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Juventutem/WYD 2005 Soundtrack: Gloria and Agnus Dei from the Mass in B Minor (J. S. Bach)

The most challenging settings of the Mass ordinaries were the ones earmarked for the Saturday, August 20 Solemn High Mass at St. Antonius in Düsseldorf. The “A” section of the Pilgrims’ Choir, along with a dozen professional singers, orchestra and organ, would sing the Gloria and Agnus Dei from the Bach B-Minor Mass.

As a pre-Baroque music enthusiast, I had never sung the Bach B-Minor Mass, nor had I heard it before. After having sung these parts of the Ordinary within the context of the Mass, I do not think I can stand listening to it within the context of a live concert—two-hour length notwithstanding. Granted, the Gloria is quite lengthy, and I am sure a few souls were becoming rather antsy because of it. Also present was the danger that, to some, the grandeur of the music would upstage the Eucharist. However, for the well-prepared, the length of the Gloria allows for extended contemplation of its words, and the composition serves to complement the Eucharist rather than detract attention from it.

This is never more evident than during the Communion procession. The countertenor’s poignant solo for mercy blooms into the choir and orchestra’s plea for peace, and Christ’s answer in the giving of his own body, blood, soul and divinity. The scene, viewed from the choir loft, is truly transcendent, and the music enhances it.

You had to be there.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B-Minor

Gloria
- Gloria in excelsis Deo [ real ]
- Et in terra pax [ real ]
- Laudamus te [ real ]
- Gratias agimus tibi [ real ]
- Domine Deus [ real ]
- Qui tollis peccata mundi [ real ]
- Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris [ real ]
- Quoniam tu solus Sanctus [ real ]
- Cum sancto spiritu [ real ]

Agnus Dei
- Agnus Dei [ real ]
- Dona nobis pacem [ real ]

Full Mass (realplayer format)

Posted 08.29.2005
by Aristotle Esguerra
8 comments.
Filed under: World Youth Day 2005.

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8 Comments

“As a pre-Baroque music enthusiast, I had never sung the Bach B-Minor Mass, nor had I heard it before…..”

WHAT is that about!!!!!!!!! Tell me that you have heard the Requiem of Hector Berlioz or at least Haydn’s Mass in a Time of Anguish “The Nelson”?


atiyah
08.29.2005 @ 6:24 pm #

“Tell me that you have heard the Requiem of Hector Berlioz”

The Berlioz isn’t really performed all that often, is it? Most people haven’t heard it. (The Dies Irae is thrilling, isn’t it? Even more thrilling to sing.)

But I think Aris was specifically speaking of the Bach B Minor, not all the other great (performance oriented) settings of the Mass.


Geri
08.29.2005 @ 9:21 pm #

I would still go for the Verdi Dies Irae, and as a first tenor can attest to just how thrilling it is to sing that Requiem!

But what can compare to the beauty of Durufle’s Requiem?

I am not sure I would like to have Bach’s Gloria performed during Mass… just too long! It’s like having the Credo of Mozart’s Great Mass performed during the Liturgy. Oh my!

But of the concert-length Masses, my favourite would be the Beethovan Missa Solemnis…


Paul Lew
08.30.2005 @ 12:19 am #

Yes Geri the Dies Irae in the Berlioz Requiem is outstanding and the Sanctus is pretty much up there too… what drama. And the story of the first performance at St Louis des Invalides and the affect it had on those that heard it… oh the atmosphere. Can you imagine it … that huge cavernous space draped in black and the windows blacked out with thousands of tiny shafts of light piercing the darkness and the flicker of 600 candles? Imagine 24 muffled drums of the legions of Paris beating in lament for one of their fallen in the presence of the high and mighty of the French State. And in between the solemn intonings and responses, that huge orchestra with extra brass and the augmented choir fair shaking the building as they make audible the tempest that is the day of wrath and then soaring to represent the light and purity that is heaven. At the time it was described as strange and beautiful, wild and convulsive and painful which I think sums it up really. Wow I would love to attend a live performance. Methinks even a recovering choir director might just put aside the Palestrina for a day or so to take it for a spin.

But I digress….. Bach’s B minor Mass (which I have heard live in the local Catholic Cathedral) ……. now that is one in the upper end of the list of the 100 most important works in western music don’t you think?


atiyah
08.30.2005 @ 2:07 am #

Ah yes the Duruflé is next on my list of purchases and I will add the Verdi. As to Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis I do like it. I heard it performed live at a 150yr celebration of the local choral society. I took an old school friend who is an ardent republican (anti monarchist). What I didn’t tell him was that the Governor General is the Patron and was in attendance. And so when a Royal Fanfare struck up and he had to get to his feet… well the look on his face was priceless. One must take one’s small pleasures where one finds them.


atiyah
08.30.2005 @ 7:22 pm #

‘Also present was the danger that, to some, the grandeur of the music would upstage the Eucharist. However, for the well-prepared, the length of the Gloria allows for extended contemplation of its words, and the composition serves to complement the Eucharist rather than detract attention from it.’

This is a very important point. I wasn’t well prepared for the mammoth Gloria, and, beautiful as it was, pretty soon got distracted (aided of course by the mounting level of exhausting by that stage of the week!). That was my first experience of a setting like that being used in an actual Mass. I must admit that, as well as the distraction (which was due to me rather than the music), it does worry me that the partial use of such a setting, as in that Mass, may unbalance the Mass a bit: it gives the Gloria much more prominence than it has in the overall scheme of things. This might be less evident if huge settings of the Sanctus and the Agnus were also used, but then I fear all but the most contemplative would be rather tired and distracted by Communion time. Anyway, these are just random thoughts as I haven’t thought much about these sorts of issues before. (Juventutem was a good opportunity for that, I must say!)

Glad you seem to have got home safely, anyhow!


Boeciana
08.31.2005 @ 2:33 pm #

At a conducting seminar given by Roger Wagner (RIP), the assembled students, largely choir directors and HS music teachers, were asked by Roger “How many of you have sung the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven? the B-Minor of Bach? the German Requiem of Brahms?”

Roger’s inquiry was really an indirect challenge to the attendees: if you don’t know what REALLY GOOD STUFF is, how the hell do you expect to teach/lead/inspire others in the art?

Happy to know that you’ve learned parts of the B-Minor. Only a few left to go…!!


Dad29
09.01.2005 @ 9:56 am #

Upstage the Eucharist? Is that possible?


Jason Pennington
09.01.2005 @ 10:06 am #

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