Missae breves

There are different settings of the Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach. The most famous is certainly the Mass in B minor, the so-called "Catholic" version. The Lutheran service would not have used this. Different were the shorter Kyrie Gloria Masses, which were sung in Latin on feast days in Leipzig in the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche. Unlike other reformers, Luther broke much less harshly with the liturgy of the pre-Reformation period. The great attraction of Johann Sebastian Bach's short Gloria Masses lies in the fact that they show us the mature and experienced musician at work in the elegant compositional style of his time - the 1730s. The fact that neither the well-known polyphony nor the deep roots in the Lutheran tradition are neglected, indeed, that even chorale content finds its way into the Mass parts, is in turn the unique feature of Bach's combinatorial genius. In short: catchy, generally cheerful music, but with the usual quality standards, especially where earlier compositions have been "recycled" - for Bach must have greatly valued these pieces.