This is the work of a very young composer, Pierre Desvignes (1764–1827), who offered his first composition to the chapter in 1780, following his years of training with the choir of Dijon’s Cathédrale Saint-Étienne. The modest size of this mass (4 soloists – dessus, haute-contre, taille and basse; a 4-part choir – dessus divisé, haute-contre, taille and basse; concertante bassoon and basso continuo) calls for musicians of the highest calibre: the different registers are exploited throughout their range in solos, duos and trios; effects abound, between ornaments, forte-piano, pianissimo and fortissimo, rhythmic breaks and continuous modulations. The composer, with a rare sense for expressive phrasing, also proposes cuts when the tessitura is too extreme (high C for the sopranos). The work is truly astonishing, torn between the conservatism of the scoring and the modernity of the composition. Desvignes went on to enjoy a distinguished musical career: appointed professor at the newly-founded Paris Conservatoire de Musique in 1793, he became maître de chapelle at Notre-Dame de Paris during the Restoration and chef adjoint de la chapelle for Napoleon I; he also tried his hand at secular music, in particular opera.