Primary sourceDocument1733
Title Page of the Missa, BWV 232
Johann Sebastian Bach · 1733
The autograph title page of Bach's 1733 Missa, part of the work that grew into the Mass in B minor and was presented to the Dresden court.
The autograph title page of the Missa that Bach wrote and submitted in his own petition to the Dresden court.
About this source
What it is
This is the title page, in Bach's own hand, of the 'Missa' he presented to the Dresden court in 1733. It lists the voices and instruments required, including trumpets, drums, flute, oboes, strings and continuo, and is signed by Bach.
Why it matters
Bach wrote this Missa as part of a petition for a court title from the Elector of Saxony. It later became the opening section of his Mass in B minor, one of his largest works. The page shows how composition, employment and ambition were tied together in Bach's career.
Look closer
- Why would a composer send a piece of music as part of a request for a job or title?
- What does the detailed list of instruments tell you about the scale Bach imagined for this piece?
- How might knowing this was a job petition change how you think about the music itself?
This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Sebastian Bach on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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