1

J.S. Bach and the Mystery of the B Minor MassOutline

A. Background1. Composer as Craftsman: Weimar, Cöthen, Leipzig2. Dresden and the “Missa”3. Bach’s Final Decade: Parody, Perfection, Compendium

B. The “Great Catholic Mass”1. Text: the Ordinary of the Mass2. Variety of styles: stile antico, stile moderno, arias and love duets

as in Neapolitan opera, dance movements3. Parody

C. “The greatest musical artwork of all times and all people”1. Mastery of Counterpoint2. Expressiveness3. Large-scale Structures

A. BackgroundNowadays when we think of the word “composer” we imagine a soul

inspired by a great idea, thrown into a frenzy to capture this inspiration be-fore it disappears, then working feverishly to work it into a masterpiece, nonote of which must ever be changed, a creation whose manuscriptrepresents the final word, to be presented according to the composer’swishes before a respectful, if not always comprehending, audience. Wheredid this image come from? It didn’t just emerge from thin air. It was themore or less conscious creation of one of the greatest composers of westernmusic--Ludwig van Beethoven—and was ardently embraced by his Roman-tic successors.

1. Composer as Craftsman: Weimar, Cöthen, LeipzigIf we want to understand J.S. Bach we must rid ourselves of this ro-

mantic image and return to an earlier conception of the composer ascraftsman, creating music as required for specific occasions and needs ofcourt or church. J.S. Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685, and as a youthstudied violin and harpsichord. At age 20 he walked 250 miles each way tovisit and study with the celebrated organist Dietrich Buxtehude, and at age21 he took a position as organist in Mühlhausen, where he spent two years.After that Bach pursued his career in three musical centres: Weimar,Cöthen, and Leipzig. We may find it instructive to survey his musical out-put in terms of the practical demands of these three positions.

A Bach ChronologyPlace/Time Position WorksWeimar Court organist and con- Little Organ Book (chorale pre-

2

1708-1717 certmaster at the Duke’scourt

ludes composed for his son, Wil-helm, Friedemann), organ preludesand fugues; Passacaglia and Fuguein C Minor

Cöthen1717-1723

Kapellmeister (music di-rector) of Prince Leo-pold’s court

Orchestral suites; cello suites; so-natas and partitas for solo violin;Brandenburg Concertos; Englishand French suites; partitas

Leipzig1723-1750

Cantor of Thomasschule,director of music inmain churches includingSt. Thomas Church

Five cantata cycles in the first sixyears, two of them lost; St. JohnPassion (1724), St. Matthew Pas-sion (1727); St. Mark Passion (1731,lost); Christmas Oratorio (1734);late works

In contrast to Weimar, where Bach composed many of his greatestworks for organ, the position in Cöthen required chamber and orchestralmusic, genres which virtually disappear when we turn to Leipzig, the posi-tion that called for Bach to produce a new cantata every week. Even thisbrief overview conveys a portrait of a practical musician—one responsive tothe particular needs of a specific position.

We associate Leipzig with Bach’s great sacred masterpieces--the can-tatas, the passions, the Christmas Oratorio—and imagine this 27-year so-journ to have been amicable: Bach had a chance to perform his greatestworks; Leipzig enjoyed the presence of the greatest composer in the world.Unfortunately this picture remains inaccurate. To begin with, the citycouncil didn’t have much enthusiasm for hiring Bach—his responsibilitiesincluded teaching Latin to young boys, a task for which he had no particularaptitude nor inclination—and they finally agreed to take him only aftertheir first choice, Telemann, turned them down. Bach endured many fru-strations in the position, and despite his willingness to shape his works tofit the forces available to him, after seven years he was thoroughly fed up,as we observe in the “Short but Most Necessary Draft” that he addressed tothe town council in 1730.A Short But Most Necessary Draft for a Well-Appointed ChurchMusic, with certain modest reflections on the Decline of theSame. Anno Domini 1730. Leipzig.

A well-appointed church music requires vocalists and instrumental-ists. The vocalists in this place are made up of the pupils of the St. ThomasSchool, being of four sorts, namely, sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Inorder that the choruses of church pieces may be performed as is fitting, the

3

vocalists must in turn be divided into 2 sorts, namely concertists – thosewho can be entrusted with solos – and ripienists, who cannot. The concer-tists are ordinarily 4 in number; sometimes also 5, 6, 7, even 8; that is, ifone wishes to perform music for two choirs. The ripienists, too, must be atleast 8, namely, two for each part.

The instrumentalists are also divided into various kinds, namely,string players, oboists, flautists, trumpeters, and drummers. The numberof the resident students of the St. Thomas School is 55. These 55 are di-vided into 4 choirs, for the 4 churches in which they must partly performconcerted music with instruments, partly sing motets, and partly singchorales.

In the 3 churches, namely, St. Thomas’s, St. Nicholas’s, and the NewChurch, the pupils must all be musical. St. Peters receives the residue,namely, those who have no understanding of music and can barely evensing a chorale. Every musical choir should contain at least 3 sopranos, 3altos, 3 tenors, and as many basses, so that even if one happens to fall ill,as very often happens, a double-choir motet may still be sung, though itwould be still better if one could have 4 subjects on each voice and thuscould provide every choir with 16 persons. Hence the number of thosewho must understand music comes to 36 persons in all.

The instrumental band consists of the following: 4 or even 6 violins,4 violas, two cellos, one double-bass, 2 or 3 oboes, 1 or 2 bassoons, 3 trum-pets and 2 kettle drums–totaling 18 persons at least for the instrumentalmusic, though the addition of 2 flutes, often required, makes altogether 20instrumentalists. The number of persons appointed to play church musicis 8, namely 4 town pipes, 3 professional fiddlers, and one apprentice.Modesty forbids me to speak at all truthfully of their qualities and musicalknowledge. Nevertheless it must be remembered that they are mostly el-derly and not at all in such practice as they should be.

