In the first half of the 18th century music at the Viennese Imperial Court enjoyed an excellent reputation far beyond the borders of the Habsburg Empire. The aristocracy and the monasteries imitated the lavish worship services and many a musician tried to gain a position at the Hofmusikkapelle (Court Music Orchestra). One man who succeeded in working in the music ensembles of three emperors was the native Venetian Marc’Antonio Ziani (1652/53–1715), who was highly respected in his day. His church music proves to be extremely versatile and ranges from short motets and masses in the old polyphonic style to more extensive, magnificent choral works with soloists and orchestra. This Missa brevis, edited for the first time, is a good example of a Mass setting that manages to be easily singable without overly excessive demands on the singing and technical playing and at the same time is striking in its expressiveness. Ziani’s mastery is impressively demonstrated not least in the fugal passages.