Bach: Mass in B Minor

Cambridge Music Handbooks

by John Butt

The Mass in B Minor is arguably Bach's greatest single work. This short guide considers the work from many angles, offering the reader basic information in a concise and accessible form. John Butt gives an absorbing account of the work's genesis, its historical context, and its reception by later generations. One chapter considers the work movement by movement, providing the text in both Latin and English, and the final group of chapters on the music itself suggests some new approaches to the work--its forms, style and overall structure. This is an informative and lucid guide, providing an up-to-date summary of existing research and opinions together with some new and challenging insights.

Genres: Music

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 1991

About the author

Translator of Voltaire

Reviews

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoewel ik geen noot kan lezen en nauwelijks iets begrijp van muziektheorie toch graag gelezen. Het gaat immers om.. de allermooiste compositie ooit

[Rosemary Orme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the very best work to sing. Beautiful new copy with no markings. With sporano 1 and 2 movements, 2nd soprano and second choir, the geography of 10 lines of music on a page can be hard work with an overmarked up library copy, so I treated myself to a pristine new one. Wonderful. Very happy to be singing it in Truto Cathedral this term.

[Abrahamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've held the opinion for a number of years now that Bach's Mass in B Minor is the greatest musical composition of all time, and this book certainly did nothing but reinforce that opinion. Although it is not very long (only 116pp, including the index) its scholarly tone and fairly technical analysis requires careful attention and pretty slow plodding from a reader with only a moderately sufficient understanding of musical theory and vocabulary (such as myself). I would not recommend it as a means of introduction, but for one who is already very familiar with the work through seasoned listening and ready to dive deeper than a superficial understanding, this book is rich with insights and will serve to significantly amplify appreciation for the remarkable, God-glorifying genius and craftsmanship which is on display in this breathtaking musical opus. For better or for worse, the author does limit most of his analysis to the musical and historical side of things, and makes but very scant commentary on any possible symbolic interpretations and so on. But readers who are well-versed in Christian theology (and typology) can readily pick up where he leaves off in a number of places and fill those areas out a good bit for themselves.

As far as listening goes, I've listened to a number of different recording over the years (especially more recently after Spotify has come along). I've heard many that I don't care for at all and only a very few that I really like. The wrong approach can have positively ruinous effects. For instance, a too slow tempo turns what should be the magnificently rich and lively fugue of the "Credo in Unum Deum" into a ponderous, lumbering mess which fails to cohere. I still regard the 1986 recording conducted by John Eliot Gardiner as the gold standard. Reading and listening with a complete musical score (which I myself don't have currently but hope to acquire soon) is also highly recommended.

I had the privilege of attending a live performance a few years ago (conducted by Helmuth Rilling, who also did a find job), and am looking forward to singing it in heaven, where Bach himself will no doubt conduct!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book packs in a lot of information about Bach's Mass in B Minor - at times it is almost too dense. I also thought there could have been a better use of musical examples. However, I really liked Butt's exploration of how and why Bach wrote this piece, and his examination of the piece through different aspects such as harmony, figuration, and ritornello form.