Bach - Mass in B minor (Proms 2012) 

Someone once said "Bach was better at music than anyone else has ever been at anything." I think it sums up pretty well how unbelievable Bach's genius is.

Composer Ari Kast wrote about Bach, in his book: "If humanity ever needs an ambassador to make us look good, I'll gratefully point to him as evidence that we did something useful with our time here"

How can something like this come out of one person is beyond me.

Although I'm not a Christian, Bach's masses often bring tears to my eyes. It is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!!!

I must tell You a story. Late December 1980. I knew a group of young man (conscripts), all coming from remote mountain villages with archaic dialect and archaic, almost tribal social structure. None of them probably ever had opportunity to hear of Bach, lest ever to hear some of his musical pieces. They always set in their corner in the canteen, talking in their dialect, in their own world. That evening someone put a tape with Bach’s music. These rural, hardly literate guys stopped talking. Sat motionless and listened. Bach my friends.

Our daughter died at the young age of 20 - 11 years ago. Throughout her short life I introduced her to the music of J.S. Bach. She loved it and admired the composer. She has now joined that greater multitude along with J.S. Bach whose confidence was in the Word made flesh. I've always have this vision that in the life to come she will say to me, "Hi Dad, I've met Mr. Bach, we should go together and meet him. He is such a wonderful man". He is and we look forward to meeting him in the future.

Don't understand why the description of the video is truncuated, but here is the full list: I. Kyrie and Gloria ("Missa") 0:00:07 Kyrie eleison 0:10:33 Christe eleison 0:15:20 Kyrie eleison 0:19:06 Gloria in excelsis 0:20:49 Et in terra pax 0:25:35 Laudamus te 0:29:40 Gratias agimus tibi 0:33:02 Domine Deus 0:38:31 Qui tollis peccata mundi 0:41:33 Qui sedes ad dextram Patris 0:45:46 Quoniam tu solus sanctus 0:50:09 Cum Sancto Spiritu II. Credo ("Symbolum Nicenum") 0:53:48 Credo in unum Deum 0:55:40 Patrem omnipotentem 0:57:44 Et in unum Dominum 1:02:19 Et incarnatus est 1:05:37 Crucifixus 1:09:01 Et resurrexit 1:13:02 Et in Spiritum Sanctum 1:18:07 Confiteor 1:22:06 Et expecto III. Sanctus 1:25:15 Sanctus IV. Agnus Dei ("Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Dona Nobis Pacem") 1:30:38 Osanna in excelsis 1:33:21 Benedictus 1:37:51 Osanna (repetatur) 1:40:42 Agnus Dei 1:46:02 Dona nobis pacem

Bach is getting a lot of praise in the comments, but I think the choir & musicians deserve some praise too. God bless you guys!

The irony is that the advent of RU-vid has allowed Bach to be truly accessible to the masses

Literally the second the music stops for a moment: Everyone coughes

The choir I'm a member of will be singing this in December - can hardly wait!

Johann Sebastian Bach, the greatest composer of all time!

I've heard it ten thousand times. Never gets tiring. Infinitely powerful beyond words. All hail the great Bach.

H. L. Mencken was a life-long agnostic but each year he would drive from Baltimore to Pennsylvania to hear a performance of this piece. He called it “one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.”

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY with very limited exposure to classical music. I must have been about 11 years old when I discovered my Fathers collection of 78-speed records, that I never heard him play. Out of curiosity I puy one record on the record player. I became emotionally enthralled. I didn't know who the composer was but it turned out to be JS Bach. I can't remember this particular piece but I started playing whatever records my dad had of bach. I am now seventy my love of Bach's music has not waned. If I were cloistered and had to choose only one piece of music that I was confined to listen to it would be The Bach Mass In B minor.

The late Dr.Elmer Eisler said at one of our TMC rehearsals...."All the chords in 20th jazz music can be found in this piece"

Mass should be like this all the time

Having heard the Kyrie, you can go home. It´s a cathedral of sound itself. A monument. Instead, there´s a whole torrential waterfall of music behind. Blessed who could sing it, it is a unique experience.

this piece of music saved my life a long time ago. forever grateful to its magic.