It cannot remain unmentioned that so many poorly equipped boys,and boys who have no talent at all for music, have been accepted into theschool to date that the quality of music has necessarily declined and dete-riorated. And those who do bring a few precepts with them when theycome to school are not ready to be used immediately, as is required. Forthere is no time to instruct such pupils until they are ready to be used.And each year some of those who have managed to accomplish somethingin music leave the school and their places are taken by others who eitherare not yet ready to be used or who have no ability whatsoever. In con-clusion I must leave it to riper reflection whether in such circumstances

4

the music here can continue to be maintained at all, or whether its stillgreater decline is to be feared.

One need only [look] to Dresden and see how the musicians there arepaid by His Royal Majesty. The musicians are relieved of all concern fortheir living, free from chagrin, and obliged each to master but a single in-strument; it must be something choice and excellent to hear. [Bach listseach of the musicians available to him and summarizes:] Total: 17 usable,20 not yet usable, 17 unfit.

2. Dresden and the “Missa”We notice Bach’s envious look at Dresden. Three years later Bach pe-

titioned Friedrich August II, the new Elector of Saxony.Most Gracious Lord, Most Serene Elector, Most Gracious Lord!

To Your Royal Highness I submit in deepest devotion the presentslight labor of that knowledge which I have achieved in musique, with themost wholly submissive prayer that Your Highness will look upon it withMost Gracious Eyes, according to Your Highness’s World-Famous Cle-mency and not according to the poor composition; and thus deign to takeme under Your Most Mighty Protection. For some years and up to thepresent moment I have held the Directorium of the Music in the two prin-cipal churches in Leipzig, but have innocently had to suffer one injury oranother, and on occasion also a diminution of the fees accruing to me inthis office; but these injuries would disappear altogether if Your RoyalHighness would grant me the favor of conferring upon me a title of YourHighness’s Court Capella, and would let Your High Command for the is-suing of such a document go forth to the proper place. Such a most gra-cious fulfillment of my most humble prayer will bind me to unending de-votion, and I offer myself in most indebted obedience to show at all times,upon Your Royal Highness’s Most Gracious Desire, my untiring zeal in thecomposition of music for the church as well as for the orchestra, and de-vote my entire forces to the service of Your Highness, remaining in un-ceasing fidelity,

Your Royal Highness’s most humble and most obedient slave,Johann Sebastian BachDresden, July 27, 1733

The “slight labor” that accompanied the petition consisted of the Ky-rie and Gloria movements of what we know as the B Minor Mass. In com-parison with mass settings of Mozart and Haydn, Bach’s multi-movementsettings seem extremely long, but it appears that Bach deliberately modeledhis Missa, as we call these movements, to fit prevailing tastes in Dresden,where church music increasingly borrowed from the conventions of Italian

5

opera. Bach adopted techniques of orchestration or of vocal style whichdeparted from his usual practice in order to fit in with the expectations ofDresden. In particular, we notice how the solo movements seem to show-case individual vocal and instrumental performers, drawing on the strengthof personnel at the Court Capella.

Influence of Dresden StyleDresden Mass Style Bach’s “Missa” for Dresden

Slow introduction to “Kyrieeleison”

Slow introduction to “Kyrie eleison”

“Christe eleison” set as so-prano-alto duet

“Christe eleison” set as soprano-alto duet

“Crucifixus” ends with pia-nissimo passage setting up aforte “Et resurrexit”

“Crucifixus” ends with pianissimo passagesetting up a forte “Et resurrexit”

“Dona nobis pacem” set asRenaissance-style choralfugue

“Dona nobis pacem” set as Renaissance-stylechoral fugue

Strong emphasis on choruswriting

Strong emphasis on chorus writing (in con-trast to Bach’s other church works, whichemphasize solo writing in the form of ariasand recitatives)

Independent movements(like late-Baroque “numberopera”)

Independent movements

Bach never got a position in Dresden, although his expanding interestin Latin church music in the last decades of his life reflects his preoccupa-tion with the Catholic Court in that city.

The “Missa,” comprising Kyrie and Gloria, may have received a per-formance in Dresden—we don’t know for sure—but there remains the es-sential mystery of the B Minor Mass: how could an eminently practicalmusician compose a work that, because of its sheer size, could never be per-formed? Two changes in Bach’s life after 1730, in addition to a growing in-terest in Latin church music, may help us unriddle the mystery.

3. Bach’s Final Decade: Parody, Perfection, CompendiumFirst, we notice a growing reliance on parody technique to produce

vocal works. Now parody, in the musical sense, does not refer to a joke butto a process of refashioning existing works into new ones. Some peoplemay think of this as cheating, but in the Baroque period it happened all thetime for purely practical reasons. The forces available for a particular per-

6

formance might demand rewriting an existing composition in circums-tances when pressures of time prevented creating a new one.

If we examine Bach’s parody practice we see an additional objective:Bach’s desire to bring a composition to a higher level of perfection. In or-der to demonstrate this aspect of parody I’d like to draw on an examplefrom Bach’s organ music, a chorale prelude on “Komm, Gott Schöpfer,heiliger Geist” (Come, God Creator, Holy Spirit) that first appears in theLittle Organ Book that Bach composed for his son Wilhelm Friedemann.(Here is the chorale melody)

Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist(Come, God Creator, Holy Spirit)

[Musical Example 1, 1:00] Such a chorale prelude served to introduce ahymn for congregational singing, and I imagine that most of you would ac-cept this piece, roughly a minute in length, as an appropriate item in a wor-ship service. During the last decade of his life, Bach composed the GreatEighteen Chorale Preludes, including “Komm, Gott Schöpfer,” but insteadof starting from scratch he realized the latent possibilities in the earlierpiece. Now the original chorale prelude serves merely as an introduction toa much larger work in which the melody eventually appears in long notes inthe pedal. [Musical Example 2, 4:00] Having such a long prelude to in-troduce the singing of a hymn might raise a few eyebrows here, but thisparticular piece is short by the standards of the Great Eighteen Chorale Pre-ludes, which run up to ten minutes in length, too long even by the stan-dards of a Lutheran service that might last three hours.

