B Minor Basics: Gloria, Part I

Behold, the Lord, the Ruler hath come:
And the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand.

— Historic Introit for Epiphany Day
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The relatively late date for Easter Sunday 2017 facilitates a lengthy Epiphany season. As the Gloria (“Glory be to God on high”) returns after its absence during Advent, it seems fitting to focus on the Gloria in this installment of “B Minor Basics”. The Gloria of Bach’s Mass in B Minor comprises eight movements. For the sake of length, I will divide it into two columns, addressing the first four movements in this issue, and the final four movements in the forthcoming April 2017 column.
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