Bach: Mass in B Minor

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor is a compilation of the movements of the traditional Catholic Mass Ordinary, written at different times and grouped together to form a missa tota. In his Mass, Bach incorporates influences from past and present, from the stile antico of Palestrina to then-contemporary dance forms. The Mass features careful detail and symbolism in its symmetry and numerical patterns, representative of the Biblical significance of the text. Bach’s passion for the Lord is clear in this work, which emphasizes the core of the Christian faith in small details and overall grandeur. The Mass in B minor shows Bach’s reverence of the long-standing genre of the Mass and his inventive music inspired by his devotion to the Lord.

I. Liturgical Function and Interpretation

The Kyrie and Gloria of the Mass in B Minor were originally written as a smaller Missa in 1733 for the Elector of Saxony. One reason Bach might have compiled the whole Catholic Mass is that he was applying for a job at the Elector’s Court in Dresden.The Elector was the son of a Catholic man, but Saxony was largely Lutheran at the time, as were many court officials, and the Missa would have been satisfactory to both sides. It would also have been liturgically functional in the setting of a Lutheran service.

In the Lutheran tradition, of which Bach was a devout follower, only the Kyrie and the Gloria would be performed during a service. The complete Mass was likely never performed at one time in Bach’s lifetime. The structure of the work indicates it was likely a compilation of the pieces to make up a Mass, rather than having been originally intended to be performed as one large work. However, according to Calvin Stapert, “All the sections were bound together… suggesting that Bach conceived of it as a missa tota.” It is too long to be liturgically functional, so he more likely intended it for use in a performance in a setting like the court at Dresden. The sections spoken of were numbered by Bach, the first consisting of the Kyrie and Gloria, the second the Credo, the third the Sanctus, and the fourth the Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and Dona nobis pacem.

Towards the end of his life, Bach compiled masterful examples of many genres, a major example being his “The Art of Fugue.” It is not unlikely that Bach wished to write a complete Mass to demonstrate his mastery of that genre as well. The Mass had been the most prominent genre of music for centuries leading up to his lifetime, and it is not unlikely that he wished to add to the tradition a massive work that he believed would epitomize the genre.

In addition, Bach’s decision to write a complete Mass, particularly such an immense work, may have stemmed from his Christian faith. He was deeply devoted to the Lord, and expressed this passion in his music, at one point saying, “The final aim and reason of all music is nothing other than the glorification of God and the refreshment of the human spirit.” Bach’s writing, especially in the B minor Mass, paints the emotions of the Gospel, of joy and of sorrow, into the music, aligning with the text.

Many parts of the Mass in B minor were influenced by Renaissance Masses, such as those by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Bach spent years studying the stile antico, or literally, “ancient style,” and began imitating it in his own compositions beginning most significantly with the Missa of 1733. Two movements of the Credo of the Mass in B minor emulate this older style, both in their notation and in their music. It is notated in minim, and written in cut time, which are both more common features of music in the sixteenth century. The stile antico is represented in the music through the counterpoint and thematic control. The music moves in a linear manner, consisting of a single thematic idea, which is then imitated in other voices throughout the piece. The “Credo in unum Deum” and “Confiteor” each begin with a cantus-firmus melody, which is then imitated in all the voices. The “Credo in unum Deum” is arguably partially rooted in A Mixolydian, as well as in D Major, giving the movement some tonal ambiguity, representative of older music.

The form of the Mass was modeled on the form of the Cantata Masses of the Neapolitan school, as was the practice of contemporary composers in Dresden. This influence is most easily observed by the rounded structure, given by the music of the “Dona nobis pacem” movement, which concludes the Mass. The music in this final movement is taken from the “Gratias agimus tibi” movement from the earlier Gloria of the Mass.

II. Numerology and Symbolism

The Kyrie I features an ambitious 5-voice fugue. The soprano voice, according to George B. Stauffer, was often used to represent the soul of the Christian, and thus at the opening of this movement, the text is highlighted clearly, with the soul crying out, “Lord, have mercy.” The Christe Eleison is set as a duet for two sopranos in ritornello form, resembling an aria. The “Kyrie II” contains another fugue, this time in the style of Palestrina. This fugue features 4 voices and a continuo. While it features the linear nature of the sixteenth century, it also employs the personalized and emotional elements of the Baroque era.

