Composed in 2021 to commission for the Choir of Westminster Abbey and dedicated to Westminster
Abbey Choir School. This is MacMillan's fourth mass setting for exclusively choral forces
following the early Missa Brevis (1977) the Mass for Westminster Cathedral (2000) and Missa
Dunelmi for Durham Cathedral (2011). St Edward the Confessor one of the last Anglo-Saxon
kings of England re-founded Westminster Abbey in 1065 when he rebuilt a Saxon church at
Westminster and dedicated it to St Peter making St Peter's Day one of the most important
festivals in the Abbey calendar. Mass of St Edward the Confessor was first performed on St
Peter's Day 2022 thus honouring both the patron and the founder of Westminster Abbey. Lasting
15 minutes the work explores a wide range of moods and choral textures in response to the text
and is suited to liturgical and concert performance alike.Instrumentation:mixed choir
(SSAATTBB) a cappella
