The Mass was likely written for the Saturday "Lady Mass" at Reims Cathedral , where Machaut served as a high-ranking cleric.
: The work includes the five sections of the Ordinary —Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei—plus the dismissal, Ite Missa Est . Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame
: It expanded sacred music to four independent voices, adding a "contratenor" for deeper harmonic richness. The Mass was likely written for the Saturday
: Machaut used isorhythm , a complex system of repeating rhythmic patterns, primarily in the tenor lines. The Story of its Creation and Agnus Dei—plus the dismissal
Machaut was the leading figure of the Ars Nova movement, which introduced complex rhythms and four-voice textures to 14th-century music.