Of the 11 surviving settings of the Mass by Charpentier, the Messe de Minuit is without doubt one of the most popular. Although Charpentier's Parisian career is quite well documented, little is known about the genesis and first performance of the Messe de Minuit. It is likely, however, that it was commissioned by the Jesuits of the church of Saint-Louis (today, Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis) for whom Charpentier had been working as maître de musique since 1687.

for SATB Chorus with SSATB Soli, 2 Flutes, Strings and Basso Continuo