Mass in G minor (Vaughan Williams)

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Mass in G minor
by Ralph Vaughan Williams
TextMass ordinary
LanguageEnglish
Composed1921 (1921)
DedicationGustav Holst
Performed6 December 1922 (1922-12-06)
Movements5
Scoring
  • four soloists
  • double choir

The Mass in G minor is a choral work by Ralph Vaughan Williams written in 1921. It is the first Mass written in a distinctly English manner since the sixteenth century. The composer dedicated the piece to Gustav Holst and the Whitsuntide Singers at Thaxted in north Essex, but it was first performed by the City of Birmingham Choir on 6 December 1922. Though the first performance was in a concert venue Vaughan Williams intended the Mass to be used in a liturgical setting. R.R Terry directed its first performance at Westminster Cathedral.

The work is written for unaccompanied double choir and four soloists, and divided into five movements:

  1. Kyrie
  2. Gloria in excelsis
  3. Credo
  4. Sanctus Osanna I - Benedictus - Osanna II
  5. Agnus Dei

A typical performance takes about 25 minutes.

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