Music Fridays- Liturgy, Mozart, and Modern Music: Part 5

After a hiatus, our little project bridging Mozart and modernity is back in swing. (To catch up on this whole series, click here.)

Mozart's Mass in C Minor is an incomplete work- and that begins to show when we reach the Credo. Mozart's intent was to create a series of movements which encompassed the full text of Nicene Creed. Only two sections were ever completed.

The opening section, Credo In Unum Diem, contains the following lyrics:

Credo / in / unum / Deum, Patrem / omnipotentem, factorem / coeli / et / terrae, visibilium / omnium, / et / invisibilium.

Et / in / unum / Dominum / Jesum / Christum, Filium / Dei / unigenitum, et / ex / Patre / natum / ante / omnia / saecula. /Deum / de / Deo, / lumen / de / lumine, /Deum / verum / de / Deo / vero.

Genitum, / non / factum, / consubstantialem / Patri: /per / quem / omnia / facta / sunt.

Qui / propter / nos / homines,/ et / propter / nostram / salutem/ descendit / de / caelis.

Which means:

I believe in one God, the Almighty Father, maker of heaven and earth, and all things visible and invisible.


And (I believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. Begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father: by whom all things were made.


Who, for us and for our salvation descended from the heavens.



The second section, Et Encarnatus, reads:
Et / incarnatus / est / de / Spiritu / Sancto /ex / Maria / Virgine. / Et / homo / factus / est.

Which means:

And was made flesh by the Holy Ghost from the Virgin Mary, and was made human.



To give you a sense of where Mozart was heading, here is the translation of the Nicene Creed which we use in the current United Methodist Hymnal:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.


We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.


We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

(* "catholic" refers to the universal assembly of all believers, not the Roman Catholic Church. This creed predates the split of the Roman and Eastern churches and the development of what we consider Catholicism today.*) 

Next week, we'll hear a 90's version of The Apostle's Creed plus some other musical statements of Christian faith.