The liturgical acclamation invokes the “Lord” (Kyrie) as the bestower of “grace” and “mercy” (eleison). Influenced by both biblical and pagan expression and performance, Kyrie, along with its Latin equivalent, Miserere domine (or Domine miserere), has been employed in a range of rites and imprecatory settings, while undergoing significant amplification and formal developments over the centuries. Its earliest surviving appearance, in a process…