Sweet Harmony

Bach greatly admired the music of his forebears and was often criticized for his traditionalist approach to composition. Nevertheless, we find in his music many works that were forward-looking and innovative, favoring the rococo and galant styles that were taking hold throughout Europe. The Missa in A Major is a curious amalgam of the traditional and contemporary, featuring a pair of a relatively “new” instrument on the scene, the flauto travers...