Bach: Magnificat in E-Flat Major & Missa in F Major

Featuring

Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Gianluca Buratto
Hannah Morrison
Reginald L. Mobley
Angela Hicks
Jake Muffett

Hugo Hymas
Eleanor Minney
Charlotte Ashley
English Baroque Soloists
Monteverdi Choir
Johann Sebastian Bach

Did you know?

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Composition History

The Missa brevis in F, BWV 233, is one of four 'Lutheran' Masses Bach composed in the late 1730s, which are considered unjustly neglected.

Composition History

Bach's Magnificat in E flat major, BWV 243a, was the crowning glory of his first Christmas music in Leipzig in 1723.

Compositional Technique

The Missa brevis in F, BWV 233, largely consists of movements that are 'parodies' or reworkings of existing cantatas by Bach, transplanted with new Latin texts.

Historical Context

During Bach's first Christmas in Leipzig in 1723, he set his choir, the Thomanerchor, nine new works to master, including six cantatas, to be performed over sixteen days in three churches.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bach often re-used and revised his existing works, not rejecting original ideas but revelling in uncovering fresh permutations, as seen in his 'Lutheran' Masses.

Compositional Technique

The E flat Magnificat, BWV 243a, is the only one of Bach's church compositions to call for trumpets in E flat, which were more demanding and perilous than the usual D and C models.

Historical Context

Bach's E flat Magnificat, BWV 243a, was his first major work to a Latin text, scored for full orchestra and five vocal parts, demanding virtuosity from all performers.