German pianist, music educator, and composer Walter Braunfels (1882-1954) wrote his Grosse Messe, Op. 37 between the years of 1923 and 1926. At the time of its completion, Braunfels was at the peak of his career. The piece is not liturgical, yet the mass speaks from a place of deep and sincere spirituality. “He is a high-romantic, solidly anchored in the German composition- culture, and yet he has a very unique language- sensationally well-orchestrated, as it happens-about him, which makes it so fascinating” (Weigle).