Around 1748–49 Bach completed his Mass in B minor, BWV 232, based on various earlier compositions including cantata movements and the early versions of Part I Missa in B minor for the Dresden court (Kyrie–Gloria mass composed in 1733), of the first movement of Part II and of the Sanctus (Part III). The Mass in B minor is Bach's only setting of the complete ordinary of the mass.
Sanctus for six vocal parts (1724)
In 1724 Bach composed a Sanctus for six vocal parts (SSSATB) and elaborate orchestral score for the Christmas service. Bach revised it when he reused it in the Mass in B minor, changing its initial vocal scoring to SSAATB, and its meter from ₵ to C.[7][8]
Cantata Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191 (around 1745)
Bach used three movements of the Gloria of his 1733 Mass for the Dresden court to compose the cantata Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191, possibly for a performance in 1745.[8] The cantata was composed for a Christmas service sometime in the mid-1740s (between 1743 and 1746).[9]
Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (around 1748–49)
In the last years of his life, Bach integrated the complete Mass for the Dresden court as Kyrie and Gloria in his Mass in B minor, his only complete mass (in Latin: missa tota).[10] Scoring and structure are identical with the later work. Another part of this Mass was derived from the 1724 Sanctus for six vocal parts. Also the music of several movements of his earlier German cantatas was integrated in this mass.
Hans Georg Nägeli described the work, in 1818, as "the greatest musical art work of all times and nations."[11]
Kyrie–Gloria masses, BWV 233–236 (1738–39?)
Apart from the 1733 Missa in B minor for the Dresden court (later incorporated in the Mass in B minor), Bach wrote four further Kyrie–Gloria masses. These compositions, consisting of the first two sections of the Mass ordinary (i.e. the Kyrie and the Gloria), have been indicated as Missae breves (Latin for "short masses") or Lutheran Masses. They seem to have been intended for liturgical use, considering a performance time of about 20 minutes each, the average duration of a Bach cantata. They may have been composed around 1738/39.[12] Possibly they were written for Count Franz Anton von Sporck or performed by him in Lysá.[13]
Each of the Kyrie-Gloria Masses is in six movements: the Kyrie is one choral movement (with Kyrie/Christe/Kyrie subdivisions) and the Gloria is in five movements. The first and last movement of the Gloria are also choral, framing three arias for different voice types. The music consists mostly of parodies of earlier cantata movements.[14] Bach changed the music slightly to adjust to the Latin words, but kept the original instrumentation.
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in F major, BWV 233
For the Missa in F major, BWV 233, scored for horns, oboes, bassoon, strings, SATB, and basso continuo,[15] Bach derived most of the six movements from earlier cantatas as parodies.
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in A major, BWV 234
For the Missa in A major, BWV 234, scored for flute, strings, SATB, and basso continuo, Bach parodied music from at least four earlier cantatas.
In 1818 this was one of a very few of Bach's compositions for voices and orchestra to appear in print prior the Bach Gesellschaft complete edition in the second half of the 19th century.
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G minor, BWV 235
For the Missa in G minor, BWV 235, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, basso continuo, Bach derived all six movements from cantatas as parodies.
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G major, BWV 236
For the Missa in G major, BWV 236, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, basso continuo, Bach derived all six movements from cantatas as parodies.
Separate movements, copies, and arrangements
Bach composed and copied separate movements on a text extracted from the Mass ordinary. He also copied and arranged larger Mass compositions (mostly Kyrie–Gloria masses).
Sanctus in C major, BWV 237 (1723?)
