The majority of Bellini's sacred pieces date from his early years in Catania and in Naples; this is the only one that can be positively dated, as Bellini himself signed and dated it, "Finis, Laus Deo et Beatae Mariae semper Virgini, 1818" (The end, thanks be to God and Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin). Judging from references in Francesco Florimo's history of the music schools in Naples, it was probably written while Bellini was living in Catania, as an examination piece for his graduation from the Conservatory of San Sebastiano; aside from being a standard pious inscription for the ending of a sacred piece, this might have well expressed the musically precocious Bellini's own hopes for graduating and entering the musical world as a full-fledged professional.

The mass is written for chorus, orchestra, and four soloists: two sopranos, tenor, and bass. The opening Kyrie suggests Vivaldi at certain points, particularly in the use of the strings, the expressive ornamentation, and the highly atypical for Bellini use of staccato. The Gloria, marked Allegro brillante, is energetic and jubilant; again, the ornamentation is used magnificently to suggest exhilaration. While the writing for the soloists occasionally became muddied during the Kyrie, here it is consistently masterful, particularly in the brief duet for the two sopranos in the "et in terra pax" section. The Laudamus section is a solo for the bass, written with the same striding assertion as the preceding sections, and calling for considerable virtuosic display of not only ornamentation and range, but breath control, with some particularly demanding extended and heavily ornamented phrases. The woodwinds are far more prominent in this section than in any of the others, though the strings still dominate the orchestration. The Domine Deus is an immediate contrast, written with a much gentler and pensive touch in both orchestral and vocal parts. Aside from a lighter and less aggressive orchestration, the soloists here are the two sopranos, and their music is more suppliant than assertive. Bellini uses the two soloists separately for the extended introduction, not bringing them into duet until the Agnus Dei section; after this, the writing is closely intertwined, with only brief changes from duet to solo. In the Qui tollis, a soprano solo, the tempo slows to a largo and for the first time, there is a hint of spiritual unease in the minor key and almost clashing orchestration. The solo, too, changes from serenely melodic to tense in the Miserere, though it does regain its sense of transparent tranquility by the conclusion. The Qui sedes changes the mood with its allegretto tempo and pizzicato. The rushing and heavily accented orchestration and the quick-paced soprano solo create a sense of urgency, emphasized by the occasional slowing in the soloist line, further heightening the tension. The Cum sancto for orchestra, chorus, and soloists, uses the brass for the first time, which, together with the brisk rhythms, at times suggests a Rossinian march, and brings the mass to a rousing conclusion.

© Anne Feeney, Rovi