# Movement Structures of Masses



## Bevo (Feb 22, 2015)

So I enjoy writing music, and I'm attempting to write a short Mass, just for fun. I understand that the Kyrie is in an ABA form, but can anyone explain any of the other movements. I know that there are sections within the movements, such as with the Credo, but what structure do they follow? Are certain ones rounded binary? More ABA? Or does it vary by era? (For the record, I am writing this in the style of the Classical Era if that makes any difference.) Thanks.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Since a Mass is a setting to music of a text, the words have more to do with the final structure than custom. Sure, ABA fits a Kyrie because that's how the words go. But after that, you're pretty much on your own. The text and meaning of a Roman Mass are pretty complex and don't always lend themselves to a defined form, so don't insist on it.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Have a good look at wiki and at the texts of the mass.

The way wiki breaks it up matches the standard plainchant and gives some idea of how you can write in sections. The text of the Credo, for example, is split up as you normally sing it where each line can be sung in one breath. The Sanctus is split over 5 lines:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis

again matching the plain chant. You can use this or you can make your own splits but you need to consider the singability of it.


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## Bevo (Feb 22, 2015)

Taggart said:


> Have a good look at wiki and at the texts of the mass.
> 
> The way wiki breaks it up matches the standard plainchant and gives some idea of how you can write in sections. The text of the Credo, for example, is split up as you normally sing it where each line can be sung in one breath. The Sanctus is split over 5 lines:
> 
> ...


What is it that separates when there are breaks in the text and music during the movements, and does each section just stay in the same key until the next one? For example, when looking at Mozart's Dominicus Mass (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_in_C_major,_K._66_%22Dominicus%22) what determines the divisions of each section? Like in the Credo, I can look up the text for the Credo, but what determines where a section starts and starts, such as between the "Et incarnatus est" and the "Crucifixus?" And since you say it has more to do with phrasing than musical structure, does that mean that it does not require any modulations (unless simply desired)? In terms of the music itself, are the sections kind of like a fantasies then, but with motifs for each one? (Sorry, I know this is a lot. lol)


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