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St. Matthew Passion (Bach)Bach's St. Matthew Passion, or The Passion According to St Matthew, is a musical composition for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It is considered by some to be Bach's greatest work, and occasionally even spoken of as the greatest work of Western music. Background of the Passion The tradition of reading the Passion during Holy Week dates back to at least the 4th century. Throughout the Middle Ages, Matthews version of the Passion was typically read on Palm Sunday, and Johns version on Good Friday. In large Gothic cathedrals reading a lesson usually meant singing it on one of a number of reciting tones, in order to project the voice in such a large space. In later centuries composers began to write custom reciting formulas for the Passion, varying it for different characters and writing melodies for particular passages. In the fifteenth century polyphony (harmony) appeared in places, initially only for the turba parts (Judas, Peter, the disciples, etc.) and sometimes also the words of Jesus (a responsorial or dramatic passion), or even throughout (a motet passion). By the eve of the Reformation, Passion settings routinely involved multiple singers and polyphonic passages, by familiar composers such as Victoria and Lassus. Summa Passionis settings consisting of a synopsis of all four Gospel versions also circulated, although they were discouraged for church use. Martin Luther wrote, The Passion of Christ should not be acted out in words and pretense, but in real life. Despite this, sung Passion performances were common in Lutheran churches right from the start, in both Latin and German, beginning as early as Laetare Sunday (three weeks before Easter) and continuing through Holy Week. Luthers friend and collaborator Johann Walther wrote responsorial Passions which were used as models by Lutheran composers for centuries, and summa Passionis versions continued to circulate, despite Luthers express disapproval. Later 16th-century passions included choral exordium (introduction) and conclusio sections with additional texts. In the 17th century came the development of oratorio passions which led to J.S. Bachs passions, accompanied by instruments, with interpolated texts (then called madrigal movements) such as sinfonias, other Scripture passages, Latin motets, chorale arias, and more. Thomas Strutz wrote a passion (1664) with arias for Jesus himself, pointing to the standard oratorio tradition of Schütz, Carissimi, and (later) Handel, although these composers seem to have thought that putting words in Jesus mouth was beyond the pale. The practice of using recitative for the Evangelist (rather than plainsong) was a development of court composers in northern Germany and only crept into church compositions at the end of the 17th century. Bach's St. Matthew Passion was probably written in 1727. Only two of the four (or five) settings of the Passion which Bach wrote have survived; the other is the St. John Passion. The St. Matthew Passion was first performed on either Good Friday 1727 and/or Good Friday 1729 in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, where Bach was the cantor. He revised it by 1736, performing it again on March 30, 1736, this time including two organs in the instrumentation. The St. Matthew Passion was not heard outside of Leipzig until 1829, when Felix Mendelssohn performed an abbreviated version of it in Berlin, to great acclaim. Structure of the work Bach's Passions represent a confluence of styles, like much of Bachs music. Bach has extended the oratorio-style passion into a large-scale work in which the pacing, the key progressions, and all the inserted arias and chorales form a single musical scheme, yet remain subservient to the Gospel narrative and its brilliant recitatives. The noteworthy halo effect of accompanying Christs recitatives with strings is his own invention, yet can be thought of as a new incarnation of the responsorial style, in which Christs words were sung polyphonically. Two other distinctive aspects of the St. Matthew Passion spring from Bachs other church endeavors. One is the double-choir format, stemming from his own double-choir motets and the many such motets from other composers with which he routinely started Sunday services. The other is the extensive use of chorales, which appear in standard four-part settings, as interpolations in arias, and as a cantus firmus in large polyphonic movements, notably O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, the conclusion of the first half -- a movement this work has in common with the St. John Passion -- and the opening movement, in which the sopranos in ripieno crown a colossal buildup of polyphonic and harmonic tension. Theological considerations The interpolated texts point to a theology which makes the sacrifice on the cross very personal. Almost every text brings home the significance to modern Christians of Jesus suffering, from the chorale Bin ichs (It is I who should suffer and be bound for hell) to the altos desire to anoint Jesus with her tears (Buß und Reu), to the basss offer to bury Jesus