Review: Publick Musick & Thomas Folan,
Missae Breves, BWV 233-236, Musica Omnia
Compact Disc Review – Choral Journal, May 2007
by Eric Johnson
The four Missae Breves, BWV 233-236, represent J. S. Bach’s contribution to the tradition often referred to as the “Lutheran Mass.” Composed in the 1730s, these settings contain only the Kyrie and Gloria texts and range in length from around twenty-five to thirty minutes. Bach set each work as a “cantata Mass,” allotting individual lines of the Mass texts to choral or solo movements. Typically the Kyrie is given a single-movement stile antico setting, with instruments doubling voices. The multi-movement Gloria is then set in Italianate concerted style, in which instruments operate independently of vocal lines and each solo movement contains at least one additional solo obbligato instrument. The structure of the Glorias is roughly similar for each Mass. The chorus sings the opening and closing movements (Gloria and Cum Sancto), and interior texts (divisions of which may vary) are given over to solos or duets. In each Mass, Bach demonstrates his mastery of all musical styles current in his time.
This well-produced two-disc recording includes Bach’s complete Missae Breves, performed by Thomas Folan’s acclaimed ensemble Publick Musick. The Masses were recorded in United Presbyterian Church, Rochester (NY), which provided an excellent space in which to capture the beauty of Bach’s compositions. Balance between choir, instrumentalists, and soloists was exceptional. The chorus was never overpowered, and the acoustic space provided “ring” for the choir without being so wet that articulations in the instrumental lines were obscured.
Peter Watchhorn’s liner notes provide an excellent source of basic information regarding the historical background of the Masses. Watchhorn does an excellent job of discussing each Mass setting and identifying which movements use borrowed material. Besides identifying cantata numbers that were parodied, he also provides a brief account of how Bach reinterpreted the material in the Mass setting. Watchhorn clearly differentiates between instances in which Bach “lift(s) directly and untransposed” cantata movements – as in BWV 235, which employs the opening chorus of BWV 102 for its Kyrie – and examples in which existing material was reworked. An example of that is the Gloria in BWV 236, which “begins with a spectacular paraphrase of the opening of the Reformation Cantata Gott Herr is Sonn und Schild.” Another very notable feature of the liner notes is an entry by the late Bach scholar Alfred Mann, in which Mann lays out the proposition that the A-Major Mass, BWV 234, resonates with themes of the Nativity present in the Christmas Oratorio and that it was a Vorstudie to the great B-Minor Mass.
Musically this recording has many commendable features. Most notable among these is the precision and clarity with which Bach’s counterpoint is performed. The performance reveals an ensemble and conductor who have taken great care in shaping each line. Articulation and phrasing in each line are intimately wedded to the text. The syntax of individual words, structure of larger phrases, and larger architecture of each movement are masterfully planned and executed. The can be heard most prominently in the Cum Sancto of the G-Major Mass, BWV 236, and the Gloria of the G-Minor Mass, BWV 235. Detailed articulation in the fugue subject and counterpoint of the Cum Sancto in BWV 236 is remarkable. Every melisma is punctuated with subtle additions of weight and lengthening of notes to draw out cadential moments, important words, and hemiolas. Extended runs bubble along in lightly detached articulation while gentle suspensions are interjected by the instruments. The composite texture is absolutely transparent; voices dance in and out of prominence according to the significance and shape of their lines.
Happily the attention to detail that went into score preparation for the singers was also applied to the instrumental ensemble. Ritornellos are very well thought out, and dynamic contours of each section propel the listener on through each movement, as in the opening ritornello of the F-Major Mass’s Gloria (BWV 233). This movement is also an excellent example of Einbauen, where Bach seamlessly intergrates the vocal lines into the ritornello itself. The net result of Folan’s attention to articulation and dynamic shape is a vibrant recorded performance in which individual lines are easily heard and understood in the larger context of the composition.
The overall choral tone of Publick Musick is well-placed and the singers demonstrate exceptional vocal agility in their extended melismas. The ensemble also shifts effortlessly between buoyant melismata and mournful legato lines. It is a particular joy to hear the choir’s performance of compound meters, in which the lilt of the ensemble dances right out of the recording and into your soul. The tenors and basses, in particular, present a core sound that rings with clarity and healthy tone. The sopranos, on the whole, seem a bit covered. Their tone lacks the energy and brilliant color that one typically associates with Baroque choral music.
The solo movements of the Masses were a bit less consistent in quality than the choral movements. In general, the vocal soloists are well prepared and facile in executing appropriate ornamentation, but overall they lack the brilliance and vivacity that elevates a solo performance (and a soloist) from good to great. One particular highlight, however, is the Qui tollis in the G-Minor Mass, BWV 235. Tenor Pablo Bustos sings with a grace and ease that belie the difficulty of the passages.
The obbligato instrumental contribution to the solo movements are also worthy, but again not consistently excellent. The continuo players are exceptional and work seamlessly in all styles and meter. Concertmaster Martin Davids plays exquisite obbligato passages in BWV 233 and BWV 234; his playing alone is almost worth purchasing the recording. The same cannot be said, however, of the obbligato oboe movements. The oboe often seems to be pushing or changing tempo against the continuo and the soloists, rather than dancing within the music. Likewise, solo oboe lines often lack a clear contour and appropriate rise and fall in relation to the harmonic activity and structural underpinnings.
On balance, this recording provides a good representation of Bach’s Missae Breves. Thomas Folan has demonstrated exceptional skill and musicianship in preparing his ensemble of this recording. For the most part, his ensembles are up to the challenges that Bach creates.