ABSTRACT
The variety of emotions encapsulated within the narrative arc of the Ordinary of the Roman Rite is a significant contributor to the establishment and survival of the concert mass because it has invited the creation and subsequent enjoyment of satisfying concert music. An exploration of the origins and meanings of the five standard liturgical texts set in masses – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus-Benedictus, and Agnus Dei – provides insights that, in later chapters, help to interpret and analyse composers’ musical decisions and to contemplate their theological and musical consequences.
