Bach gained the leisure to compose the Kyrie and Gloria during a six-month period of national mourning, which banned music in churches and reduced his official duties.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach intended to preserve the best movements from his cantatas and occasional works by integrating them into the timeless form of the Mass.
Composition History
The full Mass, including the nine-movement Credo and other sections, was likely completed between August 1748 and early 1750, near the end of Bach's life.
Composition History
Bach composed the Kyrie and Gloria sections of the Mass in 1733 to support his application for the title of 'Hofcompositeur' (court composer) to the Elector of Saxony.
Critical Reception
As early as 1818, the B minor Mass was hailed by music scholar Hans Georg Nägeli as 'the greatest musical work of art of all times and all peoples'.
Composition History
Bach's B minor Mass is his only complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, a work he expanded over many years.
Composition History
The genesis of the B minor Mass began on Christmas Day 1724, when Bach performed a Latin Sanctus to solidify his position as director musices in Leipzig.
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