This brings us to the third of the changes in Bach’s output after 1730:a growing enthusiasm for compendia—the exhaustive illustration of thediverse stylistic possibilities of a specific genre.

Bach’s Compendium Clavierübung I (1731): Six Partitas, each beginning with a different

type of prelude and using a different meter in each of the gigues.

7

Clavierübung II (1735): a French Overture paired with an ItalianConcerto to demonstrate the differences between the national styles

Clavierübung III (1739): various ways to write an organ chorale pre-lude

Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes (1740-1750): large-scale choralepreludes in a variety of styles

Art of the Fugue (ca.1740-1750), Goldberg Variations (1741), the Mus-ical Offering (1747), Canonic Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch”(c.1747): exploration of counterpoint and musical organization

To some extent, such exhaustive illustrations seem to have been an es-sential part of Bach’s personality. In 1722 Bach composed the Well Tem-pered Clavier, a series of 24 preludes and fugues in all twelve major andminor keys, in order to illustrate the benefits of equal temperament. Twen-ty years later he composed another set of 24 preludes and fugues in all themajor and minor keys. Clearly Bach had a penchant for completeness.

I think there’s more. By this time in his life Bach, having measuredhimself against contemporary composers as well as the great masters of thepast, surely had a pretty good idea of just how good he was. Even if theLeipzig city council might not recognize his stature as a composer—everybody agreed that Bach was a sensational organist, but few appreciatedhis creative talent—Bach knew his own measure. He took pleasure in thesheer virtuosity of overcoming extreme challenges of counterpoint, and Ibelieve that the collections of works he made toward the end of his liferepresent a kind of statement to the world: this I have accomplished.B. The “Great Catholic Mass”

1. Text: the Ordinary of the MassThe three themes of parody, perfection and compendium come to-

gether in the work that Bach’s son, Carl Phillip Emmanuel, referred to asthe “Great Catholic Mass.” Let us begin, as Bach did, with the text. The col-lection of individual texts that make up the Roman Catholic Mass fall intotwo divisions: the Ordinary, fixed sections that recur in every celebration ofthe Mass, and the Proper, sections that vary according to the particular day.For obvious reasons, composers have devoted their energies to creatingmusical settings of the Ordinary rather than the Proper, so that their musiccould receive performances on more than just one specific occasion. (Forexample, we will perform a Mozart Mass in March, a work that could rea-sonably be performed virtually any time in the church year except for Lent,when the Gloria ordinary was not sung.) The five divisions of the Ordinarydid not come as a package but evolved over time.

Ordinary of the Mass

8

Kyrie eleison: traced to the Eastern church; introduced into the Romanrite toward the end of the 5th century. Final structure—three-fold “Kyrie,”three-fold “Christe,” threefold “Kyrie”—in place by 8th century.Gloria: Origins in Eastern church. First Latin version from late 7th cen-tury. Became a fixed part of the Ordinary by the 11th century.Credo (Nicene Creed): dates from the 4th century, when Constantinesummoned a council of bishops to Nicaea to oppose the heresy of Arianism.It did not enter the Roman rite until the 11th century.Sanctus: joins an Old Testament vision of God (Isaiah 6:30) with a NewTestament acclamation of Christ’s sovereignty (Matthew 21:9). One of theoldest elements in the Roman Mass.Agnus Dei: entered the Roman Mass in the late 7th century. The text isderived from John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb whotaketh away the sins of the world.” By the 12th century, “grant us thy peace”was substituted for the third “have mercy upon us.”As we see, it took at least eight centuries for these individual pieces to findtheir way into the liturgy we know today as the Ordinary of the Mass.

In creating the liturgical framework of the new Protestant church,Martin Luther, himself a Roman Catholic monk, maintained the structureof the Mass, substituting German chorales for the Greek and Latin texts ofthe Roman liturgy.

Lutheran MassGerman chorales substituted for Latin and GreekKyrie -- “Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit” (Kyrie, God the Father in Eternity)Gloria – “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr” (Glory Be to God on High)Credo – “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott” (We All Believe in One God)Sanctus – “Jesaja den Propheten das geschah” (Isaiah, the Prophet towhom [all] this happened)Agnus Dei—“Christe, du Lamm Gottes” (Christ, Thou Lamb of God)

Even though the Lutheran mass made the language of the liturgyavailable to worshippers in their own language, in Leipzig, a conservativebastion, all five sections were chanted in Latin at one time or another dur-ing the church year, and on high feasts the Kyrie, Gloria, and Sanctus wereperformed in polyphonic arrangements.

2. Variety of styles: stile antico, stile moderno, arias and love duetsas in Neapolitan opera, dance movements

Bach employed a multitude of different musical styles in creating his“Great Catholic Mass,” almost as if he were displaying the full range of sty-listic possibilities in this chosen genre. I shall describe four of them here:

9

stile antico, stile moderno, styles borrowed from Neapolitan opera, anddance movements.