The Gloria is structured symmetrically. Movements 1 & 2 and 8 & 9 are paired chorus movements, movements 3 and 7 are solo movements with obligato, movements 4 and 6 are chorus movements, and movement 5 in the center features flute, soprano, and tenor for the first movement thus far in the mass that references Jesus’s nature of God incarnate as man.

The Credo is also structured symmetrically: Of the nine movements, movements 1 & 2 and 8 & 9 are each paired chorus movements. The text of these four movements pertains to God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. Movements 3 and 7 are solo movements, depicting the second (Jesus) and third (Holy Spirit) persons of the trinity respectively. Movements 4 and 6 are chorus movements, and the text relates the coming of Jesus to earth and His resurrection, respectively. The central movement, the Crucifixus, tells of Jesus’s crucifixion and suffering on the cross. Bach places this movement in the center to remind his fellow Christians what should lie at the center of the faith, surrounded by the joy that comes with the wondrous nature of the one God in three persons. The style of the paired movements is also significant, each pair featuring a movement in stile antico with a movement in stile moderno. The first of each pair of movements, the “Credo in unum Deum” at the beginning and the “Confiteor” at the end of the Credo, are both written in Stile Antico, imitating the style of Palestrina. The second and ninth movements, the second of each of the paired movements respectively, the “Patrem omnipotentem” and the “Et expecto” are each written in the Stile Moderno.

There are seven main key areas used throughout the Mass. This number is significant because seven is an important number symbolically in Scripture, often used to represent wholeness or completion because the Hebrew word for “seven” is very similar to the Hebrew word for “complete.” B minor, the title key, is used throughout the mass to represent human pain due to sin and need for God, such as in the opening Kyrie (I), with the text, “Lord, have mercy.” Its relative major, D Major, is used to portray glory and power. It is heard in celebratory movements of praise, such as the Et Resurrexit, which celebrates Christ’s miraculous resurrection. F# minor, the dominant of B minor, is used to express the suffering of Christ on the cross. It is used in the Kyrie II, the second time the text, “Lord, have mercy,” is heard. It is also employed in the “Confiteor” movement of the Credo, which is written in Stile Antico. The dominant of D, A Major, symbolizes grace. It can also be used to represent the Holy Trinity, because it has three sharps. It is used in the movement Et in Spiritum Sanctum, which contains text speaking of the Trinity: “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the Prophets.” The subdominant of B minor, E minor, represents the crucifixion. It is used in the Crucifixus movement. The relative of E minor, G Major, is used to represent blessing and benediction. The Crucifixus movement ends on a G Major chord, symbolizing the blessing of Christ’s sacrifice. The Et in unum Dominum is also set in G Major, when the text addresses God’s gift of sending a Savior for the salvation of men. G Major’s parallel key of G minor is the seventh key area, used to represent finalness and completeness, as Jesus’s last words before He died were, “It is finished.” The use of G minor in the work is limited to the Agnus Dei, the second to last movement. This is interesting because the text means “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” The theological representation of Jesus as the Lamb of God comes from the book of Isaiah, where the prophet refers to the coming Messiah as the lamb who will be slain, as Jesus was on the cross. The key of G minor for this movement is thus fitting.

Throughout the Mass, Bach employs musical elements that depict scenes and emotions from Scripture. The large instrumentation and angelic nature of the “Gloria in excelsis” depicts the multitude of angels who appeared to the shepherds in the field to proclaim the birth of Jesus Christ. The movement is joyous, with trumpets and full chorus. The music is in D Major and triple meter. It is in ritornello form, and the mood contrasts that of the Kyrie entirely. The Kyrie, set in B minor and F# minor, features Renaissance-like fugues and heavy duple meter, crying out to the Lord to have mercy on His people. The Gloria then opens in D Major, in 3/8 time, and resembles dance music, exclaiming, “Glory to God in the Highest!” The meter, key, and instrumentation are all used to portray Bach’s emotional response to the theological meanings of the text.

In the Crucifixus and Et Resurrexit movements in the Credo, the listener can understand Bach’s attitude toward the text very clearly through the music. The crucifixus, set in E minor and a slow triple meter, is solemn and features repetition of the solemn text over and over. This movement is part of the Credo, which would not have been part of a Lutheran service. Bach uses the repetition in this movement to emphasize the importance, solemnity and sacrifice of Christ’s death and suffering, and the significance of what He did on the cross. This movement, however, is followed by an extremely joyous and dance-like celebratory movement, the Et Resurrexit. This movement celebrates the resurrection of Christ. The music, in D Major and in a fast triple meter, features trumpets and melismatic singing, proclaiming joy over the risen Lord.

