Behold, the Lord, the Ruler hath come:
And the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand.
And the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand.
— Historic Introit for Epiphany Day
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.
Recall from the April 2016 installment of “Lifted Voice” that the complete B Minor (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei) was compiled by Bach just before his death in 1750 as a musical last will and testament. The first two sections, the Kyrie and the Gloria, however, were originally composed as a Missa Brevis — a “Brief Mass” or “Lutheran Mass” — in 1733 during a period of respite from church music that followed the death of the Elector of Saxony. Later that year, Bach presented the score to the new ruler, along with a dedication that indicated his desire to become the court composer. (The title was granted three years later, but at a disappointing salary.) It is possible, but by no means certain, that the Kyrie-Gloria Mass was performed in Leipzig in April 1733 after the period of mourning was over, and perhaps again in Dresden in July of the same year.
The transition from the Kyrie to the Gloria gives the composer a unique opportunity for contrast, and Bach makes the most of it in the B-Minor Mass. He employs the trumpets and timpani and exchanges the softer sounds of the oboes d’amore for the more powerful oboes d’caccia. His compositional technique shifts to the concertato technique, which employs virtuosic elements for every member of the orchestra, along with demanding writing for the choir and soloists. Instead of the F-sharp minor of the second Kyrie, Bach switches to the radiant “Trumpet Key” of D Major. (Look for three natural trumpets in the following video, featured in an orchestra of period instruments that is similar to the one Bach would have known in his day, although the chorus is much larger than Bach’s original forces.) Finally, the meter shifts from a duple meter (i.e., a meter that facilitates a pulse or 2 or 4 beats per measure) to a lively, 3/8 meter, that is usually performed fast enough to feel like one beat per measure.
The transition from the Kyrie to the Gloria gives the composer a unique opportunity for contrast, and Bach makes the most of it in the B-Minor Mass. He employs the trumpets and timpani and exchanges the softer sounds of the oboes d’amore for the more powerful oboes d’caccia. His compositional technique shifts to the concertato technique, which employs virtuosic elements for every member of the orchestra, along with demanding writing for the choir and soloists. Instead of the F-sharp minor of the second Kyrie, Bach switches to the radiant “Trumpet Key” of D Major. (Look for three natural trumpets in the following video, featured in an orchestra of period instruments that is similar to the one Bach would have known in his day, although the chorus is much larger than Bach’s original forces.) Finally, the meter shifts from a duple meter (i.e., a meter that facilitates a pulse or 2 or 4 beats per measure) to a lively, 3/8 meter, that is usually performed fast enough to feel like one beat per measure.
| Gloria in excelsis Deo Et in terra pax Hominibus bonae voluntatis | Glory be to God on high And on earth peace, To men of good will. |
Did you notice a dramatic shift and contrast for the words, “And on earth peace”? At 1:53 in this video, Bach transitions quickly to a calmer 4/4 meter and reduces the scoring to just choir with continuo (cello and harpsichord). The initial statement begins with the basses, singing in the lower register, depicting the good news that God’s peace (pax) is quite literally down to earth (terra) in the flesh and blood of the Christ Child. “To men of good will” rounds off the section with a gentle fugue, in which each voice imitates the previous voice, perhaps depicting the lively spread of the Gospel by the shepherds in Luke 2, who “made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child” (2:17).
The text of Laudamus Te is perfectly symmetrical: four verbs in the first person plural (“We praise,” “We bless,” etc.), followed by the simple te (“You” or “Thee”) to indicate God as the object of our praise. Here Bach employs a very demanding aria, featuring a symmetrical relationship between the mezzo soprano and the solo violin, who function as equal partners with equally demanding music. Listen for the overlap and interplay between the two soloists, conveying an unmistakable sense of joy in this beautiful performance (including the Gratias agimus tibi) from the balcony of St. Thomas Leipzig, where Bach served as Kantor from 1723 until his death in 1750.