Stile antico, or Palestrina style, recreates the vocal ideal of the Re-naissance: unaccompanied voices, all equally important, with carefullycontrolled treatment of dissonance. When writing in this style Bach usesthe half note as the main unit, so that some commentators have describedthis as “white note” notation. An example of this style appears early in thework in the second Kyrie, set for four voices and continuo, with the otherinstruments doubling the vocal parts. [Musical Example 3: Kyrie II,3:30]

Stile moderno, or concertate style, describes works that combineand contrast vocal and instrumental forces (unlike stile antico, a purelyvocal style). This concertate style tends to focus attention on the sopranoand the bass, unlike the Palestrina style, which insisted on absolute equalityof the four voices.

The Patrem omnipotentem, the second movement of the Credo, illu-strates this modern contrast between voices and instruments. The oboesand strings mostly double the vocal parts but the three trumpets have inde-pendent lines that bring a dynamic climax to the movement. Also notice

10

the bassoon continuo that reinforces the bass line. [Musical Example 4:Patrem Omnipotentem, 1:53]

We think of opera as a completely secular genre, but operatic stylesbecame so popular in the Baroque period that they found their way into sa-cred works. The influence of opera did not stop with music. In Dresden,Friedrich August converted the court opera house into a Catholic chapel inorder to demonstrate his commitment to Catholicism.

In Italian opera, the rapport between two lovers frequently foundmusical expression in consonant stepwise melodic lines in which the twovoices moved in parallel thirds and sixths, often punctuated by musical

11

“sighs,” (as in the setting of the word “Christe”). Alternatively, one voiceimitates the other to indicate their accord. [Musical Example 5:Christe eleison, 4:52, just first section]

12

13

Dance rhythms so pervade Baroque music that one could easilyspend an hour just talking about dance movements in the B Minor Mass.We recall that Bach composed numerous suites of dances, particularly dur-ing his time as Kapellmeister at Prince Leopold’s court in Cöthen. Duringhis career Bach wrote nearly 40 suites (sometimes called partitas).

The Baroque suite would have a fixed pattern of dances at its core—allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue—to which a composer mightadd a bourrée, gavotte, minuet or passepied, or in the case of Bach’s 4th Or-chestral Suite, a réjouissance.

Baroque Dance SuiteStandard Movements• Allemande• courante• Sarabande• Gigue

Optional Movements• Bourrée• Gavotte• Minuet• Passepied• Réjouissance

One discovers more than a dozen movements from the B Minor Massthat may be accurately described as dances.

Dance movementsGloria in excel-sis Deo

Giga Triple meter at the lowest level of therhythm

Qui sedes Gigue Lively dance in 3/8 or 6/8, often with ac-cent on last beat of measure, often contra-puntal

Crucifixus Sarabande Slow triple meter, with second and thirdbeats of measure often tied

Et resurrexit Réjouissance Light festive movement in triple meter, up-beat of three eighth notes

Et in Spiritumsanctum

Pastorale Christmas dance, 6/8 or 12/8, conjunctmelody in 3rds, often over a drone bass

Et expecto Bourrée Quick duple meter with an upbeatOsanna in ex-celsis

Passepied Fast triple meter with an upbeat

Time does not permit listening to all of these, but I should like to illu-strate the idea with the gigue, a lively dance in 3/8 or 6/8, with many run-ning notes and a contrapuntal texture, that is, with several independentlines. For purposes of reference, let me play for you the beginning of theGigue from the 5th partita for harpsichord. [Musical Example 6]

14

15

With those rhythms in your head, now listen to the instrumental in-troduction to the “Qui sedes” aria. [Musical Example 7, Qui sedes,just the first section, 1:00]

16

17

Now consider the Passepied, also a fast dance in triple meter, but in ahomophonic texture, that is, one main melody plus an accompaniment.[Musical Example 8, Passepied from Partita 5, 1:00]

Listen to how these same characteristics turn up on the “Osanna in excel-sis” movement of the Mass. [Musical Example 9, Osanna in excelsis,2:30]

18

19

Whether or not you find the particular labels convincing, the dance-likecharacter of this movement seems inescapable.

This hardly exhausts the stylistic variety that Bach displays in the BMinor Mass, but it might be useful to offer a summary of styles that you canreturn to at leisure on my website.

Variety of StylesI. Missa

Kyrie eleison I slow, solemn fugueChriste eleison love duet (parallel thirds and sixths, diatonic melodic

lines, mixture of duple and triple figures, “sighs”)Kyrie eleison II stile antico: Palestrina-style choral fugue: “white note”

alla breve, steady pulse, stretto to intensify the endingGloria in excelsisDeo

Italian dance movement: gigue

Et in terra pax pastorale (slurred, conjunct note pairs, consonant thirdsand sixth, pedal tones: almost a lullaby)

Laudamus te operatic virtuoso aria for soprano and violin obbligatoGratias agimustibi

Renaissance a cappella vocal style (cf. Kyrie II): “whitenote,” alla breve

Domine Deus Neapolitan love duet (cf. Christe eleison)Qui tollis expressive lament, weeping Affekt, minor-sixth leapQui sedes gigue (6/8 meter, strong rhythmic accents)Quoniam tusolus sanctus

aria of praise (horn, brass instrument associated withkings; octave leap associated with Christ)

Cum sanctoSpiritu

two fugues surrounded by free declamatory material

II. Symbolum NicenumCredo in unumDeum

Synthesis of Renaissance a cappella motet with Ba-roque walking-bass; “white note,” alla breve

Patrem omnipo-tentem

stile moderno fugue, strings and oboes double voices

Et in unumDominum

love duet, Neapolitan scoring (oboes double strings)

