Johannes Passion
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The Johannes Passion (English: St. John Passion), BWV 245, is a musical composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. Originally meant to be performed for the first time in the St. Thomas church in Leipzig, the St. John Passion was first performed in 1724 in the St. Nicholas' church. It is shorter than the St. Matthew Passion and researchers have discovered that Bach revised the work several times before producing a final version in the 1740s. Alternate numbers that Bach introduced in 1725 but later removed can be found in the appendix to scores of the work such as that of the Neue Bach Ausgabe (and heard in the recording by Emmanuel Music directed by Craig Smith, cited below).
The text for the body of the work is taken from the Gospel of John chapters 18 and 19. Bach used Martin Luther's translation of the Bible with only slight modifications. The text for the opening prayer Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm as well as the arias, chorales and the penultimate chorus Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine each come from various other sources. It is interesting to note also that two recitative passages, dealing with Peter crying after his betrayal and the temple veil ripped during the crucification are not contained within the Gospel of John, but of Matthew.
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[edit] Versions
Unlike the St. Matthew Passion, to which Bach made very few and insignificant changes, the St. John Passion was subject to several major revisions. The original version from 1724 is the one most familiar to us today. In 1725, Bach replaced the opening and closing choruses and added three arias (BWV 245a-c) while cutting one (Ach mein sinn) from the original version. The opening chorus was replaced by O Mensch bewein dein Sünde groß which was later transposed and reused at the end of part one of the St. Matthew Passion. The closing chorale was replaced by a setting of Christe, Du Lamm Gottes, taken from the cantata BWV 23. The three new arias are not known to have been reused. In the 1730s, Bach revised the St. John Passion again, restoring the original opening chorus and final chorale, and removing the three new arias. He also excised the two interpolations from the Gospel of Matthew which appear in the work, probably due to objections by the ecclesiastical authorities. The first of these he simply removed; he composed a new instrumental sinfonia in lieu of the second. He also inserted an aria to replace the still-missing Ach, Mein sinn. Neither the aria nor the sinfonia have been preserved into present days.
In 1749, he reverted more or less to the original of 1724, making only slight changes to the orchestration, most notably replacing the by-then almost obsolete violas d'amore with muted violins.
[edit] Popular sections
- opening chorus: Herr, unser Herrscher ... (Lord, our master, whose glory fills the whole earth, show us by your Passion that you, the true eternal Son of God, triumph even in the deepest humiliation. Listen: [1]). There is an orchestral intonation of 36 bars before the imploding entrance of the chorus. Each of these bars is a single stress of lower tones, weakening till the end of the bar. These bass beats are accompanied by the remaining instruments of higher tunes, by legato singing the prospective theme. The last 6 bars of the orchestral intro is a robust crescendo, arriving to shouting forte initial 3 bars of the chorus, where the chorus joins to the long sequence of deep stresses by Herr, Herr, Herr. Soon, after the first portion of the theme, comes the triple Herr, Herr, Herr again, but this time, at the ends of the bars, as a contra answer for the corresponding orchestral deep stesses at the beginning of the bars. Just before the composer's ideas could dry out, simply the full beginning is repeated. But this time our illusion is, asif we heard 36 Herrs.
- the death of Jesus: Es ist vollbracht! ... (It is accomplished; what comfort for suffering human souls! I can see the end of the noght of sorrow. The hero from Judah ends his victorious fight. It is accomplished! Listen: [2]). The central part is essentially a cello solo and an alto aria. The theme is introduced by a single cello gently accompanied in a usual basso continuo setting. Then comes the solo vocal interpretation. There is a habit — at least in Hungary —, that if the performance is in a church with living congregational live, then the performance is suspended just after this section, in order to pray the pater noster together.
- closing chorale: Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein ... (O Lord, send your cherubs in my last hour to bear my soul away to Abraham's bosom; ... Listen: [3]). This chorale — with alternative lyrics — is still in regular use in the congregations, see the score [4] of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary. The beginning of the theme is a descending sequence, but in overall the theme is pathetic as well. Singing this chorale standalone does not sound a closing chorale, except if it is sung at the end of a real ceremony.
[edit] Criticism
The text Bach set to music has been criticized as anti-Semitic. This accusation is closely connected to a wider controversy regarding the tone of the Christian New Testament's Gospel of John with regards to Judaism. Michael Marissen's Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach's "St. John's Passion" examines the controversy in balanced detail. He concludes that Bach's St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion contain fewer statements derogatory toward Jews than many other contemporary musical settings of the Passion. Defenders of the Bach also point out that his works must be considered in their historical context.
[edit] Further reading
- Michael Marissen, Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach's "St. John's Passion." NY: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-511471-X
- Alfred Dürr, Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion: Genesis, Transmission, and Meaning, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0198162405.
