I’m going to put together a Mass setting for my own amusement (and I suppose that of my readers) of some of my favourite settings of these familiar texts. Two constraints: no composer is to be repeated, and the movements must only come from Masses I’ve sung. As will become clear, my ideas aren’t fully settled yet.
Kyrie
This has to be Bach’s B minor mass, surely? If I were beaming up a piece of music into space to show the aliens just what the inhabitants of this planet were capable of, I’d use the opening section of this, the longest choral movement Bach wrote.
Gloria
I wasn’t able to choose the Kyrie from the Haydn’s Nelson Mass so I’ll go for the Gloria instead.
Credo
I’m a bit stuck here. It’s a long and unwieldy text, and I can’t think of a setting that is a real ‘must-have’. So I’ll pass on this one for now. [November 2016: I’ve now sung the Missa Solemnis, and it really has to be the Creed from this. What else could it possibly be?]
Sanctus
Here my choice comes from Berlioz’ Grande Messe des Morts, but it must have a tenor soloist who floats ethereally, not one who takes a histrionic approach to his part.
Benedictus
I’m going to be a bit controversial – rather than choose an example designed to show off the soprano soloist, I’ll have the setting from Mozart’s Requiem where the solo quartet work as an ensemble. So it may not be by Mozart? Somehow it’s just too good for there to be none of his music in it.
Agnus Dei
I really couldn’t decide on this one. I shall share the honours between two English settings, one of which is only partly liturgical: Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices and Britten’s War Requiem. I think ‘less is more’ when it comes to this text.
For a Credo, how about Frank Martin’s Mass in G? Gets me going (and there aren’t many credos that do that)!
I’ll consider adding it when I’ve had a chance to perform this Mass, which I’ve never done. (It was performed at my godson’s christening.)