Bach: The Mass in B Minor

George Stauffer explores the music and complex history of Bach’s last and possibly greatest masterpiece. Stauffer demonstrates Bach’s reliance on contemporary models from the Dresden mass repertory and his brilliantly innovative methods of unifying his immense composition. Musicians, music scholars, students and music lovers should find in this book a wealth of information about Bach’s extraordinary choral work. Stauffer surveys the roots of the “Mass Ordinary” text and its treatment in settings known to Bach. He looks at the events that led to the writing of the B-Minor Mass and places the work within the context of the composer’s late style. Three chapters consider the individual sections of the Mass – the Kyrie and Gloria, the Credo, and the Sanctus and Agnus Dei. The book also traces the history of the work after Bach’s death, addresses specific issues of performance practice and investigates the qualities that give the B-Minor Mass its universal appeal.

Author Biography

George B. Stauffer is dean and professor of music history at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. He is a frequent contributor to music journals and is author or editor of four previous books on Bach. He served as president of the American Bach Society from 1996 to 2000.