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Many people conslder 8ach's !"## %& ' (%&)* one of Lhe greaLesL works of arL, and one of manklnd's
supreme achlevemenLs. And yeL 8ach dldn'L compose lL as an enuLy ln lLs own rlghL, raLher, he assembled
lL from pre-exlsung maLerlal, lllng ln some gaps wlLh newly composed muslc.

lL ls one of Lhe cornersLones of Lhe choral reperLolre, buL Lhere are many quesuons behlnd lL. 8ach was a
LuLheran roLesLanL - so how dld he come Lo produce a semng of Lhe full CaLhollc Mass? uld he even
lnLend lL Lo be performed on a slngle occaslon? lL ls cerLalnly Loo long Lo have been used ln lLs enureLy ln
any llLurglcal conLexL.

lLs orlglns daLe back Lo 1733, when AugusLus ll, LlecLor of Saxony and klng of oland dled. uurlng ve
monLhs of omclal mournlng, publlc muslc-maklng was banned, allowlng 8ach some ume Lo devoLe Lo a
large composluon. Pe wroLe Lhe !%##", comprlslng Lhe +,*%- and ./)*%" secuons, whlch are common Lo Lhe
LuLheran and CaLhollc llLurgles. Pls lnLenuon was Lo dedlcaLe lL Lo Lhe new LlecLor / klng, AugusLus lll, ln
Lhe hope of lmprovlng hls own posluon. lL was rsL performed durlng Lhe ceremony of Lhe CaLh of
Alleglance Lo AugusLus lll ln 1733. LvenLually, 8ach goL whaL he wanLed when he was appolnLed CourL
Composer ln 1736.

lL ls uncerLaln exacLly when Lhe 0*-1) was composed, wlLh some scholars conslderlng lL as belng from
beLween 1742-1743, whllsL oLhers Lhlnk lL was rsL performed ln 1732. 1he remalnlng movemenLs -
2"&345#6 7#"&&"6 '-&-1%345# and 89&5# :-% come from Lhe laLer 1740s.

1he whole work Look lLs nal form only ln 8ach's lasL years, perhaps by 1748. lL ls LhoughL LhaL 8ach
wanLed Lo produce Lhe Mass as a sorL of monumenL, summarlslng hls choral wrlung - much as he had done
wlLh ;<- .)/1=-*9 >"*%"?)&# (solo keyboard work), ;<- !5#%3"/ 7@-*%&9 (chamber muslc) and Lhe
+/"A%-*B=5&9 '))C DDD (Lhe Crgan Mass"). lf Lhls was hls lnLenuon, Lhen reuslng earller maLerlal, he was
probably chooslng whaL he regarded as hls nesL work, and pumng lL Lo Lhe servlce of pralslng Cod.

ln consLrucung Lhls vasL edlce, 8ach has produced a work wlLh a supremely balanced muslcal archlLecLure.
1hls ls Lypled ln Lhe very mlddle of Lhe 0*-1) - where Lhe -4 %&3"*&"45# and Lhe 3*53%EF5# movemenLs form
Lhe cruclal plvoL of Lhe movemenL (and are aL Lhe cenLre of Lhe LrlnlLy" of movemenLs abouL lncarnauon,
cruclxlon and resurrecuon). 1hey complemenL each oLher perfecLly, buL are separaLed by abouL 33 years.

8ach dldn'L hear lL performed ln lLs enureLy. lL was noL unul 1839 (109 years aer hls deaLh) LhaL lL was rsL
performed ln a slngle slmng.


WhllsL Lhe muslc he produced ls subllme, Lhere ls no denylng LhaL 8ach wrlLes hls vocal llnes as lf hls slngers
are lnsLrumenLallsLs, who don'L need Lo breaLhe! 1here are secuons where a volce parL has perhaps Lhree
pages of conunuous noLes, wlLh maybe only a slngle half beaL resL . Lhere are phrases whlch [usL go on, and
on. 1hls ls characLerlsuc of hls vocal wrlung, as ls Lhe seamless ow of Lhe muslc - lL could sLop, buL lL [usL
rolls on! 1he eorLless sLream of beauuful sound belles [usL how dlmculL lL ls Lo perform, vocally and
lnsLrumenLally.


lormby Choral SocleLy rsL performed Lhe ' (%&)* Mass ln november 2002. lL was an experlence Lhen Lo
geL Lo know Lhls greaL work, so lL has been a real pleasure Lo prepare Lhe work, almosL Len years on, and
experlence once agaln Lhe magnlcence of 8ach's creauon. lL ls a honour and a prlvllege Lo be able Lo
perform lL, and we hope you sense Lhe many faceLs of Lhe muslc: from lLs power Lo lLs subllmlLy, lLs
undersLaLed beauLy Lo lLs sheer eervescence - and LhaL our does aL leasL some [usuce Lo Lhls plece of
unparalleled muslcal handlwork.


dh - March 2012