Table of Items for the Medieval High Mass

Cynthia J. Cyrus

This chart presents the musical items for a typical high mass, but some services during the church year omit particular items or substitute other chants (an extra alleluia in place of the gradual, for instance), and the requiem mass (the mass for the dead) differs in many ways from this outline. A more extensive discussion of the medieval mass and its ceremonial has been provided by Joseph Dyer

The most important musical items are listed in italics and bold.

Item	Proper/ Ordinary	Performed by	Musical Characteristics	Manuscript Source
Introit	proper	choir w/solo on verse	neumatic (syllabic for verse)	Graduale
Kyrie	ordinary	choir	melismatic	Kyriale
Gloria	ordinary	choir	neumatic	Kyriale
Collects	proper	priest	spoken or recited	Sacramentary
Epistle	proper	subdeacon	spoken or recited	Lectionary or Epistolary
Gradual	proper	soloist w/choir	melismatic	Cantatory
Alleluia or Tract	proper	soloist w/choir	melismatic	Cantatory
Sequence	proper	choir	syllabic	Sequentiary
Gospel	proper	deacon	spoken or recited	Lectionary or Evangeliary
Sermon	extemporary or written	priest (deacon may also speak)	spoken
Credo	ordinary	choir	syllabic	Kyriale
Offertory	proper	choir	melismatic	Graduale
Offertory Prayers	ordinary	priest	spoken or recited	Sanctorale
Secret	proper	priest	spoken or recited	Sanctorale
Preface	proper	priest	spoken or recited	Sacramentary
Sanctus	ordinary	choir	neumatic	Kyriale
Canon	ordinary	priest	silent	Sacramentary
Pater noster	ordinary	all	spoken or recited
Agnus Dei	ordinary	choir	melismatic	Kyriale
Communion	proper	choir	neumatic	Graduale
Post-Communion prayers	proper	priest	spoken or recited	Sacramentary
Ite missa est or Benedicamus Domino	ordinary	priest and choir	melismatic	Kyriale

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Copyright (C) 1997-2003, Cynthia J. Cyrus. This file may be copied on the condition that the entire contents, including the header and this copyright notice, remain intact.