Missa Brevis
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A Missa Brevis is, literally, a "short Mass." It is a popular form of choral composition, particularly in the twentieth century. The form is sometimes called a "Messe Basse."
The form often includes four or five movements, rather than the usual six, omitting the longer 'Credo' text of the larger liturgical masses. These are the movements included:
Note: the Sanctus and Benedictus form a single part of the Latin Mass, though composers often choose to set this as two [or more] musical parts.
J.S. Bach wrote four "Missa Brevis" which consist of only a Kyrie and a Gloria. The Classical Viennese composers Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also wrote relatively short masses that do include the Credo. Sometimes to save time, texts were telescoped, i.e. successive phrases of text were sung simultaneously. E.g.,the Gloria in the "Missa Johannes de Deo" of Joseph Haydn.
Mozart also composed a "Missa Longa" - the alternative to "Brevis" - which simply takes more time to perform, and is more elaborate.
"Misse Basse" is simply "low Mass" which can be entirely spoken, though it may include music, usually simple. Fauré wrote one of these which might be considered a Missa Brevis, though he does not use this term.
Notable examples are by composers such as:
