The Messa Leggiera belongs to Isouard's early output when he was still in Malta. According to the title page of the autograph score, Grandmaster Emanuel de Rohan commissioned him to write sacred music and this mass was written for the cappella di musica of the Conventual Church 'per ordine di Sua Altezza Eminentissima" in 1795

The actual title present on the only extant score, which survives at the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris (Ms. 8113) reads Messa Leggiera. The term 'leggiera' betrays a structural kinship with the Messa Bassa Napoletana genre. It also refers to the light style that should characterise the performance of rapid passages.

Its performance during the Manoel Opera Festival 1999, was a landmark in the history of this mass since it was revived after some two hundred years. This Messa consists solely of the Kyrie, Gloria and Credo. This CD opens with the overture Joconde which is considered as one of his most brilliant overtures. This overture was edited by the late Carmelo Pace.

This CD has a total playing time of 39' 27" and was recorded by Mega Music in the studio of National Radio, Sofia, Bulgaria in September 1999. It features the Sofia Symphonic Orchestra conducted by John Galea and the Chorus Urbanus. The soloist are Yvonne Galea - soprano,  Krassimira Kostova - mezzo soprano, Ivan Yonkov - tenor and Noel Galea - bass. Atanas Baynov was entrusted with the sound engineering and editing.