CAMPUS

Bach: Missae Breves

Bach: Missae Breves (The Lutheran Masses, BWV 233-236)

Cantus Cölln & Konrad Junghänel
Harmonia Mundi: HMC 901939.40, 1 hour 50 minutes

($39.99 on ArkivMusic.com: Click Here to buy this CD)

The output of sacred music by Johann Sebastian Bach during his lifetime is nothing short of impressive. His substantial oeuvre in the realm of religious vocal music in particular—including his 300+ cantatas, the Passions of Sts. Matthew and John, the Christmas and Easter Oratorios, and, of course, the Catholic Mass in b minor—are a testament not only to Bach’s own religious fervor, but also to his truly remarkable compositional abilities.

The Lutheran masses—or missae breves (“brief masses”) in Latin—are works which, unfortunately, have not been placed in the same category by historians and musicologists as those named above. This is for a few reasons. For example, the masses are written in Latin and not in the typical Lutheran German, and, consequently, scholars have questioned their practicality and the historical and musical setting in which they were performed. “Contrary to what their Latin titles might seem to imply,” read the CD notes, “the four short masses…belong to the sphere of the Reformed liturgy, and are therefore limited to the Kyrie and Gloria, with just six separate numbers in each mass.”

Additionally, and most importantly, the movements of these four masses all contain rescored versions of movements from preexisting works—namely, Bach’s cantatas—and have been viewed, somewhat surprisingly, with polite disdain by the modern musical community. Because the composer decided to “recycle” old musical material, modern musicologists felt comfortable turning up their noses at the missae breves, deeming them to be of lesser musical quality. The lack of available recordings of these works is the number one indicator of this unfortunate reality.

The historically authentic vocal and instrumental ensemble Cantus Cölln and their director Konrad Junghänel, who is widely regarded as one of the premier interpreters of Bach’s music in the world, have successfully decimated the erroneous prejudices this music has faced with their flawless reading of these masses. This recording by Cantus Cölln is of the highest quality in nearly all aspects: from phrasing, articulation, instrumentation, scoring—two voices per part—and tempo.

Junghänel provides artistic direction that not only illuminates the mathematical intricacies of Bach’s gorgeous counterpoint, but also makes plain a convincing emotional religiosity from an extremely devout composer. For example, the exquisite beauty of the quasi-fugal Kyrie of the Mass in g minor (BWV 235) and the strict, nearly arithmetic double-fugue of the opening to the Mass in G major (BWV 236) feature instances of complex imitative polyphony which are deftly delivered and tastefully treated. The Christe eleison of the Mass in A major (BWV 234) is hauntingly magnificent and leads directly into a fugal reprise of the Kyrie, marked by perfect tempi and delicate phrasing.

Taken as a whole, however, it is the Mass in G that steals the show. The oboe line in Quoniam tu solus is performed with the utmost sensitivity and meshes beautifully with the solo voices, creating an ethereal synthesis of voice and instrument. The mass ends with the movement Cum Sancto Spiritu, a substantial choral fugue in both composition and performance, whose fundamental elements were taken from the opening chorus of Bach’s Cantata 17.

Cantus Cölln and Konrad Junghänel provide an absolutely delightful reading of Bach’s missae breves. This appraisal is arguably the best of these works yet recorded. The depth that Junghänel brings to these pieces is without comparison, and the extraordinary performance given by the orchestra and chorus of Cantus Cölln is to be commended. The hitherto outrageous criticisms of this music as being less than Bach or not worthy of full scholarly or musicological consideration can finally be put to rest. Junghänel and company have provided a truly illuminating reading of these heavenly works.

Grade

Performance: A

Sound: A-

Nick Fitzgerald is the Editor in Chief of The Virginia Informer Online, the Collegiate Network member publication at The College of William and Mary.