Et incarnatus progressive style: pulsating bass, syncopationCrucifixus Italian ground-bass lament, sigh motive; sarabandeEt resurrexit réjouissance dance type, light, homophonic, courtly

danceEt in Spiritumsanctum

pastorale (6/8, symmetrical phrases, gently rocking)

Confiteor stile antico: “white note”, alla breve meter, plainchant

20

cantus firmus, dense vocal polyphony, walking bassEt expecto modern style: bourrée, duple meter with upbeat

III. SanctusSanctus Prelude (contrasting groups: strings, oboes, brass, two vocal

choirs); fugue: “coeli” upward, “terra” downwardIV. Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacem

Osanna in ex-celsis

passepied dance (3/8, with an eighth-note upbeat)

Benedictus progressive “sensitive” style: changing note values, suddencontrasts of mood, sigh-like motives

Agnus Dei intimate aria style: fragmented motive (Miserere), lamen-tation motive; detached suspiratio in continuo

Dona nobispacem

Renaissance a cappella vocal style: from Gratias agimus

3. ParodyBach’s parody procedures in the B Minor Mass have received substan-

tial scholarly attention in recent years, not only through the discovery ofantecedents to movements in the mass but also through a deeper under-standing of Bach’s compositional process. The manuscripts of Bach’s origi-nal compositions give evidence of revision or changes of mind in the formof crossed-out measures, added lines and the like. On the other hand, whenBach was reworking an earlier composition, and copying from its manu-script, the result would be a remarkably clean piece of writing. We need torecall that a vast number of Bach manuscripts have been lost. Sometimeswe have copies of a libretto, or text, for a cantata whose music has vanished.A close study of the manuscript of the B Minor Mass suggests that virtuallythe entire work comes from earlier sources.

SourcesI. Missa

Kyrie eleison I unknownChriste eleison likely a parodyKyrie eleison II possibly a now-lost four-voice KyrieGloria in excelsis Deo possibly a now-lost Leipzig cantataEt in terra pax from a now-lost cantata movement?Laudamus te from a now-lost cantata movement?Gratias agimus tibi Cantata 29/2, “Wir danken dir, Gott”Domine Deus from a now-lost da capo ariaQui tollis From Cantata 46/1, “Schauet doch”Qui sedes probably from a now-lost parody modelQuoniam tu solus sanctus probably a parody

21

Cum sancuto Spiritu probably from a lost cantata movementII. Symbolum Nicenum

Credo in unum Deum OriginalPatrem omnipo-tentem

Cantata 171/1, “Gott, wie dein Name”

Et in unum Dominum evidently a parodyEt incarnatus probably originalCrucifixus Cantata 12/2, “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen,

Zagen”Et resurrexit appears to be a parodyEt in Spiritum Sanc-tum

probably appropriated from an earlier source

Confiteor probably originalEt expecto Cantata 120/2, “Jauchzet, ihr erfreuten

Stimmen”III. Sanctus

Sanctus From a Sanctus for Christmas Day 1724IV. Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacem

Osanna in excelsis From a secular cantata, “Es lebe der König”Benedictus probably the A section of a lost da capo ariaAgnus Dei derived from an aria in a lost wedding serenade of 1725Dona nobis pacem From “Gratias agimus tibi” of the “Missa”

Since the parody procedure occupies such an important role in thecomposition of the B Minor Mass it may be worthwhile to spend some timeexamining it in detail, looking at three examples of increasing complexity.The simplest form of parody is attaching a new text to an existing piece ofmusic. Bach uses a chorus from Cantata 29, “Wir danken dir, Gott,” (Wethank you, God) to set the text “Gratias agimus tibi,” (We give thanks tothee). This makes sense since the German and Latin texts are virtually syn-onymous. Here’s the way the original sounds. [Musical Example 10,Wir danken dir, 2:00]

22

Bach had only to change from German to Latin to produce the “Gratiasagimus tibi” movement of the Mass. [Musical Example 11, Gratiasagimus tibi, 2:00]

23

Why did Bach do this? Some scholars suggest that Bach had a pretty goodidea that the B Minor Mass, even though it would never be performed in hislifetime, might have a better chance of surviving than individual cantatas.With good reason, he had a high opinion of the chorus “Wir danken dir,

24

Gott” and wanted to preserve it in the Mass as a kind of showcase of hisvery best work. He liked the movement enough to use it again for the con-cluding movement of the Mass, the “Dona nobis pacem.”

A second form of parody consists of making minor alterations to im-prove the original. Now how can you improve on Bach, you may ask? Lis-ten to the second movement of Cantata 12, a chorus with the text “Weinen,Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” (Weeping, crying, sorrow, sighing). Bach conveysthe emotional content of the text both through the use of vocal “sighs,” (thedescent of a minor second) [Illustrate] and also through the use of aground bass, a repeated pattern of descending chromatic notes that Baro-que composers favored to illustrate great sadness. (You may recall the wayPurcell used the same device for Dido’s Lament in the opera Dido and Ae-neas.) [Illustrate] Listen to the first section of this movement. [MusicalExample 12, Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, 3:00]

25

One can scarcely imagine a more expressive setting of this text, andone would not be surprised that Bach drew on this movement to set the text

26

“Crucifixus” in his Mass. But in returning to this cantata movement Bachsaw that he could make it even more expressive. First, he repeated each ofthe notes in the ground bass so that instead of half notes we hear repeatedquarter notes, creating a greater sense of urgency. Where the original hadstring chords on beats 1 and 3, Bach adds flutes on beats 2 and 3, therebyincreasing the complexity of the rhythm. Where the original has majorseconds, Bach substituted the more poignant augmented second.

