What's the difference?

[Pious]

• High Mass
• Solemn Mass
• Sung Mass
• Low Mass
• Missa Cantata
• Missa Privata
• Missa Recitata

Thank you

 

[AJV]

• High Mass
• Solemn Mass
• Sung Mass
• Low Mass
• Missa Cantata
• Missa Privata
• Missa Recitata

Thank you

From this thread. Also see this thread, and this one, this one (particularly post 3) and this one.

A Low Mass simply has the priest and one or two servers. All of the prayers are spoken. There can, however, be hymns sung by the choir or congregation while the Mass is being celebrated.

A High Mass has two variations:

The Sung Mass, a.k.a. Missa Cantata, a.k.a. Simple High Mass has a priest only, without deacon and subdeacon. At a Sung Mass, all prayers are sung by priest and choir/congregation. The more common form before WWII was basically the same format as Low Mass (one priest, two servers), and no incense, but everything was sung. After WII the more common form became the Sung Mass with incense, which involved having a thurifer and MC along with the two acolytes, and possibly also torchbearers. This is the most common form of High Mass found in Latin Mass Communities today.

The other form of High Mass is the Solemn Mass, which includes three sacred ministers (celebrant, deacon, subdeacon), an MC and thurifer, two acolytes, a crucifer and torchbearers. It is common to see priests serve as deacon and subdeacon at a Solemn Mass. Often this form of celebration is referred to as a Solemn High Mass and that was its official name until the 1960 rubrics, which began to use simply Solemn Mass.

A Pontifical Solemn Mass is Mass celebrated by a bishop, and requires many more assistants, including two deacons at the throne, an assistant priest, a second MC, four attendants for the bishop (crozier, mitre, book and candle bearers) and eight (instead of six) torchbearers.

To which I would like to add:
The Recitata is the ‘Dialogue Mass’. The guidelines for this are embodied in De Musica Sacra, no 31

The Missa Privata has many meanings and depends on the context in which it is used. It can mean

• a “low Mass” as has been described earlier and in the threads I linked to. This is also known as a “Missa lecta” (read Mass)
• a Mass with a server and no congregation.
• Very occasionally: a Mass by a priest without anyone serving or attending- this is more properly termed a “Missa solitaria”
• a non-conventual Mass. (Conventual means it is offered in connection with the Divine Office by the clergy of a church obliged to recite the Divine Office ‘in choir’ daily.This is only the case in large churches, cathedrals, monasteries- not ordinary parish churches)
• a Mass which is not said solemnly or for a grave need but at the option of the celebrant.

Which brings me to the next point- the “Solemn Mass”. When most people say “Solemn Mass” they mean of course, what is sometimes called “Solemn High Mass” with deacon subdeacon, etc. But, strictly speaking a low Mass can also be solemn - if it is said as the main Mass of Sunday (the parochial Mass) or as the main Mass on a highly-ranked feast (like the Assumption) or for a grave cause. Generally for such solemn low Masses, the priest celebrant may use more than two candles on the altar and have multiple altar servers. I don’t know whether this is in practise anywhere today, but this is allowed.

 

[Pious]

Thank you

 

[drafdog]

Basically it’s how much extra ceremony is added to the Mass.

Matthew

 

[BenedictMary]

Basically it’s how much extra ceremony is added to the Mass.

Actually, it’s the other way around. It’s how much ceremony is taken out of the mass. The original form of the Tridentine Mass was the Missa Solemnis (Solemn Mass ie, Priest, Deacon, Sub-Deacon and many servers). The Mass was shortened over the years so priests who were travelling etc were able to say their daily Mass.