Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Missa brevis

The Missa brevis K.140 (Anh. 235d = No. 5) occupies a special position in that it comes close to a pastoral mass, a type not otherwise represented in Mozartís mass oeuvre. As in no other setting of the Ordinary, songlike, graceful melodies predominate; only the main part of the Credo and the first section of the Agnus Dei stand out with their serious, solemn mood.

New, important evidence for the workís authenticity has come to light through the discovery of old parts that were written at a time in which a false attribution of another composerís work to Mozart would not have been possible: a copy at Kremsm¸nster Monastery, which according to Altman Kellner was written in Salzburg ìca. (soon after) 1770î, and a copy from Heilig Kreuz Kloster, Augsburg, of which thirteen parts contain autograph markings by W. A. Mozart. The masterís hand is unmistakable.