In his autobiography, Rausch wrote, “[After the war I] dreamed of becoming an organist at an obscure country church with a meager income and plenty of leisurely hours left for compositions.” For a short while, Rausch became that organist. This missa brevis was certainly intended for liturgical use as it is well within the means of any decent church choir and the movements are brief enough to be used in a church service. Still, the text setting is inventive and fresh making it an effective concert work.