Missa brevis

In the last decade, Krzysztof Penderecki composed a Sanctus and Benedictus for treble choir, and he has now used these movements as the basis of his Missa brevis. The new mass setting adds male voices in fitting with the structure of the boys’ choir, which celebrated its 800th anniversary with the first performance of this work. Penderecki’s oeuvre contains many sacred works, with numerous compositions based on sections of the Catholic Mass. Nevertheless, the Missa brevis is, with the exception of his Polish Requiem, his first complete mass setting.