J.S. Bach - (8-bit) Mass in B Minor, Kyrie 1

The opening chorus from Bach's monumental Mass in B Minor, transcribed for 8-bit instrumentation. The idea came from enjoying 8-bit versions of other classical music, especially the Matthew and John Passions by Bach, which really sparked the idea for this because I couldn't' find one for the opening chorus of the Mass. This is probably my favorite piece of music full stop, so I really spent a lot of time on it. It was such a privilege to input each individual note from the score onto a synthesizer timeline and balance all the different channels. I tweaked the volume and some dynamic parameters of some notes and included up to 10 polyphonic instrument channels that I chose, so it's not a pure 8-bit recreation of the limitations of the NES era soundchip, but it's close since the instrument sounds individually are 8-bit. I hope you enjoy this different take on this piece!

Some info on the composition.
The Mass in B Minor was completed only a year before Bach's death in 1749. The entire work lasts around 2 hours and consists of choral movements with broad orchestral accompaniment, and the occasional soloist movement. The opening chorus is the Kyrie Eleison 1 of the mass, which is a common element of both Catholic and Lutheran (of which Bach was) mass.. Kyrie Eleison is the prayer, "Lord, have mercy" and is taken from multiple Psalms, Matthew 15:22, and several other sources in the New Testament.
The intro of the movement is a short yet passionate proclamation to God, and then dramatically pauses. After the pause, the main theme gets introduced in a single voice and develops into a long and complex fugue involving many voices as they lament into the depths of despair and reach the heights of heaven in their collective prayer.

All images public domain from pixabay.com

Видео J.S. Bach - (8-bit) Mass in B Minor, Kyrie 1 канала Melchiorblade7