Major Bach in Minor

Bach Mass in B Minor

Seattle Symphony
Benayora Hall

Considered the greatest of Bach's masterpieces (out of 1,128 finished works, that's saying something) the score to the Mass in B Minor was completed near the end of his life.  Two decades in the making, some parts were taken from pieces he composed for other occasions.

The re-use of existing music with new words was common and accepted in the 17th century. However, other themes in the Mass stretch back hundreds of years, and some of the movements were completely original at the time. For example, the ethereal harmonies in "Et incarnatus est":

That sounds like Mozart, many years later. 

But the real enigma surrounding Bach's work is how a devout Lutheran, who spent most of his life writing Protestant music, came to write a magnificent Catholic Mass. I leave that question to the musicologists, and millions of words have probably been written on the subject. The simplest explanation is Bach was thinking of his legacy, and desired a wider audience and recognition.

For me, here's what is so amazing about Bach's sublime music. Composers in his time were not artists on pedestals, working only when inspiration struck, but craftsmen, required to crank out music on order and regularly for their patrons and employers.

Appropriately, the performance yesterday was dedicated to the victims of the New Zealand mosque shooting.

Excerpt from the program:

Bach transcends the ecclesiastical boundaries of his own denomination to create a tremendous song for all of Christendom, and to the extent that religious sentiments have some universality, for all of mankind.  It is also one of the great musical achievements of its age or any other, a work that continues to inspire awe and reverence among listeners even in our more secular era.

The Mass was over 2 hours, a endurance feat for the chorus, soloists and orchestra. And for some members of audience. But it was wonderful to hear such a great masterpiece performed so well.

The flute and tenor duet near the end was one of the special highlights.