Petite Messe Solennelle

Gioachino Rossini had given up writing operas for nearly thirty years by the time he wrote his Petite Messe Solennelle, which he called “the last of the sins of my old age.” Others have observed that, despite its title, this Mass setting is neither “small” nor particularly “solemn!” The scale is intimate though, as it was written for a choir of sixteen with a quartet of soloists. It is scored for piano and harmonium—a small home organ—the perfect accompaniment for this work that was designed to be performed in the home of the couple to whom the work was dedicated.​
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