MASS IN B MINOR, BWV 232

Johann Sebastian Bach apparently began composing Latin masses relatively late. Until the beginning of the 1730s, he seems to have performed almost exclusively foreign settings of the Mass ordinary. Of the “many masses” he is said to have created according to his obituary from 1750, only five have been handed down and it remains uncertain which of these works were intended for performance in Leipzig or for foreign clients. This applies in particular to the Mass in B minor. The mass was completed between August 1748 and autumn 1749, perhaps early 1750. Whether the completed Mass was ever performed before Bach’s death is beyond our knowledge. The generation of Bach’s sons and disciples likely only gradually became aware of the uniqueness of the work. The album at hand was recorded in Merseburg Cathedral and celebrates both the 20th anniversary of Merseburger Hofmusik (led by Merseburg Cathedral Organist and Leipzig Gewandhaus Organist Michael Schonheit) and the 25th anniversary of Collegium Vocale Leipzig.