The Early Garden on Thursday May 7 at 20:00 CET features a Mass by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, but this version was adapted by Johann Sebastian Bach! In this hour, you can also hear wind music by Johann Christoph Pezel and Gottfried Reiche.
Bach adapted Palestrina’s six-part “Missa sine Nomine” by adding parts for cornetti, trombones and basso continuo, entirely in the 18th-century style. It demonstrates Bach’s study of the ‘stile antico’, the old Renaissance style, and his appreciation of Palestrina’s mastery.
The Kyrie and Gloria sections of this Mass have been preserved in Bach’s original manuscript.
In addition to this Mass and two motets by Palestrina, we also hear wind music by Johann Christoph Pezel (trumpeter with the Leipziger Stadtpfeifer) and Gottfried Reiche (Bach’s most important trumpeter). Palestrina’s Mass and the wind music by Pezel and Reiche are performed by Concerto Palatino (see photo).
Broadcasts The Early Garden:
- Thursday 7 May 2026, 20.00 – 21.00 CET
- Friday 15 May 2026, 06.00 – 07.00 CET
Click here for the playlist.
On the photo: Concerto Palatino (source: concertopalatino.com, photo: Sabrina Flauger)