Bach composed the Sanctus in C major for SATB choir and orchestra, BWV 237, possibly for St. John's Day, 24 June 1723.[17]
Sanctus in D major, BWV 238 (1723)
Bach's Sanctus in D major, BWV 238, for SATB choir and orchestra, was first performed on Christmas, 25 December 1723.[18]
Sanctus in G major, BWV 240 (Bach manuscript from 1742)
Bach's manuscript of the Sanctus in G major, BWV 240, dates from 1742.[23] The authenticity of this composition for SATB choir and orchestra is however doubted.[24]
Sanctus, BWV 241, arranged from Kerll's Missa superba (Bach manuscript from 1747–48)
The Sanctus for double SATB choir and orchestra, BWV 241 [scores], is Bach's arrangement of the Sanctus of Johann Caspar Kerll's Missa superba.[25][26] Bach's manuscript of this Sanctus setting was written between July 1747 and August 1748.[27]
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in C minor after Durante, BWV 242 and Anh. 26 (Bach manuscript from 1727–32)
In the period from 1727 to 1732 Bach produced the manuscript of a Kyrie–Gloria Mass in C minor [scores] for SATB choir and orchestra, BWV Anh. 26, based on a composition by Francesco Durante. Bach's manuscript included his own setting of a "Christe eleison", BWV 242 [scores]. Elsewhere in the score there are some instances of Bach adjusting the text placement.[28][29]
Sanctus in F major, BWV 325 (four-part chorale)
BWV 325 is a four-part chorale by Bach, in F major, which appears with the text "Heilig, heilig, heilig" (i.e. the German translation of the Sanctus) in Part III (1786) of Breitkopf's first edition of Bach's chorale harmonisations, edited by C. P. E. Bach. In Part IV (1787) of the same edition the setting appears under the title "Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth", that is the Latin text of the Sanctus. The hymn tune used for this setting is derived from the melody of Sanctus minus summus, published in meter-less music notation in 1557 (Zahn No. 8633). The common time version of the tune (Zahn No. 8634) did not appear in print before the Breitkopf edition of Bach's chorales.[30][31][32]
Masses from Bassani's Acroama missale (copied 1736–40) and Credo intonation in F major, BWV 1081 (added 1747–48)
The Acroama missale [scores] is a collection of six Mass settings by Giovanni Battista Bassani, first published in Augsburg in 1709. Between 1736 and 1740 Bach had these six Masses copied, without the Benedictus and Agnus Dei, writing himself the Credo lyrics in the score. BWV 1081 is a Credo intonation in F major for SATB choir which Bach composed in 1747–48 as an insertion in the fifth of these masses.[33]
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in A minor, BWV Anh. 24, after Pez's Missa Sancti Lamberti (Bach manuscript from 1715–17 and 1724)
BWV Anh. 24 is a Kyrie and Gloria in A minor after the Missa Sancti Lamberti by Johann Christoph Pez. The Kyrie was copied, and expanded with a melody line different from the continuo, in Weimar (1715–17). The Gloria was copied without modification in Leipzig (1724).[34]
Kyrie-Gloria Mass in C major, BWV Anh. 25 (Bach manuscript from 1740–42)
BWV Anh. 25 is a Kyrie–Gloria Mass in C major,[25] sometimes attributed to Johann Ludwig Bach:[35] copied by J. S. Bach c.1740-1742.[36]
Sanctus in F major by Johann Ludwig Krebs, BWV Anh. 27
BWV Anh. 27 is a Sanctus in F major by Johann Ludwig Krebs.[25]
Sanctus in B major, BWV Anh. 28
BWV Anh. 28 is a Sanctus in B major[25] by an unknown composer.[37]
Continuo part of a Kyrie-Gloria Mass in C minor, BWV Anh. 29 (Bach manuscript from 1714–17)
BWV Anh. 29 is a Kyrie-Gloria Mass in C minor of which only the continuo part survives,[38] found in a manuscript Bach wrote in the period from 1714 to 1717.[39]
Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G major, BWV Anh. 167 (Bach manuscript completed 1738–39)
BWV Anh. 167 is a Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G major for double choir attributed to Christoph Bernhard, Johann Philipp Krieger or David Pohle,[46] formerly also attributed to Johann Ludwig Bach and Antonio Lotti. One of its 18th-century manuscript copies, produced 1732–35 and 1738–39, is partially in J.S. Bach's handwriting.[49] Published and performed as J. S. Bach's in 1805.[52]
Kyrie and Gloria of Gasparini's Missa canonica (copied and orchestrated by Bach c. 1740)
Bach's manuscript copy of Francesco Gasparini's Missa canonica, BNB deest, was rediscovered in Weißenfels in 2013.[55] Bach probably performed his orchestrated version of the Kyrie and Gloria of this mass several times in Leipzig.[4] The Bach-Archiv Leipzig, whose Deputy Director Peter Wollny discovered the Bach autograph, stated that it was an important model for Bach in his exploration of the stile antico and of the canon in his last decade.[56]