The triplets in the Sanctus are important because three is a significant number in Scripture, representing harmony, balance, and completeness (though not as significantly representative of this as 7). This then evolves into 3/8 time, which exemplifies this even more completely in the second half of the Sanctus, which features a fugue flourished with imitative melismatic lines. The text in this movement proclaims, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts. The Heavens and Earth are full of Your glory.” The triplets and then the triple meter reinforce the nature of this heavenly completeness. The key of D Major is used again in a celebratory way, symbolizing the union of earthly and Heavenly glory.

III. Innovative Musical Style

Several movements of the Mass in B minor are written in stile antico, showing the influence of the Renaissance and Palestrina in particular on the composition. The stile antico is represented in the counterpoint and control of melodic ideas. The texture is imitative, and there is usually just one thematic idea imitated throughout all of the voices. Two such movements are the “Credo in unum Deum” and “Confiteor,” which each begin with a cantus firmus in the tenor that is then imitated in the other voices. While the counterpoint of these movements is written in stile antico, Bach does not adhere strictly to the musical style of the Renaissance. The shape of the cantus firmus in each movement helps give them character and shape, more resemblant of the Baroque era than the Renaissance. Bach is clearly imitating the stile antico contrapuntally, but also implements much expression and personalized emotion into the music, combining older ideas with modern ideas to fit his purpose for the work, which demonstrates his passion for his Christian faith.

Ritornello form is used to give structure to many of the solo movements. The “Christe,” “Et in Spiritum Sanctum,” “Benedictus,” and “Laudamus te” are all in ritornello form, among others. They feature an opening instrumental section, followed by a vocal section, the return of the ritornello, etc. The form is also used in some chorus movements, such as in the “Gloria in excelsis Deo.” It is modified here, however, such that instead of contrasting material in the vocal sections, the voices are added to the ritornello. The contrast is then created by the lack of voices in the instrumental ritornello sections. Throughout the Mass, Bach uses and modifies ritornello form to fit each movement as he so desires, but without disregarding the elements of the form completely.

Several movements of the Mass in B minor are influenced by dance forms as well. The “Crucifixus” movement is structured like a passacaglia, featuring an ostinato in the continuo that repeats 13 times. The “Et Resurrexit” that follows it resembles a Courante – as John Butt puts it – “with its triple meter often bisected by a division of the bar into two groups of three quavers.” Many of the other movements of the Mass also feature dance-like characteristics, however often with unusual structures.

In conclusion, Bach’s Mass in B minor displays his incredible mastery of the genre, his regard for the historical significance of the genre, and his dedication of his craft to the Lord. The incorporation of the stile antico, ritornello form, and imitation of dance forms show his creativity and mastery over music such that he can take a well-known form or style and twist it to fit his own purposes while retaining its integrity. The symbolism and numerology in the work display his genius, weaving such intricate detail into every section of the massive work. Bach’s missa tota differs from the traditional genre in that it would never be played in full for a church service. It is much too long for this. It is also unique in its compilation of many styles of music. As a whole, the piece displays Bach’s mastery of music and the timelessness and universality of his composition, from his incorporation of both historical and contemporary styles to its lasting significance in the repertoire to this day. As George Stauffer writes, Bach’s Mass in B minor “transport(s) the Latin Ordinary to the realm of the immeasurable.”

Bibliography

Butt, John. 1991. Bach: Mass in B Minor. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Stauffer, George B. Bach, the Mass in B Minor : The Great Catholic Mass. Monuments of Western Music. New York : London: Schirmer ; Prentice Hall, 1997.

Stapert, Calvin. My Only Comfort : Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach. Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Marshall, Robert Lewis. The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach : The Sources, the Style, the Significance. New York: Schirmer Books, 1989.

Bush, Douglas. “Program Notes on the B Minor Mass.” http://www.columbia.edu/itc/music/modules/summa1/summa1_print.html, n.d. Accessed April 2022.

Wilfrid Mellers. Bach and the Dance of God. London Boston Faber, 1981.