Bach frequently reused his own compositions due to his demanding workload as director of music for four churches in Leipzig, where he had to compose over fifty cantatas annually.
Compositional Technique
The Missae breves follow a specific Lutheran mass form, including only the Kyrie and Gloria movements, omitting others associated with the Catholic liturgy.
Compositional Technique
The Kyrie movements in these masses are in the older 'stile antico' (ancient style), with instruments doubling the voices, creating a powerful rhetorical and expressive force.
Compositional Technique
In contrast to the Kyrie, the multi-movement Gloria sections are in an Italianate concertante style, featuring independent instrumental parts, virtuosic writing, and a jubilant character.
Instruments
For the Motet BWV 118, the performers chose oboes to represent the mysterious 'litui' instruments specified by Bach, as historical research and practical trials ruled out other options like reconstructed wooden horns or muted trumpets.
Compositional Technique
Bach's Missae breves (short masses) are "parody works," meaning they are largely re-workings of his own pre-existing musical material, such as cantata movements.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in October 2009 at the Notre-Dame du Liban church in Paris, France.
