Who wrote the text of the St Matthew Passion?

Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his St. Matthew Passion for a single purpose — to present the Passion story in music at Good Friday vesper services. Bach’s Passion continues to move audiences nearly three centuries after it was first heard in St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig, Germany.

Why is Matthew’s Passion important?

Bach came to write his St. Matthew Passion in the 1720s, the Passion, as a musical form, had grown to allow orchestra, choirs, and non-scriptural choruses and arias. But even by the standard of the Baroque Passion, the Passion According to St. Matthew is exceptional for its musical richness and its grand scope.

What is the story of St Matthew’s Passion?

The St. Matthew Passion (German: Matthäuspassion) is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. The words tell the story of Jesus’s death on the cross as told in chapters 26 and 27 of the Book of St Matthew in the Bible. The work is for a choir, solo voices and orchestra.

How long is the St Matthew Passion?

three hours
Matthew Passion is divided into two parts, and its performance takes somewhat less than three hours.

What is the form of St. Matthew Passion?

sacred oratorio
The St Matthew Passion (German: Matthäus-Passion), BWV 244, is a Passion, a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander.

Is St Matthew’s Passion a vocal composition?

Bach’s large choral composition was written to present the Passion, as told in the Gospel of Matthew, in a vespers service on Good Friday….St Matthew Passion structure.

St Matthew Passion
Movements 68 in two parts (29 + 39)
Vocal Two choirs SATB Evangelist Vox Christi Solo: soprano, alto, tenor, bass, soliloquents

What is passion music about?

Passion music, musical setting of the suffering and Crucifixion of Christ, based either on biblical texts or poetic elaborations. Dating from the 4th century onward, they range from unaccompanied plainsong to compositions for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.

Why is it called St Matthews Passion?

Matthew Passion, BWV 244, byname of The Passion According to St. Matthew, German byname Matthäus-Passion or Matthäuspassion, Passion music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Its earliest verified performance was April 11, 1727—Good Friday—at Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

What is the St John Passion?

The Passio secundum Joannem or St John Passion (German: Johannes-Passion), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the older of the surviving Passions by Bach.

Is there a musical commentary on the St Matthew Passion?

On the occasion of the centenary of the first performance of the St Matthew Passion in Aberdeen in 1912, Peter Parfitt, Musical Director of Aberdeen Bach Choir, has prepared a musical commentary on the work with the text (in German) and translation into English. Red Text: The Gospel according to St Matthew, chapters 26 and 27.

Is there liturgical drama in Bach’s St Matthew Passion?

“Liturgical drama in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion ” by Uri Golomb. Goldberg Early Music Magazine 39 (April 2006), pp. 48–59.

How is Haupt voll Blut und Wunden sung in the Passion?

The text is sung in homophony by a four-part chorus with colla parte accompaniment by the orchestra. ” O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden “, on a text by Paul Gerhardt, is the one that returns most often throughout the Passion, in different harmonizations.