The text of Laudamus Te is perfectly symmetrical: four verbs in the first person plural (“We praise,” “We bless,” etc.), followed by the simple te (“You” or “Thee”) to indicate God as the object of our praise. Here Bach employs a very demanding aria, featuring a symmetrical relationship between the mezzo soprano and the solo violin, who function as equal partners with equally demanding music. Listen for the overlap and interplay between the two soloists, conveying an unmistakable sense of joy in this beautiful performance (including the Gratias agimus tibi) from the balcony of St. Thomas Leipzig, where Bach served as Kantor from 1723 until his death in 1750.
| Laudamus te, benedicimus te. Adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter Magnam gloriam tuam. | We praise Thee, we bless Thee, We Worship Thee, we glorify Thee We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. |
For “We give thanks to Thee” (starting at 4:30 in the video above), Bach employs a strict fugue, which is reworked from a pre-existent cantata movement on the words, “We thank You, God; we thank You and proclaim Your wonders.” See how the text originally associated with this music is nearly identical to this portion of the Gloria: “We give thanks to Thee,” etc. The use of the strict fugue might depict the good news that the thanks and praise of all Christians resounds “from generation to generation,” i.e., in imitation of the heavenly angels and chorus, from the angelic chorus of Luke 2:14 to our worship life today to the heavenly Sanctus in the book of Revelation. Listen for the initial, ascending statement in the bass line, which depicts thanksgiving rising as incense to the Father. Then listen for the additional voices as they gradually join the heavenly chorus.
Domine Deus presents a unique opportunity to the composer. As you survey the text below, you can see the transition from the initial focus on God the Father to the first explicit mention of God the Son in the Gloria. The textual shift is facilitated by using Domine (“Lord”) as a title for the Father and the Son: Domine Deus (“Lord God” [the Father]), Domine Fili unigenite (“Lord, the only-begotten Son” [of the Father]), and Domine Deus (“Lord God,” [the Son]). Bach sets this text to a duet for Soprano I and tenor, with interludes for flute solo, accompanied by muted strings. The overlap and interplay between Soprano I and tenor no doubt depict the mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son. The flute is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit, which might be the case here. The muted strings seem to form an angelic “halo” around the Son, reminding us that God’s true glory is to live with us in Christ.
Domine Deus presents a unique opportunity to the composer. As you survey the text below, you can see the transition from the initial focus on God the Father to the first explicit mention of God the Son in the Gloria. The textual shift is facilitated by using Domine (“Lord”) as a title for the Father and the Son: Domine Deus (“Lord God” [the Father]), Domine Fili unigenite (“Lord, the only-begotten Son” [of the Father]), and Domine Deus (“Lord God,” [the Son]). Bach sets this text to a duet for Soprano I and tenor, with interludes for flute solo, accompanied by muted strings. The overlap and interplay between Soprano I and tenor no doubt depict the mutual indwelling of the Father and the Son. The flute is often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit, which might be the case here. The muted strings seem to form an angelic “halo” around the Son, reminding us that God’s true glory is to live with us in Christ.
| Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens, Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe altissime Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. | O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the most high, O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. |
The historic Introit or entrance Psalm for Epiphany Day, quoted as the superscription to this issue of “Lifted Voice,” summarizes the theology of the Gloria: “Behold, the Lord, the ruler, hath come: and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand” (The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 58). Every other religion has a way for their god (or gods) to possess some type of glory, usually consisting of the trophies of this age, the oppressive rule of their subjects, or even celestial sexual pleasure without end. Only Christianity has the Lord and ruler whose true glory is to open His hand in Christ and to share all the gifts of His Godhead – the kingdom of grace, the power of forgiveness, the glory of salvation, etc. – with His people. Hence the subscription that Bach appended to the end of many of his sacred and even secular works is especially fitting for the Gloria of the B-Minor Mass: Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God alone!
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Addendum: Click on the link below to view a lecture on the entire Gloria of the B-Minor Mass by Helmuth Rilling, former artistic director and conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival. Rilling's insights into the architecture, symbolism, and intent of Bach's masterwork are illustrated through musical examples performed by the Festival chorus, orchestra, and soloists.
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