Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Et in terra pax
(Glory in the highest to God. And on earth peace)

hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.

(to men of good will. We praise thee. We bless thee.)

Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi

(We worship thee. We glorify thee. Thanks we give to thee)

propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,

(because of thy great glory thy. Lord God, King of heaven,)

Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.

(God Father almighty. Lord Son only begotten, Jesus Christ.)

Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.

(Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.)

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

(Who takes away sins of world, have mercy on us.)

Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.

(Who takes away sins of world, receive our supplication.)

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

(Who sits at right hand of Father, have mercy on us.)

Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus.

(For thou alone are holy. Thou alone are the Lord.)

Tu solus altisimus, Jesu Christe.

(Thou alone are most high, Jesus Christ.)

Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

(With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God Father. Amen.)

Form of the Mass

Generally, for a composition to be a full Mass, it must contain the following sections, which together constitute the ordinary of the Eucharist:

I. Kyrie

The Kyrie is the first movement of a setting of the Ordinary of the Mass:

Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison ( . . ) Lord have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

This is from the ancient (Biblical New Testament) Greek language, unlike the rest of the mass which is Latin. Kyrie movements often have a structure that reflects the concision and symmetry of the text. Many have a ternary (ABA) form, where the two appearances of the phrase "Kyrie eleison" consist of identical or closely related material and frame a contrasting "Christe eleison" section. Or AAABBBCCC' form is also found later on. Famously, Mozart sets the "Kyrie" and "Christe" texts in his Requiem Mass as the two subjects of a double fugue.

II. Gloria

The Gloria is a celebratory passage praising God and Christ:

Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give thanks to You propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex caelestis [coelestis], Deus Pater omnipotens. for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God the Father. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who taketh away the sins of the world, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Have mercy on us; You who take away the sins of the world, hear our prayers. Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. For You are the only Holy One, the only Lord, the only Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father, Amen. In Mass settings (normally in English) composed for the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer liturgy, the Gloria is commonly the last movement, because it occurs in this position in the text of the service. In Order One of the newer Common Worship liturgy, however, it is restored to its earlier place.

III. Credo

The Credo, a setting of the Nicene Creed, is the longest text of a sung Mass:

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, I believe in one God, the Father Almighty factorem cli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible: Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum, And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, God of God, Light of Light, very [true] God of very [true] God; genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, per quem omnia facta sunt. by Whom all things were made; Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de clis. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est. and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man: Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est, He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried: et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas, And (on) the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures: et ascendit in clum, sedet ad dexteram Patris. And ascended into Heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father: Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, iudicare vivos et mortuos, And He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead: cuius regni non erit finis; Of His Kingdom there shall be no end; Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Who proceeds from the Father and the Son Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: Who, with the Father and the Son, is similarly adored and glorified, qui locutus est per prophetas. Who has spoken through the Prophets. Et unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. And I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, And I expect the Resurrection of the Dead: et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

Since the Second Vatican Council composers have mostly ignored writing melodies for the Credo in vernacular languages. Today, the Creed is usually recited by the congregation. Organizers of international celebrations, such as World Youth Day, have been encouraged by Rome to familiarize congregants in the Latin chants for the Our Father and the Credo, specifically Credo III (17th century, Fifth Mode) from the Missa de Angelis (the Mass of the Angels). The purpose of singing these two texts in Latin is to engender a sense of unity in the faithful, all of whom thus sing the prayer of Jesus and the shared belief of the universal Church in the same language.

IV. Sanctus

The Sanctus is a doxology praising the Trinity:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth; pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts; Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in excelsis Hosanna in the highest. A variant exists in Lutheran settings of the Sanctus. While most hymnal settings keep the second person pronoun, other settings change the second person pronoun to the third person. This is most notable in J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor, where the text reads gloria ejus ("His glory"). Martin Luther's chorale Isaiah, Mighty in Days of Old, and Felix Mendelssohn's setting of the Heilig! (German Sanctus) from his Deutsche Liturgie also use the third person.

V. Benedictus

The Benedictus is a continuation of the Sanctus:

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in excelsis is repeated after the Benedictus section, often with musical material identical to that used after the Sanctus, or very closely related. In Gregorian chant the Sanctus (with Benedictus) was sung whole at its place in the mass. However, as composers produced more embellished settings of the Sanctus text, the music often would go on so long that it would run into the consecration of the bread and wine. This was considered the most important part of the Mass, so composers began to stop the Sanctus halfway through to allow this to happen, and then continue it after the consecration is finished. This practice was forbidden for a period in the 20th century.

VI. Agnus Dei The Agnus Dei is a setting of the "Lamb of God" litany:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, miserere nobis. have mercy upon us. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, miserere nobis. have mercy upon us. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, dona nobis pacem. grant us peace. In a Requiem Mass, the words "miserere nobis" are replaced by "dona eis requiem" (grant them rest), while "dona nobis pacem" is replaced by "dona eis requiem sempiternam" (grant them eternal rest).

Other sections
Following the distribution of the Sacrament, it is customary in most Lutheran churches to sing the Nunc Dimittis. In a liturgical Mass, there are other sections that may be sung, often in Gregorian chant. These sections, the "Proper" of the Mass, change with the day and season according to the Church calendar, or according to the special circumstances of the Mass. The Proper of the Mass is usually not set to music in a Mass itself, except in the case of a Requiem Mass, but may be the subject of motets or other musical compositions. The sections of the Proper of the Mass include the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia or Tract (depending on the time of year), Offertory and Communion.