Rossini added two extra numbers to the ordinary of the Mass: a Prélude religieux for piano and the Latin Corpus Christi hymn O salutaris hostia.
Rossini ironically subtitled his nearly 90-minute work "little," despite its considerable length and structure as a cantata mass.
Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle features an unusual instrumental scoring for two pianos and harmonium, rooted in a French tradition.
The Petite Messe solennelle was first performed on March 14, 1864, at the Paris home of Louise Pillet-Will, to whom the work is dedicated.
Rossini orchestrated his Petite Messe solennelle in 1866/67, not because he preferred it, but to prevent someone else from doing so after his death.
Gioachino Rossini, the composer, completed his Petite Messe solennelle in the summer of 1863 in Passy, initially for two pianos and harmonium.
Rossini humorously questioned the sacred nature of his mass, stating, "As Thou well knowest, I was born to write opera buffa."
