Mass in B minor, BWV 232
     by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)

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Bach's profound spiritual conviction is the soul of his sacred works, and his genius may perhaps be called the perfect synthesis of music and theology. Nowhere is this genius better expressed than in this supreme legacy of his craft, the B Minor Mass.

The Mass is in a sense a retrospective of a lifetime's work. It is not the product of one inspired moment, nor of any one particular period of his life. Bach completed the Mass near the end of his life, between 1745 and 1750--during the same period that he composed such vast monuments as "The Musical Offering" and "The Art of the Fugue." Several movements of the Mass were anthologizations from earlier compositions which Bach had submitted to the Elector of Saxony, with the request that he be appointed court composer. Other movements he then composed, or adapted from other works in typical Baroque fashion.

Bach never heard the Mass performed in its entirety; possibly, he did not intend that it be performed on a single occasion. Like movements from the Wohltempierte Klavier, Orgelbüchlein, and Clavierübungen, Bach intended parts of the Mass to be used when appropriate. Such was the case when his son C.P.E. Bach first performed the Credo in 1786. Although various other sections of the Mass were performed for the next sixty years, it was not until 1859 (more than a century after Bach died) that the entire Mass was performed in Leipzig at a single sitting.

The Mass reveals its anthologized nature without sacrifice to its sense of unity or its strength of identity. Bach wrote it in the Italian opera tradition, with numbered movements. The original manuscript shows that Bach divided the Mass in 4 major sections, similar to the sections in the Roman Catholic Mass Ordinary. The first section is entitled Missa, and includes the Kyrie and Gloria, the second is the Symbolum Nicenum (or the Credo); the third consists of a single movement, the Sanctus, and the fourth is entitled Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacem. Each section is fragmented into sentences or phrases, to give 24 independent movements. The fragmentation facilitated incorporation of previously composed movements into the new, larger work.

Of the fifteen choruses in this Mass, seven are set in the Italian Baroque choral tradition for 5 voices (SSATB)--Kyrie I, Gloria, Cum Sancto, Et incarnatus, Et resurrexit, and Confiteor. Six are set for 4 voices (Kyrie II, Gratias, Qui tollis, Patrem omnipotentem, Crucifixus, and Dona nobis); the Sanctus is for 6 voices (SSAATB), and the Osanna is for two antiphonal 4-voice (SATB) choruses.

The Kyrie and Gloria were first performed as a Lutheran Mass on April 12, 1733. during the festival of the "Oath of Allegiance" to Augustus III upon his succession to the crown as King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. The intense and momentous Kyrie I is followed by a gentle, comforting duet between two sopranos in the Christe eleison. The Kyrie II, with its twisting, chromatic fugal subject and its syncopated entrances, is an eloquent plea for God's mercy.

The Gloria is a contrast to the Kyrie in sound and intent. It is a jubilant hymn of praise and thanksgiving in honor of the new king. Many parts of the Gloria are derived from other works or later found themselves placed in new works. The opening of the Gloria is undoubtedly a portion of a lost instrumental concerto to which Bach later added the chorus, and is also the opening movement of Cantata 191, Gloria in excelsis Deo. The Gratias agimus is taken from the opening chorus of Cantata 29, Wir danken dir, Gott. The Qui tollis section is adapted from Cantata 46, Schauet doch und sehet. The final chorus Cum Sancto Spiritu, which forms the last movement of Cantata 191, shows the marvelous use of the concertato principle in choral music. (See figure 1 below.)

It is the architecture of the Credo (or the Symbolum Nicenum) which is its distinguishing characteristic. The sequence of nine movements is laid out in a symmetrical design, with the Crucifixus at the center, and the other pieces framing it on each side to form a palindrome. (See figure 2 below.)

The Credo movement is built on the ancient plainsong Credo melody. The Patrem omnipotentem is an adaptation of Cantata 171, Gott wie dein Name. A passacaglia, the Crucifixus is fabricated from the chorus from Cantata 12, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. The Confiteor is a chorale fantasia, while the Et expecto, fashioned from Cantata 120, Jauchzet ihr erfreuten Stimmen, is written in a concerto form. Bach performed the Sanctus many times in his life. The trumpets and the palette of solo instruments used in this movement add splendor to the proclamation of the glory of the Lord God of hosts. The Osanna is found in another form in Cantata 215, Preise dein Glücke, and the Agnus Dei is an expansion of the aria from Cantata 11, "The Ascention Oratorio."

The music setting of the final chorus, Dona nobis pacem, is the same as the Gratias agimus found in the Gloria. The repetition links the texts of these two movements, as if Bach considered the plea for peace to be a thanksgiving. Bach might well have used the music idiom in the closing of this Mass as a personal message: that in the eve of his own life, he was grateful to have attained an almost mystical depth of inner peace, both within himself and with the rest of the universe.

What Bach has given to musical posterity in the creation of this Mass is indisputable. Ironically, during his era, he was primarily known for his incredible pioneering keyboard technique, and not for his composing. From the vantage point of the twentieth century, however, his composing genius is obvious. The Mass is truly an encyclopedic fusion of every possible Baroque compositional style and form, and it embodies the very essence of the Baroque art.

Yet, Bach's sacred works cannot be analyzed simply in musical terms, as his music is but a vehicle for the greater message. Beyond the intricacies of being an inimitable study of Baroque vocal music, the Mass captures an inspirational quality which defies description in the written medium. It is also a luminous statement of the depth of the composer's spiritual commitment, and of his personal validity. In a lifetime of serving God through music, Bach had finally created the ultimate expression of his faith.