feast or following the Liturgical Year...
. Composers of the 20th and 21st century have contributed to the genre with choral works
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
Missa
Missa is the Latin and Italian word for Mass and can refer both to the invariable words of the MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and also to their musical setting
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
:
- KyrieKyrieKyrie, a transliteration of Greek κύριε , vocative case of κύριος , meaning "Lord", is the common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, which is also called the Kýrie, eléison ....
- GloriaGloria in Excelsis Deo"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
- CredoCredoA credo |Latin]] for "I Believe") is a statement of belief, commonly used for religious belief, such as the Apostles' Creed. The term especially refers to the use of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in the Mass, either as text, Gregorian chant, or other musical settings of the...
- SanctusSanctusThe Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
and Benedictus - Agnus DeiAgnus Dei (music)Agnus Dei, referring to the Christian theological concept the Lamb of God, and the associated liturgical text from the Roman Catholic Latin Mass has been set to music by many composers, as it is normally one of the movements or sections in a sung Mass setting or Requiem Mass...
Note that although the Sanctus and Benedictus form a single part of the liturgical Mass, composers often choose to set it as two (or more) musical parts.
Lutheran Missa
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and other Lutheran composed works called Missa consisting only of Kyrie
Kyrie
Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek κύριε , vocative case of κύριος , meaning "Lord", is the common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, which is also called the Kýrie, eléison ....
and Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
, in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. These masses came to be called Missa brevis because they are shorter in words, the opposite being Missa tota (complete Mass).
Bach wrote four so-called "Lutherische Messen" and the Missa for Dresden (composed 1733) that later became part of his only missa tota, to be called Mass in B minor.
The four masses are
- Missa in F major, BWV 233, scored for horns, oboes, bassoon, strings, SATBSATBIn music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
, basso continuo - Missa in A major, BWV 234, scored for flute, strings, SATB, basso continuo
- Missa in G minor, BWV 235, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, basso continuo
- Missa in G major, BWV 236, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, basso continuo
- see also main article: Missa (Bach)Missa (Bach)A Missa of Johann Sebastian Bach is in general a composition of the Latin Mass by the German Baroque composer.More specifically, Missa refers to one of his four short masses in F major, A major, G minor and G major, BWV 233 to 236...
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel was a prolific German composer.-Biography:Stölzel grew up in Schwarzenberg, Saxony in the Erzgebirge. From 1707 he was a student of theology in Leipzig, and of Melchior Hofmann, the musical director of the Neukirche. He studied, worked and composed in Breslau and Halle...
wrote a Deutsche Messe on the words of Kyrie and Gloria in German.
Classical period Missa brevis
For composers of the classical periodClassical period (music)
The dates of the Classical Period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1830. However, the term classical music is used colloquially to describe a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or...
such as Mozart missa brevis meant "short in duration" – as opposed to "missa longa" (long mass), a term that Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
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 and the Credo.
French Messe basse
A messe basse is simply a "Low Mass", which may be entirely spoken in a low voice to the accompaniment of music. It is the equivalent of the Deutsche SingmesseDeutsche Singmesse
The Deutsche Singmesse is a form of Low Mass that developed in German-speaking countries.-Historical precursors:In Austria, congregational singing of sacred texts in Old High German at Easter Masses is attested by medieval manuscripts dating as early as the twelfth century...
. Fauré
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré 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...
's Messe basse is a famous example.
German Romantic masses
SchubertFranz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Deutsche Messe, D. 872, is based on German songs, set for 4-part-choir, replacing the parts of the liturgy. Missa canonica of Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
is composed of Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei, reflecting the widespread practice of mixing settings.
Composers
Notable examples of the missa brevis form are by composers such as:- Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, MissaMissa (Bach)A Missa of Johann Sebastian Bach is in general a composition of the Latin Mass by the German Baroque composer.More specifically, Missa refers to one of his four short masses in F major, A major, G minor and G major, BWV 233 to 236...
in A major BWV 234, G major BWV 236, G minor BWV 235, F major BWV 233 - Richard Rodney BennettRichard Rodney BennettSir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBE is an English composer renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works...
