Angels Kneel at the Altar for Bach's High Mass in B Minor
Considered by Many to Be the Finest Piece of Music
Ever Written for the Catholic Church
Traditionally, Bach's Organ Music Has Been Used at Holy Mass
At Monasteries, Convents, Cathedrals, and Parishes Around the World
The genius of Bach has been traditionally recognized by the Church, and his organ works have formed a major part of the repertoire that is played by organists at Holy Mass. Naturally, the Cantatas are not used because they have texts specifically for a non-Catholic service, but all of Bach's purely instrumental works, like the chorale preludes for organ, which are often based on Gregorian chant, or the symphoniae (the instrumental interludes from the Cantatas) are certainly approved.
The original set of Gregorian chant recordings from the Abbey of St. Peter of Solesmes in the 1930s and 1940s , frequently use Bach pieces are interludes.This was the rule in monasteries, convents, cathedrals, and the best parishes.There is even evidence that Bach was a closet Catholic, who wanted to move to a region where he could write music for the Church. Many musicologists hold that the greatest piece of music ever written was Bach's High Mass in B Minor, which he wrote for a Catholic prince, hoping to become a Catholic court composer there.
Couperin was a 17th-century French composer of Catholic church music, whose organ Masses for Convents and Parishes are two gems of the organistic repertoire. They are ideal as mediation pieces during Mass. As to music for weddings, the Church has traditionally allowed wide latitude in musical selections for the Sacrament of Matrimony, more than for any other Sacrament. Such noted works as the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin or the Wedding March from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream might be objectionable in some eyes, but they are a way above most of the sentimental schmaltz that one often hears at weddings.
