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{ program notes lavishly ornamented music , and it has been suggested that he may have designed this aria for the formidable skills of Dresden ’ s leading female singer , Faustina Bordoni .
The four-part chorus “ Gratias agimus tibi ” is a spectacular display of Bach ’ s contrapuntal mastery : a fugue with entrances by the various voices spaced very closely together and toward the end thrillingly augmented by the fugal entrances of the trumpets .
Among the various solo numbers that fill the center of the Gloria , “ Quoniam tu solus sanctus ” for the bass soloist stands out for its ingenious instrumentation . To compliment his deep-voiced singer , Bach chose a regal horn over a growling trio of bassoons .
The Gloria section closes splendidly with “ Cum Sancto Spiritu ,” a rhythmically exciting dance in D Major . This text was traditionally set as a fugue , and Bach creates a virtuoso one here , gilded with fast , relentless coloratura passages placing athletic demands on both singers and orchestra .
Credo The declaration of orthodox Christian belief as found in the Nicene Creed forms the Mass ’ s centerpiece . Bach roots its opening chorus in ancient tradition with the tenors intoning the Gregorian chant associated with the Credo ; this then becomes the subject of an elegant fugue set over a steady walking bass line . All these musical elements evoke the centuries of unchanging Christian faith .
In the Credo ’ s heart , an extraordinary trio of choruses describe Christ ’ s becoming a mortal man , his sacrificial death , and his resurrection to eternal life . In Donald Francis Tovey ’ s words , the “ Et incarnatus ” “ for simplicity , depth , and mystery cannot be surpassed .” The descending lines of the choral voices correspond to Christ ’ s descent from Heaven , and the beautiful drooping phrases of the violins foretell his death .
The heart-wrenching “ Crucifixus ” with its painful dissonances is a recasting of music Bach wrote decades before in 1714 while serving at the Weimar court . Its form is a passacaglia : music created over a repeating bass pattern , in this case a throbbing descent by half steps that we hear at the beginning . The music gradually drops to the depths of the singers ’ ranges : a depiction of Christ ’ s body being lowered into the grave .
“ Et resurrexit ” then immediately explodes with trumpets and drums joining the voices in a celebratory , high-speed dance .
The fast section of the Credo , “ Confiteor ” contains the most dramatic moment in the B Minor Mass : a crisis of fear before the unknown realm of death in which Bach reaches harmonically far beyond his times . At the words “ Et expecto ,” the music ’ s confident forward pace falters , and the harmonies grope their way through a world of strange — shockingly so for the 1740s — key modulations . But this crisis passes , and the music ultimately embraces the hope of resurrection in exuberant D-Major splendor .
Sanctus The brilliance of this music is surpassed in the Sanctus that follows . The chorus is now increased to six parts to convey the awe and majesty of God ’ s holiness . The music sways like censors before the high altar . Underneath the other singers ’ rolling melismas , the basses intone a mighty descending theme like the tolling of cathedral bells . The following “ Osanna ” increases the vocal parts yet again to eight , deployed in antiphonal call-and-response choirs .
A more intimate moment is the poignantly lovely penultimate “ Agnus Dei ” for the alto soloist , which Bach adapted from an aria in his Ascension Oratorio of 1735 . For the final “ Dona nobis pacem ,” composers often brought back music heard earlier in the Mass , and that is exactly what Bach chooses to do : reprising the effulgent fugal music of the Gloria ’ s chorus of thanks “ Gratias agimus tibi .” It brings this monumental Mass setting to a gloriously affirmative conclusion in D Major .
Instrumentation : Two flutes , three oboes ( including oboe d ' amores ), two bassoons , one horn , three trumpets , timpani , organ , and strings .
Notes by Janet E . Bedell , Copyright © 2016
Matthew Kleiser ‘ 17
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May – June 2016 | Overture 27