The biography of Pope Celestine I (422–32) in the first edition of the Liber pontificalis (c.530) credits him with introducing the singing of ‘psalmi ante sacrificium’ at Mass. Several decades later, the second edition added that these psalms were sung ‘antephanatim ex omnibus’. Since the early ninth century, these statements have been interpreted to mean that Celestine introduced the introit chant, a conclusion challenged for the first time about twenty-five years ago. The new interpretation of the passage proposed that Celestine did not introduce the introit, but the responsorial psalm sung between the (two) readings at Mass. An analysis of the terminology used in Celestine's biography, especially the word sacrificium, indicates that the Liber pontificalis author did most likely intend to attribute to him the introduction of the introit, which was certainly in existence by the early sixth century. The presence of a processional solea in certain churches of Rome and the North Adriatic littoral indicates that architectural accommodations were being made for the entrance procession by the fifth century. Psalmic texts form the basis of the repertoire, and non-psalmic introits give every indication of post-dating those with texts drawn from the Psalter.

During the early years of the cyclic sine nomine Mass, before the invention of the cantus firmus Mass, the motto or head motive served as the principal means of unification. The motto has typically been characterised as a relatively uncomplicated single-voice or multi-voice unifying motive presented in the first few measures of each movement of a Mass Ordinary. This article challenges and expands common perceptions of the motto and proposes new vocabulary to aid in identifying mottos and associated repetition and variation techniques. Musical examples from the sine nomine Mass repertory dating between c.1420 and c.1466 (including the anonymous Missa Fa-ut and works by John Benet, Johannes Reson, Johannes Lymburgia, Barbingant and Jo. Bassere) reveal commonalities in motto construction and variation. These works employ multiple mottos, which, besides acting as initial gestures at the openings of movements, also serve to punctuate most subsections and are even found articulating certain words and phrases incorporated within the general contrapuntal fabric. By means of complex procedures of repetition and variation, composers applied a richer and more multifaceted approach to motto construction than previously recognised – a finding that has important ramifications for a deeper understanding of compositional approaches to repetition in cyclic Mass Ordinary settings of the early Renaissance period.

It is widely believed that musical creativity suffered under the control of many sixteenth-century Protestant church leaders, especially in the Reformed (as opposed to Lutheran) branch of Protestantism. Such views are generalisations, and it is more accurate to say that music in Geneva and other Reformed strongholds developed in a very different way from the music of the Lutheran Church. The very specific beliefs about the role of music in the liturgy of Jean Calvin, Genevan church leader, led to the creation and publication of the Book of Psalms in French, in metre, and set to music. The Genevan or Huguenot Psalter, completed in 1562, formed the basis for Reformed worship in Europe and throughout the world, and its impact is still felt today. Despite the importance of the Psalter, relatively little is known about the precise liturgical musical practices in Geneva at the time of the Reformation, and little research has been carried out into the aspirations of either reformers or church musicians in relation to the Psalter. This article explores the significance of Calvin's interest in the Psalms as theological material, observing how this interest manifested itself, and outlines Calvin's views on music and the ways in which his plans for psalm-singing were implemented in Geneva from the 1540s onwards. After giving a brief explanation of the process through which the psalm melodies were taught and learnt, it also asks whether Calvin's vision for congregational singing would, or could, have been fully realised, and to what extent the quality of music-making was important to him. This article suggests that in the Genevan psalm-singing of the sixteenth century, matters of spiritual significance were most important.