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BACH B MINOR MASS

Dear Friends,

The Michael O'Neal Singers will begin the New Year with the preparation and performance of one of the most profound musical compositions ever written. On Sunday afternoon at 3 PM, March 25, the MOS will present J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass in the sanctuary of Roswell United Methodist Church. 

Certainly one of the cornerstones of Western music, the Mass is interesting in many ways. Never performed in its entirety during Bach's lifetime, we are not even sure to this day of his intentions regarding the work. It incorporates a number of styles, forms and techniques used by Bach and his contemporaries, and it also includes earlier pieces composed by Bach. Among the inclusions are a 1724 Sanctus, a Kyrie and Gloria from 1733, and reworkings of several cantata movements.   Interestingly, it includes only a few pieces specifically composed for the B Minor Mass. 

Neither appropriate for a Catholic nor a Luthern service, and limited in its performance possibilities due do the complexity of the music, one might wonder why Bach made such an effort in the final years of his life to see the work to completion.  Probably one of the most compelling reasons is that he was interested in securing his legacy with this and other works, such as The Art of the Fugue and A Musical Offering.  If so, with the B Minor Mass he achieved that goal with remarkable success.   Described by an early 19th century music publisher as "the greatest musical work of art of all times and nations," the Mass is truly a composition that continues to touch lives in profoundly moving ways.

Our performance will include the entire MOS chorus and chamber singers, with soloists Arietha Lockhart, soprano, Melissa Fontaine, mezzo-soprano, Laurie Stuart Swann, contralto, Bradley Howard, tenor, and John LaForge, bass.  The orchestra will consist of members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Complete presentations of this monumental work are rare, for obvious reasons. Don't miss this opportunity to hear Bach's masterpiece. We look forward to sharing this music with you on March 25.

Soli deo Gloria,

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