Carmel Bach Festival: Bach’s Mass in B Minor

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor, BWV 232, is a landmark of Western classical music and a profound example of his compositional artistry. Completed near the end of his life, the Mass integrates a wide range of musical forms and traditions, drawing from Baroque complexity, Renaissance purity, and early Classical elegance. Each movement explores distinct aspects of the sacred text. This work, often described as Bach’s “cathedral in sound,” reflects not only his devout faith but also a vision of music as a universal language.

Program

Mass in B minor, BWV 232

Kyrie

Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison (Soprano and Alto)
Kyrie eleison

Gloria

Gloria in excelsis
Laudamus te (Soprano)
Gratias agimus tibi
Domine Deus (Soprano and Tenor)
Qui tollis
Qui sedes (Alto)
Quoniam tu solus (Bass)
Cum sancto spiritu

INTERMISSION

Symbolum Nicenum

Credo in unum Deum
Patrem omnipotentem
Et in unum Dominum
Et incarnatus est
Crucifixus
Et resurrexit
Et in Spiritum sanctum
Confiteor/Et expecto

Sanctus

Sanctus/Pleni sut coeli

Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei et Dona nobis pacem

Osanna in excelsis
Benedictus
Osanna repetatur
Agnus Dei
Dona nobis pacem

. . . 

Join the Carmel Bach Festival for its 88th season—Dialogues—running July 12-26, 2025. Musicians will explore musical conversations across time via works such as Bach’s Mass in B Minor and The Art of the Fugue, Mozart’s Requiem and “Jupiter” symphony, Haydn’s “Harmoniemesse,” and featured works by Stravinsky and Jessie Montgomery. With 40 events to choose from, there is something for everyone! Browse the full season lineup, purchase tickets, and find information on free community events at www.bachfestival.org.