Mass (music) - Masses Written For The Anglican Liturgy

Masses Written For The Anglican Liturgy

These are more often known as 'Communion Services', and differ not only in that they are settings of English words, but also, as mentioned above, in that the Gloria usually forms the last movement. Sometimes the Kyrie movement takes the form of sung responses to the Ten Commandments, 1 to 9 being followed by the words 'Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law', and the tenth by 'Lord have mercy upon us and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee'. Since the texts of the 'Benedictus qui venit' and the 'Agnus Dei' do not actually feature in the liturgy of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, these movements are often missing from some of the earlier Anglican settings. Charles Villiers Stanford composed a Benedictus and Agnus in the key of F major which was published separately to complete his service in C.

With reforms in the Anglican liturgy, the movements are now usually sung in the same order that they are in the Roman Catholic rite, leading, according to some, to the musical integrity of the settings being somewhat compromised. Choral settings of the Creed, the most substantial movement, are rarely performed in Anglican cathedrals now.

Well known Anglican settings of the Mass, which may be found in the repertoire of many English cathedrals are:

• Darke in F
• Darke in E
• Darke in A minor
• Ireland in C
• Stanford in C & F
• Stanford in B flat
• Stanford in A
• Sumsion in F
• Oldroyd, Mass of the Quiet Hour
• Jackson in G
• Howells, Collegium Regale
• Leighton in D
• Noble in B minor
• Harwood in A flat
• Wood in the Phrygian Mode