Bach: Mass in B Minor

The Mass in B Minor is arguably Bach's greatest single work. John Butt gives an absorbing account of the work's genesis, its historical context, and its reception by later generations.

List of contents

List of illustrations; List of abbreviations; Preface; 1. The musical genre of the mass ordinary; 2. Genesis and purpose; 3. Reception history; 4. Text and music: the process of adaptation and composition; 5. Ritornello forms; 6. The influence of the dance; 7. Counterpoint; 8. Figurae and the motivic texture; 9. Patterns and proportions: large-scale structuring and continuity in the Mass in B Minor; Afterword.

Summary

The Mass in B Minor is arguably Bach's greatest single work. This guide considers the work from many angles, offering the reader basic information in a concise and accessible form. John Butt gives an absorbing account of the work's genesis, its historical context, and its reception by later generations.

Product details

• Authors: John Butt, John (University of California Butt
• Assisted by: Julian Rushton (Editor)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.06.1991
• EAN: 9780521387163
• ISBN: 978-0-521-38716-3
• No. of pages: 128
• Series: Cambridge Music Handbooks
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Music