# Bach - Mass in B Minor



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I've kept coming back to this one a lot lately and listening to it in it's entirety in one sitting. It makes me feel so good and safe. It makes me believe in the goodness of the human spirit, and achieving the highest form of consciousness possible.

I'm agnostic, but it keeps me pondering the existence of god. I choose to live my life not following a religion, but being a good person b/c I value it, not b/c god tells me to or I'm scared of going to hell; just to give you a bit of background on my philosophy.

But this is such a profound work, a lot of the Classical/Baroque Era music is very spiritual whereas the romantic era is very human.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

What a terrific work! Beethoven's Missa Solemnis has a similar effect on me.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I'm just waiting for someone to come along and say it is overrated.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'll have to listen to the matthews passion too.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

MarkW said:


> What a terrific work! Beethoven's Missa Solemnis has a similar effect on me.


Thanks for the indirect recommendation!


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Maybe I just like masses, they certainly to their job of bringing out the spirit of "God" to me.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Captainnumber36 said:


> Thanks for the indirect recommendation!


It's in a different idiom and expresses a diffferent kind of spirituality, but no less overwhelming.


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## derin684 (Feb 14, 2018)

I found St Matthew Passion much better then the B Minor Mass, I don't know why, but St Matthew Passion somehow attracts me more than the Mass in B Minor.

Anyway, you should definitely listen to the passions.


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## Bluecrab (Jun 24, 2014)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'll have to listen to the matthews passion too.


I'd suggest that you consider the CD set ( 3 CDs) in the link below. I have it. IMO it's an outstanding performance. It was cheaper when I bought it a few years ago, but even at the current price it's a good deal. The packaging is top-notch.

https://www.amazon.com/St-Matthew-P...1565&sr=1-31&keywords=bach+st+matthew+passion


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Bluecrab said:


> I'd suggest that you consider the CD set ( 3 CDs) in the link below. I have it. IMO it's an outstanding performance. It was cheaper when I bought it a few years ago, but even at the current price it's a good deal. The packaging is top-notch.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/St-Matthew-P...1565&sr=1-31&keywords=bach+st+matthew+passion


Thanks for the suggestion!


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

derin684 said:


> I found St Matthew Passion much better then the B Minor Mass, I don't know why, but St Matthew Passion somehow attracts me more than the Mass in B Minor.
> 
> Anyway, you should definitely listen to the passions.


As compared with the mass, the passions traverse more specific emotional terrain, as befits their theme: the suffering and death of Christ. They're also structured differently musically, with solos and choruses reflecting on the Biblical narrative of the evangelist, who speaks in recitative accompanied by an organ. The mass has no recitative, but only choruses and solos or duets. I find that the mass can be listened to purely as music - it traverses a wide range of expression and contains some of Bach's most complex and imaginative choral writing - while enjoyment of the passions is more tied to a sympathy with its theme and texts.


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## Fredx2098 (Jun 24, 2018)

That's my favorite mass, though I've pretty much only heard that and Missa Solemnis (which is one of the few Beethoven pieces I enjoy). I don't have any sort of spiritual reaction to it though. It's just good music to me. It definitely doesn't cause any pondering of the existence of god for me.


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## Eusebius12 (Mar 22, 2010)

My favourite work of Bach is actually the John Passion, but the Mass in B Minor and the Matthew Passion are undoubtedly sublime creations with significant life changing capacities and possibilities


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Not a big fan, even though Bach is my favourite composer. I'd much rather listen to the two main passions or dozens of the cantatas. Well, at least I like it better than the Missa Solemnis.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

I haven't gotten into *Bach's two Passions *yet - but the closest I have got to liking them is the recordings by *Richard Egarr*. The CDs cost a fortune, but I think they are both still on www.spotify.com

If anyone cares I have lots of suggestions *for period recordings of Bach's B minor Mass* - It is my favorite mass and just one of my favorite works by my favorite composer.


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