- Lennox BerkeleyLennox BerkeleySir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley was an English composer.- Biography :He was born in Oxford, England, and educated at the Dragon School, Gresham's School and Merton College, Oxford...
- Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
- Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
- Jörg DudaJörg DudaJörg Duda is a German composer of classical music.-Professional career:Duda was influenced by the church music of Scheyern Abbey. He took lessons in organ and improvisation with Harald Feller, in theory and composition with Dieter Acker. From 1988 to 1992 he studied church music at the...
- Gabriel FauréGabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Fauré 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 VillervilleMesse des pêcheurs de VillervilleThe Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville is a missa brevis written by Gabriel Fauré in collaboration with his former pupil André Messager... - Lorenzo FerreroLorenzo FerreroLorenzo Ferrero is a contemporary Italian composer with a predilection for opera, a librettist, author, and book editor. He started composing at an early age and wrote over a hundred compositions thus far, including twelve operas, three ballets, and numerous orchestral, chamber music, solo...
, Missa Brevis (1975) for 5 voices and two synthesizers - Joseph HaydnJoseph HaydnFranz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, Missa brevis in F, Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de DeoMissa brevis Sancti Joannis de DeoThe Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo in B-flat major by Joseph Haydn, Hob. XXII:7, Novello 8, was written in 1775 for the Barmherzige Brüder in Kismarton, Hungarian Kingdom, whose patron saint was St. John of God...
, among others - Michael HaydnMichael HaydnJohann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
- Wilhelm KillmayerWilhelm KillmayerWilhelm Killmayer is a German composer of classical music and an academic.-Professional career:Wilhelm Killmayer studied conducting and composition from 1945 to 1951 in Munich at Hermann Wolfgang von Waltershausen’s Musikseminar...
- Douglas KnehansDouglas KnehansDouglas Knehans is an Australian/American composer and academic.Between 2008 and 2010 he was Dean of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.-External links:* ²* ¹...
, Missa Brevis (2010) for SATB and organ - Zoltán KodályZoltán KodályZoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
- Frank MartinFrank Martin (composer)Frank Martin was a Swiss composer, who lived a large part of his life in the Netherlands.-Childhood and youth:...
- Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, K. 49, K. 65, K. 140Missa Brevis No. 6 (Mozart)The Missa Brevis No. 6 in G major, K. 140, K3 Anh. 235d, K6 Anh. C 1.12, may have been written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1773 for Salzburg. The mass is scored for soloists, choir, strings and organ, the latter supplying figured bass for most of the duration...
, K. 192Missa Brevis No. 3 (Mozart)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Missa Brevis in F major, K. 192 , was completed in Salzburg, on 24 June 1774. It is scored for SATB soloists, SATB choir, 2 trumpets , 3 trombones, 2 violins, bass, organ. AMA I/1 No...
, K. 194, K. 220Sparrow MassThe Missa Brevis No. 10 in C major, K. 220, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1775 or 1776 for Salzburg. The mass is scored for soloists, choir, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, strings and organ, the latter supplying figured bass for most of the duration...
, K. 275Missa Brevis No. 9 (Mozart)The Missa Brevis No. 9 in B-flat major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 275/272b, was probably written before September 1777 for Salzburg. The mass is scored for soloists, choir, strings and organ, the latter supplying figured bass for most of the duration.... - Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
- Stephen PaulusStephen PaulusStephen Paulus is an American composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His best-known piece is his 1982 opera The Postman Always Rings Twice, one of several operas he has written for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, which prompted The New York Times to call him "a young man on the road...
- Gerhard PräsentGerhard PräsentGerhard Präsent is an Austrian composer, conductor and academic.-Professional career:Gerhard Präsent studied from 1976 at the Musikhochschule Graz, composition with Iván Erőd and conducting with Milan Horvat. He graduated in 1982 in composition and in 1985 in conducting, in both subjects with...
, Missa minima (2001) - William WaltonWilliam WaltonSir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
- Vytautas MiškinisVytautas MiškinisVytautas Miškinis is a Lithuanian music composer and professor, who has been Choir Director of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre conservatory since 1985. He has also served as Artistic Director of the Ąžuoliukas youth choir.He began his career in Azuoliukas at the age of seven as a...
, Missa Brevis "Pro pace"