Finally, for the concluding words of the text, “Et sepultus est” (And was bu-ried), Bach transposes the whole texture downwards so that each of thevoices sings in the lowest possible register. [Musical Example 13: Cru-cifixus, 3:00]

27

28

A third form of parody involves altering the very structure of an earli-er composition, in this case a chorus from Cantata 120, “Jauchzet, ihr er-freuten Stimmen” (Exult, ye joyful voices), which Bach employs as the basisfor the text “Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorem” (And I look for the re-surrection of the dead). The original chorus is in the form of a da capo aria:Section A, Section B, repeat Section A. Bach lops off the second section al-together, leaving a musical structure based on three ideas: an instrumentalritornello (or refrain), a fanfare motive on the word “Jauchzet” (Exult), anda rising fugato (or short fugal passage) on the word “steiget bis zum Him-mel” (Climb up to heaven), resulting in the following musical structure:

Jauchzet, ihr erfreuten Stimmen

Instrumental ritornello (tonic)“Jauchzet” fanfare“Steiget” fugato

Instrumental interlude (dominant)“Jauchzet” fanfare“Steiget” fugato

Instrumental ritornello (tonic)

[Musical Example 14, Jauchzet, ihr erfreuten Stimmen, 2:41] Lis-ten to the way Bach has altered the structure in reworking this material forthe “Et expecto” section of the Mass. [Musical Example 15, Et expecto,3:30]

29

Et expecto

Ritornello (tonic, shortened, with voices added)“Et expecto” imitation (new)“Et expecto” fanfare (from the “Jauchzet” fanfare)“Resurrectionem” fugato (from the “Steiget” fugato)

Ritornello (dominant)“Et vitam venture” imitation (new)“Et vitam venture” fanfare (from the “Jauchzet” fanfare)“Amen” fugato (from the “Steiget” fugato)

C. “The greatest musical artwork of all times and all people”After Bach’s death, the manuscript of the B Minor Mass went to his

son, Carl Phillip Emmanuel, and was eventually sold to a Swiss music pub-lisher, Hans Georg Nägeli, who intended to bring out a printed edition ofthe work for the first time. Nägeli, in an effort to draw subscribers, pro-moted the Mass as “the greatest musical artwork of all times and allpeople.” You can decide for yourselves whether you agree or disagree withhis estimate, preferably after hearing at least one live performance of thework. For my part, I think it appropriate to suggest some answers to thequestion “What’s so great about Bach in general and the B Minor Mass inparticular?” I’ll confine myself to three main areas: Bach’s mastery ofcounterpoint, his musical expressiveness, and his ability to create large-scale musical structures.

1. Mastery of CounterpointCounterpoint, the juxtaposition of two or more melodic lines,

represents an extraordinary musical challenge, as any music major requiredto complete counterpoint exercises will attest. There are so many rules tobe followed: which intervals are permitted between the voices; which inter-vals are permitted within a single voice; the difficulty, once having put twomusical lines together without breaking any of the rules, of adding a third

30

or a fourth line. Once you’ve finally completed the exercise, and gone overevery interval with a fine-toothed comb to be sure you’ve eliminated the er-rors, you play the piece over only to discover that it sounds bland and unin-teresting, albeit technically correct. Often the teacher will then bring inBach’s solution to the same problem and you’ll be blown away by his inge-nuity and audacity.

The “Et in terra pax” takes the form of a fugue, a contrapuntal formbased on a musical idea called the subject, in which expositions (presenta-tions of the subject in different voices) alternate with sections called epi-sodes (in which the subject is not present). Bach writes a countersubjectwhose running 16th notes contrast with the 8th notes of the fugue subject.Listen to the way Bach weaves these ideas into a contrapuntal texture offive voices. [Musical Example 16: Et in terra pas, 4:00]

Et in terra pax (fugue)

Introduction (based on beginning of fugue subject)Exposition 1EpisodeExposition 2EpisodeExposition 3

The “Confiteor” represents a greater contrapuntal challenge: adouble fugue in a five-voice texture. Bach lays out the two themes in thefirst two expositions, and then combines them in the third exposition. Inthe fourth exposition Bach quotes the plainsong setting of “Confiteor” in acanon between the basses and the altos. (A canon is an exact imitation of amelody, either at the unison, as in “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” or at someother interval, in this case the interval of the fifth.) During this canon be-tween the basses and altos, the other voices present both the main themesof the fugue. In the fifth exposition, the plainchant appears in the tenor inaugmentation—that is, in longer note values—while the other voices present

31

the two themes of the fugue. The entire movement stands as a contrapuntaltour de force. [Musical Example 17, Confiteor, 2:30]

Confiteor: Double Fugue

Exposition 1: descending entries of theme 1—soprano 1, soprano 2, alto, te-nor, bass

Exposition 2: entries of theme 2—tenor, alto, soprano 2, soprano 1, bassExposition 3: contrapuntal combination of themes 1 and 2, either in pairs

of voices or individuallyExposition 4: “Confiteor” plainchant appears as a cantus firmus in a canon

at the fifth between tenor and alto surrounded by appearancesof themes 1 and 2 in the other voices

Exposition 5: “Confiteor” plainchant appears in augmentation in the tenor,surrounded by a blanket of thematic entries in the other voices

One could cite many more examples of Bach’s genius as a contrapun-talist. I’m prevented only by constraints of time and a reluctance to dwellon a subject that unavoidably requires technical language. But I cannotleave the question of counterpoint without letting you listen to the “Gloria”movement in which Bach maintains as many as sixteen independent in-strumental and vocal parts to portray the “multitude” of the heavenly host.[Musical Example 18, Gloria, 1:45]

32

33

2. ExpressivenessThis movement serves as a nice transition to my next subject: Bach’s

genius at creating musical expression for a chosen text. Even the briefestglance at the librettos for Bach’s cantatas reveals a poetic language whichseems to beckon for musical treatment. Not so the austere, doctrinal lan-guage of the Ordinary of the Mass: theologically sound, to be sure, buthardly the stuff to inspire expressive music. Yet Bach manages to create adiverse expressive garden even out of such apparently sterile ground.

