Missa Brevis (Britten)

Missa Brevis
by Benjamin Britten
Westminster Cathedral, where the Missa was first performed
KeyD major
Opus63
FormMissa brevis
TextMass ordinary
Performed22 July 1959 (1959-07-22): Westminster Cathedral, London
Scoringthree-part treble choir and organ

The Missa Brevis in D, Op. 63, is a setting of the Latin mass completed by Benjamin Britten on Trinity Sunday, 1959.[1] Set for three-part treble choir and organ, it was first performed at London's Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral on 22 July of the same year.[1] Britten composed the mass for George Malcolm's retirement as organist and choirmaster at Westminster:[1] the printed dedication reads "For George Malcolm and the boys of Westminster Cathedral Choir".[2] It remained Britten's only liturgical setting of the mass. Malcolm's live recording, from a service at the cathedral, lasts ten minutes.

  1. ^ a b c Roseberry, 11.
  2. ^ Britten, 1.