What are the Mass and Requiem, and how have composers set their texts across the centuries?
Area of Study: Sacred Vocal Music (Mass and Requiem). The structure and texts of the Mass and the Requiem Mass, the development of settings from Renaissance polyphony to later styles, choral and orchestral forces, word setting and text expression, and the set works studied for this area, as examined in the listening and written paper.
A CCEA A-Level Music answer on the A2 Area of Study Sacred Vocal Music (Mass and Requiem): the movements and texts of the Mass Ordinary and the Requiem Mass, how settings developed from Renaissance polyphony to later orchestral styles, the choral and instrumental forces, word setting and text expression, and the set works (such as Byrd, Mozart, Faure and Chilcott) studied for the exam.
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What this dot point is asking
This A2 Area of Study covers sacred vocal music in the form of the Mass and the Requiem Mass. CCEA wants you to know the movements and texts of the Mass Ordinary and the Requiem, how composers set these texts from Renaissance polyphony through to later orchestral styles, the choral and instrumental forces involved, word setting and text expression, and the set works studied for this area. It deepens the AS sacred-vocal area by spanning more than four centuries of settings.
The answer
The Mass Ordinary
The Requiem Mass
From Renaissance polyphony to later settings
Settings of these texts changed greatly over time:
- Renaissance settings (for example Byrd's Mass for Five Voices) are unaccompanied (a cappella) choral polyphony, with imitative entries between voice parts, modal harmony, mostly stepwise lines and controlled dissonance (suspensions), in a smooth, flowing texture.
- Classical and Romantic settings (for example Mozart's Requiem, Faure's Requiem) add an orchestra and often solo singers, use functional tonal harmony with clear keys and modulation, mix homophonic and contrapuntal (fugal) textures, and exploit dramatic dynamic and textural contrast.
- Twentieth-century and modern settings (for example Chilcott's A Little Jazz Mass) bring newer idioms, including jazz and popular styles, to the same ancient texts.
Word setting and text expression
Worked example: comparing two settings
Examples in context
Example 1. A Renaissance Mass. Byrd's Mass for Five Voices sets the Ordinary for unaccompanied voices in flowing imitative polyphony, the parts entering in turn with the same idea, the harmony modal and the dissonance carefully prepared as suspensions. The a cappella scoring and imitative modal texture place it unmistakably in the Renaissance.
Example 2. The Dies irae in a Romantic Requiem. In a Requiem such as Mozart's, the "Dies irae" (day of wrath) is set as fast, loud, agitated music for full choir and orchestra, the text's terror painted by driving rhythm and dramatic dynamics, in sharp contrast to the gentle "Requiem aeternam". The orchestra and dramatic contrast mark it as a later setting.
Try this
Q1. Name the five movements of the Mass Ordinary. [5 marks]
- Cue. Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus (with Benedictus), Agnus Dei.
Q2. Which movements does a Requiem Mass omit, and name one text it adds. [2 marks]
- Cue. It omits the Gloria and the Credo; it adds texts for the dead such as the Requiem aeternam or the Dies irae.
Q3. State two features of a Renaissance Mass setting. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: unaccompanied (a cappella) voices, imitative polyphony, modal harmony, controlled suspensions, smooth stepwise lines.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA A2 3 written8 marksName the movements of the Mass Ordinary and explain how a Requiem Mass differs in its text.Show worked answer →
The Mass Ordinary is the part of the Mass whose text stays the same at every service, and it is the part composers usually set. Its five movements are the Kyrie (Lord have mercy), the Gloria (a hymn of praise), the Credo (the statement of belief), the Sanctus with the Benedictus (Holy, holy, holy, and Blessed is he), and the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
The Requiem Mass is the Mass for the dead, so its text differs to suit a funeral or memorial. The Gloria and Credo (joyful and creedal) are omitted, and movements proper to the dead are added or substituted, above all the Introit "Requiem aeternam" (eternal rest) and the dramatic Dies irae (day of wrath) sequence, alongside texts such as the Offertory, the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei (with "dona eis requiem") and "Lux aeterna" and "Libera me" in some settings.
Markers reward the five Ordinary movements named correctly, the omission of the Gloria and Credo in a Requiem, and the addition of texts such as the Requiem aeternam and the Dies irae.
CCEA A2 3 listening8 marksCompare how a Renaissance composer and a later composer set the same kind of sacred text, with reference to texture, harmony and forces.Show worked answer →
A strong answer contrasts the two periods.
Renaissance setting (for example Byrd): unaccompanied (a cappella) choral polyphony, with imitative entries between the voice parts, modal harmony, mostly stepwise lines and carefully controlled dissonance (suspensions), and a smooth, flowing texture in which the words are spread across overlapping voices. The forces are voices alone, often in four or five parts.
Later setting (for example Mozart or Faure): a choir supported by an orchestra (and sometimes solo singers), functional tonal harmony with clear keys and modulation, a mix of homophonic and contrapuntal (including fugal) textures, dramatic dynamic and textural contrasts, and word painting heightened by the orchestra. The forces are larger and more varied.
The comparison should stress the move from unaccompanied modal polyphony to accompanied tonal writing with orchestra, soloists and greater contrast.
Markers reward specific features of each period, accurate vocabulary (a cappella, imitation, modal, homophonic, fugal), and a genuine comparison.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Music specification (2016) — CCEA (2016)