Mass in B Minor

composition by Bach

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Mass in B Minor is a significant choral composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. While Bach composed over 1,000 pieces, this mass is considered a monumental work of the Baroque era. It was not intended for performance as a whole within a single liturgy, and its movements were composed at different times during Bach's life. The "Sanctus" was written around Christmas 1724, and the "Kyrie" and "Gloria" were composed in 1733. The full mass was not assembled until Bach's final years. It features five-part choral writing, with two soprano lines adding brilliance, and expands to six-part polyphony in the "Sanctus" and an eight-voice double choir in the "Osanna".123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Instrumental works
…“Kyrie” and “Gloria” of the Mass in B Minor, written in 1733, were also dedicated to the elector, but the rest of the Mass was not put together until Bach’s last years. On his visits to Dresden, Bach had won the regard of the Russian envoy, Hermann Karl, Reichsgraf (count)…
Read More
…“Kyrie” and “Gloria” of the Mass in B Minor, written in 1733, were also dedicated to the elector, but the rest of the Mass was not put together until Bach’s last years. On his visits to Dresden, Bach had won the regard of the Russian envoy, Hermann Karl, Reichsgraf (count)…
Read More

choral music
The mass
Bach’s Mass in B Minor (1733–38) was a monument of the preceding Baroque era. It was never intended to be performed as a whole within the liturgy, and its various movements date from different periods of Bach’s life. Five-part choral writing is most in evidence, the…
Read More
Bach’s Mass in B Minor (1733–38) was a monument of the preceding Baroque era. It was never intended to be performed as a whole within the liturgy, and its various movements date from different periods of Bach’s life. Five-part choral writing is most in evidence, the…
Read More

harmony
Chromaticism in harmony
…of the “Crucifixus” of the Mass in B Minor, lent poignance to the verbal description of the burial of Christ by the musical device of a sudden modulation from B minor to a sharply contrasting new key, G major, that contained notes chromatic to the basic key. Mozart, too, derived…
Read More
…of the “Crucifixus” of the Mass in B Minor, lent poignance to the verbal description of the burial of Christ by the musical device of a sudden modulation from B minor to a sharply contrasting new key, G major, that contained notes chromatic to the basic key. Mozart, too, derived…
Read More

mass
Bach’s Mass in B Minor (1724–46), but neither was meant to accompany it.
Read More
Bach’s Mass in B Minor (1724–46), but neither was meant to accompany it.
Read More