Bach's Last Masterpiece is His Mass in B minor.

[MineralMan]

For many, this is the pinnacle of music for the Christian Mass, and with good reason. Composed near the time of Bach's death, he may never had heard it performed in its entirety. The recording in the video below uses baroque instruments and was recorded in 2012, at the Proms in London.

Of all the things the Church is known for, music composed for the Mass is probably the thing that will last the longest. This mass lasts for almost two hours, which makes this music an excellent background for all sorts of things.

[sharedvalues]

1. +1 to Bach and the B Minor mass

Though Bach was a Lutheran and composed for the Protestant church. (Related to why Lutherans still have beautiful hymns in their services, while “Bad Catholic Music” fills Roman Catholic Churches)

[MineralMan]

2. My mistake, of course, which I have corrected.

Thank you.

[sharedvalues]

3. On the music topic

If you’re interested to read about the modern Catholic Church and Bad Catholic Music (BCM) and how it’s been driven in part by for-profit missal publishers, here’s a few links:
http://catholicherald.co.uk/issues/november-6th-2015/can-bad-catholic-music-be-stopped/

https://www.crisismagazine.com/2009/the-hidden-hand-behind-bad-catholic-music

Don’t want to hijack the post further. Nice recording!

[MineralMan]

5. Oh, my. I rarely attend any services in Catholic churches.

The odd nuptial or funeral mass are rare exceptions. So, I'm not familiar with what greets Catholics at Mass these days. Reading your two articles, though, does not inspire me to visit a church for music.

Attempts to modernize the music at church, I suppose, is a try at interesting the younger set in becoming part of congregations. Similar things are going on in Protestant worship, with their "praise bands" and the like. I've encountered those things as well in my rare visits to various sanctuaries. "Pretty awful" is my opinion of it all. As an oboist and vocalist in the past, I've performed an awful lot of sacred music, often in churches. That was decades ago, though, and my atheism gives me no reason to attend services any longer, really.

Perhaps it's no wonder that attendance is down, and the youthful set is lacking in enthusiasm for organized religion. As your second article points out, if there is no difference between sacred and popular music, what reason does music offer for attendance at services? I tend to agree. But, then, I'm an old man and a long-time atheist, so what do I know, really?

I've been posting some long videos of music from different religious traditions, because there is a quality to them that lends itself to contemplative activities, regardless of the words, which are usually in a language we don't speak or understand anyhow.

[sharedvalues]

6. +1

There's a lot more to say about how churches court youth besides music, but that's for another day. Let me just say that I cringe every time I hear anything by Marty Haugen, who has totally taken over the Catholic hymnal.

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. Boy, that brought back memories.

"Here I am Lord"... it seems like we belted that stinker out every Sunday, and every time it felt like an icepick to the brain.

[Igel]

4. I find this kind of thing makes really bad background music.

It's the kind of stuff that's intended to be listened to, and often demands it from an attentive listener.

For background, there are reams of table music and divertimenti, binders of dance music all of which was intended to be background or accompaniment.

(The same holds for a lot of rock. There's music that I really can't background, it's too insistent; then there's music that begs to be backgrounded.)

[MineralMan]

7. Perhaps that's a matter of personal tastes.

I don't know. It works for me as background music. Of course, I'm very familiar with the B minor Mass. I've played in orchestras for it, and have sung it in choirs. Its familiarity is comforting as a background to activities, particularly tedious ones.

Different strokes, I suppose.

[Bretton Garcia]

8. Romanticising death?

My favorite "classics" CD is currently vol. 1 of an anthology: "111 Years of Deutsche Grammophone." It presents a dozen works by different composers, in more or less chronological order.

From the prevalence of trumpets and other brass instruments, it becomes clear that this German series is in part a veiled commentary on the European wars; alternating with peace (strings). It ends, somewhat out of original sequence, with our current civilization looking at the stars as its future; repurposing Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle," from Tosca? Karajan/Carreras.

For fun, I am an eclectic rock and roll guitarist and culture critic.

[Permanut]

9. Finally got a chance to listen to this..

Thanks MineralMan.

I'm guessing Bach and Handel will still be heard ten thousand years from now. I'd really like to come back from wherever and visit, just to see.