Why did Bach, a Lutheran composer, dedicate his greatest Catholic mass to the elector of Saxony? Learn!
Who's behind the notes? Discover Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of Baroque Music
The Mass in B minor, BWV 232, is one of Johann Sebastian Bach's greatest and most complex sacred works. Composed over a period of nearly 25 years, it represents the culmination of his life's work as a composer of sacred music. The "Quoniam tu solus sanctus" is a bass aria from the Gloria section of the mass, notable for its obbligato horn part and solemn, majestic character. Bach never heard the complete mass performed during his lifetime, and it wasn't presented in its entirety until over a century after his death. Today it is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of Western classical music.