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Friday, November 21, 2008, 07:30
The B minor is widely acknowledged as one of the great masterpieces of Western choral music. But, in spite of its popularity with choirs and audiences alike, an air of mystery hangs over it. Just why did Bach write it?
By the late 1740s, when Bach put it into its final shape, his workload had eased considerably and he had begun devoting some of his energy to works that could be taken as summing up a lifetime's experience in a particular field.
He was probably aware that the B minor Mass might never be performed in its entirety (that didn't happen until the middle of the 19th century), which leaves the probability that he produced it simply as a definitive statement of his efforts in the world of church music.
Much of the work reuses music that Bach wrote earlier, some of it from more than 40 years before. But this was common practice among composers in Bach's day, especially if the original work was written for a specific occasion and was otherwise unlikely ever to be heard again. It shouldn't be taken as a sign that Bach was taking the easy way out, or that there is anything insincere about the result.
The Mass takes in a wide range of musical styles and moods. Some of the choral movements are in the older style of Lutheran church music, while those for solo voice are in a more up-to-date style. There is the monumental counterpoint of movements like the opening of the Kyrie and Credo, and the last section of the concluding Agnus Dei. There is the joyful dance of the Sanctus; the intense concentration of the Crucifixus passage in the Credo, followed by the erupting exuberance of the Et Resurrexit.
Though some writers have, in the past, questioned whether this diversity adds up to a unified work, Bach does a remarkable job in holding it all together.
Derby Bach Choir and conductor Richard Roddis are joined by four soloists who have appeared with them regularly – soprano Rebecca Ryan, counter-tenor William Purefoy, tenor Mark Wilde, and bass Matthew Brook – and the Musica Donum Dei Baroque Orchestra.
Derby Bach Choir; Derby Cathedral, tomorrow 7.30pm, tickets £ 8-£16 (students £5) Call 01332 344842.
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