Mass

Listen to a Kyrie, the first movement of a Renaissance Mass

The most substantial composition of the Renaissance. The main Roman Catholic service and the music written for it. A five movement form set to music. The five movements are Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnes dei. The great challenge for the composer was to link and unify the sections of the church service mass with vocal music. The Renaissance Mass was sung a cappella, was primarily in imitative polyphony and was written in four parts arranged Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass.