[science]

Let's take these two head to head and see what happens.

 

[DrKilroy]

I usually like Handel and I really enjoy some numbers from Messiah, but it doesn't work as a whole to me. Mass in B minor I find better in this respect (which is strange, given that the movements were basically assembled from very diverse sketches and fragments).


Best regards, Dr

 

[HaydnBearstheClock]

a tie perhaps? Both are great works, it's difficult to decide. Maybe the Mass in B minor in terms of consistency, and the Messiah in terms of highlights ('And he shall purify', 'For Unto Us a Child is Born').

 

[Ingélou]

I just love the Messiah because there are so many belters, and hearing it at Norwich Cathedral last Christmas was such a glorious & moving experience. I'm quite ready to concede that Bach's may be the more profound in musical terms.

 

[HaydnBearstheClock]

F. J. Haydn's Harmony mass deserves to be up there in terms of some of the greatest sacred works ever, imo. So does J. M. Haydn's Requiem in C minor.

 

[hpowders]

I love the Handel. I like the Bach. Pithy, but clear.

 

[hpowders]

F. J. Haydn's Harmony mass deserves to be up there in terms of some of the greatest sacred works ever, imo. So does J. M. Haydn's Requiem in C minor.

Except that it's not part of the thread title.

Haydn's masses are pithier than any choral work Bach or Handel wrote, so you know I'm a fan.

Hey Bach! Hey Handel!! Keep it pithy!! You think all I have to do is sit around all day for hours to listen???

I will now listen to Haydn's 40 minute Harmony Mass.:tiphat:

 

[Manxfeeder]

I think the B minor mass hits me more directly than the Messiah. Handel's work is a presentation of a narrative with word painting, but the B minor mass is a more personal experience that starts in a humble petition and leads to the throne of God.

 

[Dustin]

My personal favorite to listen to is Messiah. I'm just an absolute sucker for Handel's vocal and choral writing. The Mass in B Minor is a huge favorite of mine too but I enjoy it a tad less than the other.

 

[SixFootScowl]

Handel's Messiah tops all other works for me because not only is it musically wonderful, but also it is the Word of God explaining God's plan of salvation for the world.

 

[ArtMusic]

Fro starters Bach took a decade to put the B minor mass together, as he had no (single) performance of it in mind.

Whereas Handel wrote the Messiah in three weeks .... should I say more?

I love them both

 

[hpowders]

Some composers tortured themselves when composing, like Brahms. Others churned out music very quickly like Mozart. Both great. Proves nothing.

There are passionate advocates for each of these great pieces. I prefer the Handel. Again. Proves nothing.

 

[Oliver]

Voted for the Mass. I wonder why almost everyone has heard of Handel's Messiah but I get a blank stare when I mention Bach's Mass or even Mozart's Requiem Mass.

 

[Novelette]

Some composers tortured themselves when composing, like Brahms. Others churned out music very quickly like Mozart. Both great. Proves nothing.

There are passionate advocates for each of these great pieces. I prefer the Handel. Again. Proves nothing.

Very much agreed, hpowders; application of time does not make a work great--let alone a composer. Since judicious people may disagree on whether or not a work is great, and applying such a criterion presupposes that determination... Well, we know the rest.

 

[Dustin]

Voted for the Mass. I wonder why almost everyone has heard of Handel's Messiah but I get a blank stare when I mention Bach's Mass or even Mozart's Requiem Mass.

Because Messiah is programmed annually in hundreds of cities across the world. And one of these days I will finally make it to one of these performances here in Houston. Shame on me for not having done it yet when I've been to so many other classical concerts. Same thing with The Nutcracker. Never seen it live.

 

[hpowders]

Very much agreed, hpoweders; application of time does not make a work great--let alone a composer. Since judicious people may disagree on whether or not a work is great, and applying such a criteria presupposes that determination... Well, we know the rest.

The Bach and Handel are both very different; both very great and we are lucky to be able to play each whenever we want in as many interpretations as we want. Does it get any better than that?

 

[Novelette]

The Bach and Handel are both very different; both very great and we are lucky to be able to play each whenever we want in as many interpretations as we want. Does it get any better than that?

It gets no better than that! Thank goodness we can enjoy both our Bach and our Handel without interference.

[And drat! You quoted me before I could scramble to fix my two typos. I need faster reflexes! Or I need the patience to proofread my own posts before hitting that fateful "Post Quick Reply" button.]

 

[hpowders]

It gets no better than that! Thank goodness we can enjoy both our Bach and our Handel without interference.

[And drat! You quoted me before I could scramble to fix my two typos. I need faster reflexes! Or I need the patience to proofread my own posts before hitting that fateful "Post Quick Reply" button.]

Oh. Sorry! Stuff like that doesn't bother me. It's the other "names" they call me that bothers me!! :lol:

I would go out on a limb that among the general public it's Handel's Messiah that's more popular. That's most likely because many folks who have a casual interest in serious music probably never even heard of Bach's b minor mass.

 

[ArtMusic]

Voted for the Mass. I wonder why almost everyone has heard of Handel's Messiah but I get a blank stare when I mention Bach's Mass or even Mozart's Requiem Mass.

That explains why Handel's Messiah NEVER was fogotten ever since it was first performed (mind you, it wasn't that popular with London audiences at first). It stayed in the repertoire ever since. Great works speak for itself.

 

[Celloman]

I voted for the B minor mass because it is simply one of the most profound artifices of human expression I have ever heard.