ExpressivenessI. Missa

Kyrie eleison I plea for mercy expressed in rhetorical figuresChriste eleison love duet: unity of God and ChristKyrie eleison II passionate intensity of F# minor, chromatic melodyGloria in excelsisDeo

16 independent vocal and instrumental parts: “multi-tude” joining the angel, trumpets herald Christ’s arrival

Et in terra pax pastoral qualities to suggest earthly peaceLaudamus te coloratura, highly-elaborated vocal line in song of praiseGratias agimustibi

majestic, dignified music of thanksgiving

Domine Deus love duet portraying unity of the Father and the SonQui tollis weeping lament with plaintive exclamatio, leap of 6thQui sedes volatile passion of gigue reflects wrathful judgementQuoniam tusolus sanctus

Christ’s “highness” represented by high horn, symbol ofroyalty, contrasted with four other parts in the bassrange

Cum sancutoSpiritu

triumphant hymn to Christ, with trumpets and timpani

II. Symbolum NicenumCredo in unumDeum

based on Credo plainchant, canon and fugue associatedby Bach with steadfastness of Christian belief

Patrem omnipo-tentem

“coeli” (heaven) painted with upward movement,“terra” (earth) with melodic descent

Et in unumDominum

love duet—relationship between God and Christ

Et incarnatus pulsating bass creates atmosphere of anticipation; fal-ling vocal line to suggest “came down from heaven”

Crucifixus ground-bass lament, sigh motive in melody, extraordi-nary conclusion leading to “Et resurrexit” movement

Et resurrexit réjouissance, a regal dance, with jubilation of trumpetsand timpani and rising melodic figures

34

Et in Spiritumsanctum

Holy Ghost portrayed in pastoral dance style; conjunctmelody with faster notes at vivificantem (“giver of life”)

Confiteor formal, majestic stile antico for baptism and confes-sion,; fugue based on “Confiteor” portion of Credoplainchant

Et expecto leads to fanfare figures: judgement-day trumpet callsIII. Sanctus

Sanctus changing groups suggest multiple chorusesIV. Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacem

Osanna I dance-derived music with fanfare-like motiveBenedictus solitary reflection, in contrast to the worldly “Hosanas”Agnus Dei rhetorical figures of mourningDona nobispacem

borrowing from “Gratia agimus tibi” connects last sectionof Mass with first

Let me refer to a few of the examples we have already heard: The “Gloria,” with a “multitude” of angels portrayed by sixteen inde-

pendent vocal and instrumental parts, with trumpets as heralds toChrist’s arrival

The “Crucifixus,” set to a ground-bass lament, with a sighing motivein the melody

The “Confiteor,” where the use of canon and fugue—devices asso-ciated by Bach with steadfastness of Christian belief—underlines thedoctrine of baptism and confessionLet us consider the scriptural source of the Sanctus text, Isaiah 6: 1-3:

“Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with twothey covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and withtwo they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is theLord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” For this movementBach expands the chorus from five voices to six, and plays with a variety ofsix-part textures. A choir of high voices (soprano 1, soprano 2 and alto) ac-companied by strings; then a choir of low voices (alto 2, tenor, and bass)accompanied by oboes and brass; then a choir of middle voices (alto 1, alto2 and tenor) accompanied by oboes, and so forth. We would need to look atthe full score to see the interplay of varied textures. Your ears will do aswell in keeping track of the diverse combinations of musical seraphs.[Musical Example 19, Sanctus, opening only

3. Large-scale StructuresAs we have seen, Bach, in the last decade of his life, loved to arrange

his works into grand schemes demonstrating the full possibilities of a par-ticular genre. Given this bent of mind, it should come as no surprise that

35

Bach conceived musical structures on a grand scale. The “Great CatholicMass” appears not only as a collection of expressive movements reflecting acomplete mastery of counterpoint; it also reflects Bach’s sense of musicalarchitecture. We face one problem in looking at the overall scheme of theMass: it seems so right, even so inevitable, that we have to remind our-selves that the Roman Catholic liturgy in itself specifies no such structure,and that no composer before or since has treated the text in quite this way.

I. MissaKyrie eleison I Fugal chorusChriste eleison DuetKyrie eleison II Fugal chorus

Gloria in excelsis Deo Chorus (goes directly to)Et in terra pax ChorusLaudamus te Aria (dominant cadence of)Gratias agimus tibi ChorusDomine Deus DuetQui tollis Chorus (dominant cadence of)Qui sedes AriaQuoniam tu solus sanctus Aria (goes directly to)Cum sancuto Spiritu Chorus

II. Symbolum NicenumCredo in unum Deum Chorus (stile antico)Patrem omnipotentem Chorus (stile moderno)Et in unum Dominum AriaEt incarnates ChorusCrucifixus ChorusEt resurrexit ChorusEt in Spiritum sanctum AriaConfiteor Chorus (stile antico)Et expecto Chorus (stile moderno)

III. SanctusSanctusIV. Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacemOsanna I ChorusBenedictus AriaOsanna II ChorusAgnus Dei AriaDona nobis pacem Chorus (repeats Gratias)

36

Bach sets both sections of the Kyrie as fugal choruses, making an archform around the Christe, set as a duet. Bach’s preference for symmetricalstructures may also be seen in the Gloria: pairs of movements mark the ex-treme ends of the arch. An aria related by dominant cadence to a chorus isreflected in a chorus related by dominant cadence to an aria, with the “Do-mine Deus” duet at the very centre of the arch. It may be worth noting thatthis duet, depicting the unity of the Father and the Son, takes the form of astrict canon, as if illustrating the concept of two in one. We also notice thatboth the Kyrie and Gloria sections display an arch form with a duet at thecentre.

