Missa prolationum – Johannes Ockeghem

Missa prolationum by Johannes Ockeghem

The Flemish composer Johannes Ockeghem likely completed this setting of the Ordinary of the Mass while serving as the maestro di cappella to the French court of Charles VII in Paris. The exact date of completion is difficult to confirm as there are only two surviving copies of the manuscript, both of which were made 50 years after Ockeghem began his service in Paris, however speculation is that the work was finished no later than 1460.

The Ordinary of the Mass is the section of Roman Rite Mass which remains constant regardless of what time of the year the Mass is performed. The standard Ordinary of the Mass contains 6 sections, with the final ‘Agnus Dei’ section being divided into three parts. Ockegham would adapt the entire Mass into this contrapuntal work.

This musical adaptation is comprised of five sections:
I. Kyrie
II. Gloria
III. Credo
IV. Sanctus and Benedictus
V. Agnus Dei