Missa solemnis
Solemn, large-scale setting of the Mass.
What it means
Missa solemnis (Latin for "solemn Mass") denotes a festive, large-scale setting of the Mass Ordinary with Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus with Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. Originally the term meant the solemn High Mass in the liturgy. In musical terms it stands for a Mass with large forces of choir, soloists and orchestra.
Musical use
Famous examples are Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor and Ludwig van Beethoven's Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123, on which he worked from 1819 to 1823. Beethoven's work exceeds the framework of the church service through its dimensions and is intended rather for the concert hall. Its opposite is the missa brevis, a short, often sparsely scored Mass.
The missa solemnis should be distinguished from the requiem, the Mass for the dead, which uses a different text, and from a Mass with selected sections that does not set all five parts of the Ordinary.
Performance practice
If you sing in a missa solemnis, learn the Latin text precisely and pay attention to long, supported breath lines. Large choral fugues such as the "Et vitam venturi" demand stamina and exact entries.