The nickname "Sparrow" was not Mozart's for this short Mass, whose conciseness (like that of eight others he called Missa brevis) was decreed for the Salzburg Cathedral in 1771 by Count von Schrattenbach. When Hieronymous Colloredo succeeded him as Archbishop in 1772, he reinforced the edict, with the result that the music, the spoken service, and the Gregorian chants sung by monks could last no longer than 45 minutes.

All of these abbreviated Masses in which Mozart used trumpets (there are two of them in K. 220) share C major as their tonic—the key of most valveless instruments in use before 1800. In addition to trumpets, a chorus, and four solo voices (SATB), Mozart wrote for timpani, violins, basso continuo, and organ. The "Sparrow" nickname came from a chirping string figuration in the Sanctus. This undated Missa brevis has been attributed to 1775 or early 1776—after the composer's return from Munich in March 1775, but before his Mannheim-Paris tour of 1777 - 1779. In The Mozart Compendium, H.C. Robbins Landon cites it as "a good example of the recapitulation convention in which the music of the Kyrie returns for the 'Dona nobis pacem' of the [concluding] Agnus Dei." Stanley Sadie concurs in The New Grove Mozart. Alfred Beaujean concludes in The Compleat Mozart (edited by Neal Zaslaw) that "the sovereignty with which [Mozart] combines formal conciseness with festive effect remains worthy of admiration." Alfred Einstein, however, cited the piece as "surely [Mozart's weakest...church work," with "scarcely more than a hint at anything mystic or emotional."

The Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei have C major as their tonic. The first four have an Allegro basic tempo, although the Sanctus begins with seven measures of Andante. The "Et incarnatus est" in the Credo is also marked Andante, and likewise the Benedictus, before the "Hosanna." The Agnus Dei begins Adagio for 45 measures, until an Allegro "Dona nobis pacem." All sections use trumpets except the Benedictus, where G major prevails for 31 measures, until a brassily exultant "Hosanna" in C.

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