29:40 The ‘Gratias agimus tibi’ part alone is just, a legend, I cannot even describe

I sang this 47 years ago & it's still the most endlessly beautiful piece of music I know. There is always something new to discover in this. I've sung most of the choral repertoire and agree that Faure's and Mozart's Requiem are wonderful, as are Händel's Messiah & Mendelsson's Elijah, but nothing reaches inside me as does this piece. Today, for the first time in 14 months, I was allowed to see my husband without glass between us, to touch him and kiss him. Later, I realized I'd been singing Gratias agimus tibi all day long.

THIS IS MUSIC.

Even the tuning at 1:25:00 sounds glorious. I love Bach's music. Praise God!

I can only say the words that Bach also finished every piece with : "Soli Deo Gloria - For the Glory of God Alone."!

All of our music has Bach to thank

THE BEST PIECE OF MUSIC EVER COMPOSED BY THE GREATEST COMPOSER WHO EVER LIVED, OR SHALL LIVE.

I. Kyrie and Gloria ("Missa") 0:00:07 Kyrie eleison 0:10:33 Christe eleison 0:15:20 Kyrie eleison 0:19:06 Gloria in excelsis 0:20:49 Et in terra pax 0:25:35 Laudamus te 0:29:40 Gratias agimus tibi 0:33:02 Domine Deus 0:38:31 Qui tollis peccata mundi 0:41:33 Qui sedes ad dextram Patris 0:45:46 Quoniam tu solus sanctus 0:50:09 Cum Sancto Spiritu II. Credo ("Symbolum Nicenum") 0:53:48 Credo in unum Deum 0:55:40 Patrem omnipotentem 0:57:44 Et in unum Dominum 1:02:19 Et incarnatus est 1:05:37 Crucifixus 1:09:01 Et resurrexit 1:13:02 Et in Spiritum Sanctum 1:18:07 Confiteor 1:22:06 Et expecto III. Sanctus 1:25:15 Sanctus IV. Agnus Dei ("Osanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Dona Nobis Pacem") 1:30:38 Osanna in excelsis 1:33:21 Benedictus 1:37:51 Osanna (repetatur) 1:40:42 Agnus Dei 1:46:02 Dona nobis pacem

I can not imagine how being part of this all these wonderful men and women must be happy. I would've been.

For Bach to compose this in a cold room, at the light of a candle, (no I-phone or computers) is the same like the Egiptions build the piramides 2,300 years ago without excavators or cranes .

This is the best piece of music ever created by any human soul!

Bach’s greatness is immeasurable and unfathomable

I think the Bach Mass in B minor is the masterpiece of the masterpieces. I LOVE many composers, but I could stay exclusively with Bach for the rest of my life, no problem ! The last minute of my life, if possible I should like to hear a Bach's piece.

The greatest piece ever composed on the earth!

He ascended into the Heaves ,took captive captive and gave gifts to men.

Bach, der Komponist Gottes..., wie HILARIO ECKE es vor einer Woche hier kommentiert hat, besser kann man es nicht sagen! Die Musik von Johann Sebastian Bach, insbesondere die h-Moll Messe, hat bis heute eine wunderbare Wirkung auf die Menschen auf der ganzen Welt!

Even several hundred years after JS Bach wrote this wonderful piece, we are still lifting up the blessed Savior whose praise this concert exalts! In Christ Alone.

Dislikes for this???? Why,it's perfection who are these haters? This is God given music 💜

This music will live forever! Heavenly, glorious and peaceful especially with International peace day on 21 Sept. What the world needs now is love and PEACE!!!!- music can contribute to it- this kind of music

That is probably THE most chill conductor I have ever seen in my life! At the cut off of this fantastically performed piece, he just goes, 'yup, we did something. Ok, stand please.' This is one of my favourite pieces to both sing and listen to, and this is by far my favourite recorded version. Love it!

Grands compositeurs , musiciens , choeurs , élèvent leurs voix à la gloire de Jésus-Christ ,quelle beauté.

