The Messe solennelle op. 16 for mixed choir and two organs by Louis Vierne was composed in 1899. At its world premiere in St. Sulpice in December 1901 Charles-Marie Widor played the main organ and Vierne the choir organ. The work belongs to the highlights of the late Romantic organ masses and more-over is comfortable for the choir to sing.
The present edition is based upon the first edition that was published in 1900 by Pérégally & Fils in Paris. Due to practical reasons a performance with two organs is often not possible, therefore, parallel to the original edition, the publishers have also published an arrangement for choir and one organ by Zsigmond Szathmáry.