ABSTRACT
In the medieval world of Western Christendom, musical settings of the liturgical texts of the Roman Rite were integral to the foundation of the Western art music tradition and continued to provide a creative space to work out new musical techniques and styles that moved in tandem with the evolving religious and philosophical landscape of Europe. This chapter considers the nature of musical settings of medieval, Renaissance, baroque, and classical masses from the thirteenth to eighteenth centuries and the historical factors, including Enlightenment philosophies, that shaped them.