Ido T Bach nous ouvre les portes du ciel par sa musique eternelle .

As I age upon this earth, I find increasingly, that only two things make total sense, music and poetry,,,,,,,

Bach created a musical heaven on Earth with the Mass in B Minor. This is a charismatic performance by Harry Bicket & The English Concert.

This music is beyond religion. It is the essence of all being.

I have no idea how many times I have listened to this, but it's still not enough.

Bach, el compositor de Dios.

0:00:07 Kyrie eleison 0:19:06 Gloria in excelsis 1:02:19 Et incarnatus est 1:05:37 Crucifixus 1:09:01 Et resurrexit 1:25:15 Sanctus 1:40:42 Agnus Dei

This is regarded as among the greatest human musical achievements of all time.

I read some of the less than enthusiastic responses to this piece. Bach wrote the Kyrie and Gloria to demonstrate his composing skills in pursuit of a job he never got. At the end of his life, he composed, compiled from earlier music, and completed the mass, paying to have the mass bound. I highly recommend singing this piece, because I felt the piece revealed more to me as a singer. One of the highlights is singing "Crucifixus" ending almost in silence and then blasting into the "Et Resurrexit" Also the "Cum Sancto Spirita" at the end of Part one. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it was a monumental undertaking by one of the great composers. To quote MIchael Torkel "Why would you ever need a Psychiatrist, when you could just listen to Bach's B-minor Mass. FranStone

Das bedeutenste und schönste Musikstück, was je ein Mensch komponiert hat. Wir danken Gott! Großartig interpretiert!Bravo!

I'm Jewish, and I love this mass. I wish I had had the chance to sing it with chorus. Great music, on the highest level.

This has one of the most epic intros.

Majestic.

i cannot stop hearing this!

He completed this right before he died. It's as if he said, "Ok, I'm finished. That's the best I can do."

I have studied this entire piece of music - You can grab 16 measures anywhere in it and not find better from any other composer. BACH IS THE GOAT OF COMPOSERS (Greatest of all time)!!!

This piece of music is immortal. .

Greatest composition by the perhaps greatest composer and musician of history... the ending fugue in the Dona Nobis Pacem movement us so powerful, like a sun beyond the horizon at dawn

equal numbers of men and women singing. That's a refreshing change...Period instruments... and some of the most glorious music ever put to paper.

Brilliance in music. An absolute angel sent from above was Bach.

One of the greatest works by one of classical music's greatest composers, the B Minor Mass is both majestic and mysterious. It is majestic in its complexity and sweep, as well as its use of various styles and quotations from music written throughout the composer's career. Source: Music of Baroque

The music of the greatest composer of all time ..... always heal my soul

Listening to Bach is listening to the mind of a man whose thoughts were pure music, and through which a great spirit speaks.

This is truly enjoyable. This music is eternal. Thank you kindly, Herr Bach.

Genius of geniuses! Gorgeous composer, so inspiring, beautiful, masterful, emotional, romantic, dynamic, and so many more adjectives that would never fit in the universe....

Bach was a true master of music and tremendous many years ahead of other composer. Truly beautiful

This is a wonderful performance - worthy of Bach's music.

It's amazing how Bach's name was absolutely forgotten after his death for about a century and then rediscovered. His works and sheet scores preserved. "The scripts don't burn", as it was said.

This is undoubtedly a foretaste of what await us in heaven!!!

Great music by the world's greatest conductors and ensemble's what more do you need to say!

Oameni buni, cum puteţi pune dislike la asa interpretare cerească? E minunat! Foarte frumos! Mersi foarte mult!

Classical music has an enduring charm that spans centuries, evoking emotions and telling stories through its timeless compositions. Each piece feels like a journey through history and the depths of human expression. 🎻🎼

La mejor misa del mejor compositor. Sublime, majestuosa... adjetivos comunes presentes en toda la obra de Bach.

I wonder what Bach would have thought to hear such a huge orchestra & chorus perform his masterpiece. I'm glad to have the option to hear it performed big or small.

