ABSTRACT
The musical quality of Franz Schubert's shorter sacred pieces is variable but there is always some feature of melodic or harmonic inventiveness to engage one's interest and admiration, and there is no doubt that they usually rise above the level of mere "occasional," adjuncts to the Mass liturgy. "Small is beautiful" is not intended to be an aesthetic statement. Schubert's first complete setting of the Mass was preceded by several smaller works, some of an experimental nature. In his smaller sacred works Schubert was usually more faithful to the text than is frequently the case in his Mass settings, in particular his omission of important doctrinal statements in the Credo movements. The dual influences of secular humanism on the one hand and Schubert's undoubted reputation as a composer of symphonies, chamber music, and unparalleled Lieder on the other have also contributed to the tendency to sideline these smaller works.
