Incomplete And Utter History Of Classical Music

CRITICAL MASS

T

he? Minor Mass - or to give it its German title Die Messe in H Moll - is considered by many to be the greatest achievement of a great composer. It's massive. A full Latin Mass in twenty-four sections, with monumental versions of the Gloria, the Crucifixus and the Credo. What's even more interesting is that it's a Catholic Mass, which is odd for Bach, the foremost Protestant composer of his day. It seems he was probably touting for business, and would send the Kyrie and Gloria to the Catholic King of Saxony, to see if he could get the job of court composer. Again, and I know I've said this before, but go and see a live performance. It's a BIG piece, and even die best recording on CD can't do it justice. By 1736, die muse Euterpe is still putting all his eggs in just two baskets, namely? and H. With both now at their absolute peak, though, just how does it feel? I mean, how does it smell, to be in 1736? What does 1736 taste like? Well, let me see if I can't take your index finger and rub it across the grain of the year.

Well, baroque is well and truly, incompletely and utterly king. If you're a baroque star, it doesn't get any better than this, so enjoy it while you can. The Classical period is only just around the corner. Opera, though, is past its first peak. It is still being written - in fact it's being written like mad. And as they only finished the Covent Garden Opera House in 1732 - four years ago - then someone obviously believes in it enough to throw pots of money at it. But in the form that the crowds of the time knew it, opera had had its first day. Oratorio was gaining on it, and would give it a good run for its money in the pop stakes, before it was finished.

To be fair, despite it being at its most popular, the writing is nevertheless on the wall for the fiddly, florid-sounding music that is baroque. But not yet. Not quite yet. For now, Bach and Handel continue to dominate. Others do get a look in, though.