CanticoCantico · Store
Try Cantico

Missa VIII «de Angelis» (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)

Canto gregoriano

Score

Read it and listen to it right here. It can't be downloaded — to sing it with your choir, use it in Cantico.

History

Missa VIII «de Angelis» (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)

Mass VIII “de Angelis” is one of the Masses of the Kyriale, the book of Ordinary chants of the Mass in Gregorian chant, and one of the most sung by assemblies around the world. The Vatican edition of 1908 helped to spread it.

About the piece

A set of four Ordinary chants in Latin: Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. The edition, 35 measures long, carries a single line in modern notation.

How to prepare it

It is sung in unison and unaccompanied, with a free rhythm that follows the text. The range is C4–D5 (a major ninth), comfortable for the whole assembly. Rehearse the four parts separately and begin with the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei, which are the shortest. Take care with the pronunciation of the Latin, with clear vowels, and let the natural accent of the text shape the phrasing.

When to use it

It is one of the Gregorian Masses most used on feasts of the Virgin and in Ordinary Time, and a good doorway into plainchant for an assembly that is just starting.