Bach, you weren't died, you live and you will live for ever. Because of the work from your compositions, I decide to sing these until my death in a choir I will find. Thanks for my first technical director Jean Paul Bosangela to give me an impetus to decipher and love that kind of music, I m proud of you and God bless J.C Bach and others masters of baroque music. 1:46:01

the musicians are so joyous,and so is my soul tonight

Yo descubrí a Bach..... con esta Misa..... y desde entonces mi visión de la música cambio para siempre !.......esta obra es genial desde la primera a la ultima nota.... y está interpretación en particular es fabulosa..... Bach...... Bach.... Bach.... por los siglos de los siglos !!!!

Well, this is some next level shit, above of my comprehension, even though i study music, this is just too complex, too technical, too damn good. Probably the best piece of music EVER written, and i'm not even exaggerating, i'm being serious.

Remarquable de Beauté dans ce Décor si impressionnant !!!!!! Superbe !!

Listening to this I remember my emotion, when I was 14 and attended a performance of Parsifal in the opera. "I hope this will never end" was my thought back then listening to the grail scene...

Bravo!!!!Phantastique cette œuvre de Bach!!!!

As Bach would say (in German)... To God be the glory! And may we all soak up and relish in the beauty of this incredible work and performance of it.

These musicians are so good, giving life to the music not every choir can pull this of flawlessly. ♥⚡And to the technicians that managed the sound, so perfect !

One of the greatest classical pieces of all times!

Así es cómo se logra una buena conversación con Díos, ¡me encanta Bach!.

I am transported, inspired, grateful, humbled, and thankful. God blessed Bach and us with this expression of divinity through the form of music. Sometimes giants of craft walk among us with a purpose supernal.

Finally listened to the entire Mass in B Minor. And the fans are right! It is splendid and stupendous work! Bach's powers of invention, emotion, profound spiritual belief and sheer musical genius make for a fitting curtain call in one of the last works he ever wrote. Incredible to have experienced this.

Die Musik von Bach ist ein unglaubliches Erlebnis direkt von einem Gott - ich weiß gar nicht, was man dazu sagen könnte, hätte man nicht diese Musik ...

wunderschön, DANKE für das eingestellte video - diese musik tröstet mich u. läßt einen im moment die kriegerische welt vergessen.

Any word could really describe the feelings which fill our souls when we hear these musics... To God all the glory!

Sir Roger Scruton brought me here. My love for this kind of music kept me. I can't believe I have never come across this, this is amazing!

It would be lovely to have the chorus, conductor, orchestra and soloists identified here too. This is a fantastic rendition from a professional chorus, orchestra and soloists. I have sung the choral lines 3 different times, in different vocal sections as my voice changed, and never get tired of seeing a performance listening to this music.

1:46:02 "Dona nobis pacem" - "Grant us peace" I'm not religious, but for me the final movement to the Mass in B Minor is what I imagine ascending to heaven must feel like, and that glorious final cadence feels like floating through the pearly gates and coming face to face with God himself... All of his music is stunning, but the Mass in B Minor is arguably J.S. Bach's crowning achievement, I've heard it so many times and I still get tears in my eyes when I listen. No other music moves me as much as Bach's.

Впервые услышал Херри Бикет. Нет слов ,потрясающе! И оркестр и солисты, и хор! Какие новые краски и образы! Просто великолепно! Не ожидал.

Look at that magnificent positive organ... never seen a positive organ in any production that's that big. Almost like a miniature church-organ.

Every now and then God anoints someone with inspiration that could only be described as a foretaste of the Divine realm. Bach was blessed with such an anointing....and earthen vessel filled with the wine of heaven. Our hearts are gladdened and we rejoice that God's Spirit has come amongst us.

No matter how many times I watch this performance (and it is quite a few times by now!), I never cease to amazed, both at the performance and at the work performed. Beauty, truly transcendent.

A perfect masterpiece.

I have no words. I can only say that I am overwhelmingly blessed to be able to, just, witness this piece of mastery.

아름답고 훌륭하다. 이런 연주와 음악을 들을 수 있어 행복합니다. 감사합니다.