Mozart: Missa in C major KV 257

Here, as also in his earlier “Litte Credo Mass” KV 192, Mozart made use of a church music device which can be traced back in south-German and Austrian church music to the beginning of the 18th century: frequent repetition of the opening words of the “Credo”. This presupposes that the setting of the words of the intonation “Credo in unum Deum” as part of an ensemble composition, which for centuries had been intoned in plainsong by the priest, had become liturgically acceptable. It was only a small and syntactically logical step for the word “Credo” to be repeated before the individual articles of belief, thus strengthening the declaration of faith.