The Symbolum Nicenum, or Credo, composed at least a decade afterthe “Missa,” shows an even more carefully-developed symmetrical struc-ture. Bach deliberately divided up the text of the Credo in such a way thatthe “Crucifixus” could stand at the very centre of the arch, with a chorus oneither side of it, an aria on each side of the choruses, and a set of pairedchoruses--one in stile antico, the other in stile moderno—at the extremitiesof the arch.

The repetition of the Osanna movement on either side of the Benedic-tus establishes a small arch-form in the fourth main division of the Mass.The repetition of the music from the “Gratias agimus tibi” in the final cho-rus links this last section of the Mass with the opening Missa.

We can do no better than conclude this presentation the way Bachconcluded his Great Catholic Mass. The movement develops two themes,first separately and then together. The trumpets begin by doubling the voc-al parts and then expand the texture by making independent entries. In thesecond half of the movement Bach piles one entry on top of another in anextraordinary stretto. [Musical Example 20, Dona Nobis Pacem,3:30]

Dona nobis pacem

37

GlossarySaying anything significant about the B Minor Mass inevitably requires acertain amount of technical language. The audience for this presentationlikely divides into those who will ask “Why is he explaining this?” and thosewho will ask “What on earth is he talking about?” This glossary attempts tobridge the gap between the two camps.A cappella: voices without instrumental accompanimentAffections, doctrine of: belief that music can arouse the passions andthat a single movement should express a single affectionAlle breve: 2/2 meter, in which each measure consists of two half notes,each given one beatAria: a self-contained composition for solo voiceAugmentation: the statement of a theme in uniformly longer note-valuesAugmented second: the chromatic alteration of a major second (twosemitones) to become three semitonesCanon: the imitation of a complete theme by one or more voices at somefixed interval of pitch and timeCantata: multi-movement liturgical work consisting of recitatives, ariasand chorusesCantus firmus: a pre-existing melody used as the basis for a polyphoniccomposition (often drawn from plainchant)Chorale prelude: organ work intended to introduce the choraleChorale: German hymnChromatic scale: think of all the white and black notes on the piano key-boardChromatic: melody employing notes of the chromatic scale (all 12 semi-tones) in addition to those of the diatonic scaleConjunct melody: melody consisting primarily of stepwise motionContinuo (or basso continuo): combination of a sustaining bass instru-ment and keyboard, hallmark of Baroque style, which emphasized the po-larity between melody and supporting bass lineCounterpoint: the combination of two or more melodic linesCountersubject: a secondary melody used as counterpoint against thesubjectDa capo aria: a three-part composition consisting of a main section, acontrasting section, and a repeat of the first section (marked by the words“da capo,” or back to the beginning)Diatonic: melody that employs notes from the major or minor scaleDominant: the fifth note of a diatonic scale or the triad based on this noteDouble fugue: a fugue with two subjects, or principal themes

38

Duple meter: basic unit of pulse recurs in groups of twoEpisode: portions of a fugue in which the subject is not presentEqual temperament: a form of tuning in which the octave is divided intotwelve intervals of equal sizeExclamatio (exclamatory cry): Baroque rhetorical device consisting of asudden melodic leapExposition: portions of a fugue which present the subjectFugato: a brief section of fugue-like writingFugue: a work in which a theme is stated successively in all voices of apolyphonic texture and subsequently developedGigue: a fast Baroque dance; the last movement in a dance suiteGround bass: a pattern of bass notes repeated over and over during thecourse of a compositionHalf note: duration equal to two quarter notesHomophonic: melodic interest concentrated in one voice (plus a subor-dinate accompaniment), as distinct from polyphonicInterval: the distance between two pitches, either within a single melodicline or between two different melodic linesMass: the most important service of the Roman riteObbligato: an accompanying part that is nevertheless of considerable im-portanceOrdinary: fixed sections of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Ag-nus Dei)Parody: a composition that reworks the musical material of another com-positionPartita: another name for a suite of dancesPastorale: slow movement in 6/8 or 12/8 meter with dotted rhythms, of-ten evoking ChristmasPlainchant (or plainsong): monophonic Christian liturgical chant in freerhythmPolyphony: music that simultaneously combines several lines (think ofcounterpoint as the act of creating polyphony)Proper: sections of the Mass that vary according to the occasionQuarter note: the unit of pulse in 4/4 or common meterRecitative: a style of text singing that imitates the inflections andrhythms of speechRéjouissance: festive movement in an orchestral suiteRitornello: a recurring refrain, often appearing as the introduction andinterludes in an aria or chorus

39

Semitone (or half step): the distance between any two adjacent keys(black or white) on the keyboardSensitive style (or Empfindsamkeit); late 18th-century style characterizedby a simple homophonic texture and subjective expression of emotionSigh: a vocal device consisting of the accented descent of a minor secondStile antico (Palestrina style): Renaissance style of writing for unaccom-panied voices, all equally importantStile moderno (Concertate style): contrast between vocal and instrumen-tal forces, with a strong emphasis on the underlying bass lineSubject: the principal theme of a fugueSuite: a collection of dance movements, usually for solo instrumentSyncopation: a temporary contradiction of the prevailing pulseTexture: the number of voices sounding at the same time, ranging be-tween homophony and polyphonyTonic: the principal note of a diatonic scale or the triad based on this noteTriple meter: basic unit of pulse recurs in groups of threeWalking bass: bass line in which rhythmic motion is predominantly inone note-value