himself (Mache dich, mein Herze, rein). Jesus is often referred to as my Jesus. The chorus, which expresses great anger at Judas, calling for hell to swallow him up, are themselves rebuked by Jesus: those who take up the sword die by the sword. It is no accident that the chorus alternates between participating in the narrative (in the turba parts) and commenting on it as modern believers; there is an identification between the two. All of this contrasts strongly with the flap over Mel Gibsons movie The Passion of the Christ, in which the line His blood be on us and on our children had to be excised from the subtitles due to its association with anti-Semitic violence. Gibsons film can be thought of as a summa Passionis setting in which he chose the texts to include, whereas Bach had only the Matthew gospel. But the blame, if there need be any, for Jesus death is here spread widely: as Jesus prays in Gethsemane the choir sings, Alas, my sins have struck you...I am the one who deserves / What you are enduring. A later chorale says I dont deny my guilt, but your grace and mercy are greater than my sins. Equally significant is that there is no mention of the coming Resurrection in any of these texts. Modern Protestant churches treat the crucifixion primarily as a prelude to Easter, only important inasmuch as one cant be resurrected without dying first. For Bach, following in the footsteps of Anselm of Canterbury, the crucifixion itself is the endpoint, the source of redemption. The emphasis is on the suffering of Jesus in the place of the sinners, and it is the resurrection which is secondary, only important to show Gods power and to give an example of what redemption from sin might consist of. The chorus sings, tear me from my fears / Through your own fear and pain. The bass, calling it the sweet cross, says Yes, of course this flesh and blood in us / want to be forced to the cross; / the better it is for our soul, / the more bitter it feels. The mourning referred to in the opening movement is not mourning for the dead Jesus, but rather for our own sinfulness, culminating in the O Lamm Gottes chorale sung by the children, referring to the ritual sacrifice of Jesus like an Old Testament lamb, as an offering for sin. This theme is reinforced by the concluding chorale of the first half, O Mensch, bewein dein Snde gro (O mortal, bewail your great sin). Compositional style Bachs music is as deep as the text. His recitatives are never mechanical, but set the mood for the particular passage, often highlighting emotionally charged words such as crucify,, kill, or mourn with twisting chromatic melodies. The description of Peters weeping after having denied Jesus is especially poignant. Jesus prophecies of doom are accompanied by diminished seventh chords and sudden modulations; compare that to the relatively cheerful music of the Eucharistic proclamation (drink, all of you, this is my blood...). The cock crowing and the pouring of perfume on Jesus head are set to pictorial lines. While these details are more of an effort to hear for modern audiences than they were for people in Bachs time who heard recitative all the time, the effort is well worth it. Think of it as exceptionally dramatic reading, rather than music, and these details will be easier to hear. In the turba parts, the two choruses sometimes alternate, giving the impression of being buffeted from all sides (e.g. Weissage uns, Christe) and sometimes sing together (Herr, wir haben gedacht); other times only one chorus sings (chorus I always takes the parts of the disciples) or alternating, for example when some bystanders say Hes calling for Elijah and others say Wait to see if Elijah comes to help him. In the arias, the instruments (either solo or in groups) are equal partners with the voices, and some of Bachs most beautiful writing ever is in these movements. In addition to his excellent melodies and counterpoint, but could always find a way to match the details of his compositions with the texts. For example, in Buß und Reu, the flutes start playing a raindrop-like staccato as the alto sings about the drops of her tears. The strings play a violent motive to symbolize scourging in Erbarm es, Gott. In Blute nur, the line about the serpent is set with a twisty melody. The crowd shouts Crucify him twice with a jagged, dissonant theme; but in between, the quiet, reflective Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben symbolizes the inner calm of faith in a world of violence, with frequent stops and a heavenly feel, lacking even continuo support. Unlike the spirit of hopelessness exhibited by the disciples immediately after Jesus death, and that of the recent Gibson movie, this work moves from mourning at the outset to a spirit of hope and faith. The final movement says this grave and tombstone shall be a soft pillow for every anguished soul, and the bass soloist tells us that the evening of Jesus life is the beginning of a time of peace, comparing it to the dove bringing the olive branch back to Noahs ark. And this is the message of the Passion: not one of sorrow or anger, but of hope.
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