Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 - 28 July 1750)

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and

violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together

the strands of the Baroque era and brought it to its ultimate maturity Although he did not introduce

new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an

unrivaled control of harmonic and motivic organization, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms and

texture from aboard, particularly from Italy and France his reputation how organist and clavencist

was legendary

Revered for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, Bach’s works

include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations the partitas, The Well-Tempered

Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, the St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion, the Magnificat, The

Musical Offering, The Art of Fugue, the English and French Suite, the Sonatas and Partitas for solo

violin, the Cello Suites, more than 200 surviving cantatas, and a similar number of organ works,

including the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor

Bach’s abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime,

although he was not widely recognized as a great composer until a revival of interest and

performances of his music in the first half of 19th Century He is now generally regarded one of the

main composers of the Baroque style, and as one of the greatest composer of all time

Johann Sebastian Bach was born on 21st March 1685 the same year as George Friederic

Handel and Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti His Johann Sebastian Bach father is Johann Ambrosius,

Court trumpeter for duke of Eisenach and director of musicians of the town of the Eisenach in

Thuringia Fort many years members of the Bach family thought out Thuringia had held positions

such as organists, town instrumentalists, or Cantors and the family name enjoyed a wide reputation

for musical talent

 His mother died in 1694, when Johann Sebastian Bach was 9 years old, and his father died 8

months after, Johann Sebastian Bach, orphan whit 10 years old, went to live and study with his

Brother, Johann Christoph Bach Johann Sebastian Bach He learned musical theory, composition

and interpretation of the organ of his brother, also in this time he studied theology, Latin, Greece,

French and Italian in the fine library of music in the “gymnasium” of the locality at the 14 years old,

his friend of the school George Erdman, were awarded enrollment for perform musical studies in

the prestigious School of Saint Miguel in Luneburg when he was 18 years old in 1702 he left

Luneburg

In January, 1703, Bach worked in Weimar, in this time he composed preludes for organ and

composed the legendary piece as “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” In July, 1703, the Arnstadt Town

Council invited Johann Sebastian Bach to try out the newly finished organ in the ‘New Church’, so

called as it had been almost totally rebuilt having been Seriously damaged by fire He so impressed

the people of Arnstadt with his brilliant playing at the dedication that he was immediately offered

the post of organist on very favourable terms after that, in 1706, Johann Sebastian Bach worked in

the church of Saint Blasius how organist this work was goo recompensed, the next year he took a

best work how teacher and musical director At the 17, October, 1707, Johann Sebastian Bach was

married with first wife, Maria Barbara Bach, one cousin in second grade, with she he had 7 sons,

but only 4 sons has survived in to adulthood

Next to, In 1708, Johann Sebastian Bach returned to Weimar with a best work, in this time

he studies the compositions of Italian composers as Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corelli and

Giuseppe Torelli and he composed scores for organ and orchestra In 1717, Johann Sebastian Bach

against moved for work from Weimar to Kothen, In Kothen this time he composed his best

compositions how: The Cello Suite for Cello solo, the Sonatas and Partitas for Violin solo and the

Brandenburg Concertos But despite being born in the same year, Bach and Handel never met. In
1719, Bach made journey from Köthen to Halle with the intention of meeting Handel, however,

Handel had left the town in 7, July, 1720, his first wife died, some say that Johann Sebastian Bach

composed the Partita No.2 for Violin solo in special the final section “the Chaconne” in her name

The following year, the widower met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young, highly gifted soprano 17

years his junior, who performed at the court in Köthen; they married on 3 December 1721

Together they had 13 more children, 6 of sons survived into adulthood

after that he was named musical director of the Church of Saint Tomas, this was his final

place worked. In Leipzing. In 1730, Bach's oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, travelled to Halle to

invite Handel to visit the Bach family in Leipzig, but the visit did not take place but in this place

Johann Sebastian Bach he composed his last compositions in special sacred music, and one the

Mass in B Minor, the St Matthew Passion and the St John Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach had famous sons also composer as Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, Johan

Christian Bach and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach The Johann Sebastian Bach composed in his life

1128 compositions, his music catalog is divided into Vocal music and instrumental music The music

of Johann Sebastian Bach wa polyphonic, he was the more important exponent of counterpoint and

fugue his legacy in the music remains to this days

Johann Sebastian Bach died in 28, July, 1750 to 65 years old, his son Carl Philip Emanuel

Bach and his student Johann Friedrich Agricola wrote his obituary, the Johann Sebastian Bach’s

possessions included 5 harpsichords, 3 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a

spinet His tomb was 150 years without identify In 1894 his coffin was located and transferred at

the Church of Saint John in Leipzig but in the second wars this church was destroyed, for this

situation his coffin was transferred at the Church of Saint Tomas in Leipzig.
St. Matthew Passion

The St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, is a musical composition composed by Johann

Sebastian Bach The original Latin title Passio Domini Nostri J.C. Secundum Evangelistam

Matthaeum translates to: The Suffering of our Lord J.C. after the Evangelist Matthew. It is rendered

in English also as St. Matthew Passion and in German also as Matthäuspassion. in 1727 for solo

voices, double choirs and double orchestras The St. Matthew Passion was known as “The Great

Passion” in the Bach home The St. Matthew Passion call for four Vocal soloist to sing the arias and

recitatives, it also has eleven different characters in the score Most of the time one of the soloist

may sing for multiple characters, regardless the piece remains respectfully grand The Evangelist

role is sung by a tenor and embodies St. Matthew narrating the Passion story A list of “Voices and

Character” are

Evangelist Tenor
Jesus Bass
Peter (Petrus) Bass
Judas Bass
Pilate (Pilatus) Bass
Pontifex I Bass
Pontifex II Bass
Witnesses (Die Zeugen) Tenor, Alto
First Servant Girl (Erste Magd) Soprano
Second Servant Girl (Zweite Magd) Soprano
Pilate’s Wife (Pilati Weib) Soprano

Soprano Solo
Alto Solo
Tenor Solo
Bass Solo

Chorus (Choir) I
Chorus (Choir) II

Bach’s exceptional implication of harmony throughout the piece depicts the painful sacrifice

of Christ with minor and dissonant chords. Then the music naturally flows into major keys showing

that through sacrifice comes atonement All characters including the Evangelist, Peter, Pilate, and
Judas are accompanied by organ and continuo playing simple short chords while the libretto is sung

in a traditional recitative manner

Bach wanted Jesus to clearly standout from the other characters He decided to use a string

orchestra to accompany Jesus This has come to be Known as the “halo of strings” which surrounds

Jesus and “floats round the utterances of Christ like a glory”

Like the other Baroque oratorio passions, Bach’s setting presents the Biblical text of

Matthew 26 - 27 in a relatively simple way, primarily using recitative while aria and arioso

movements set newly written poetic texts which comment on the various events in the Biblical

narrative and present the characters’ states of mind in a lyrical, monologue-like manner.

The St. Matthew Passion was probably first performed on 11 April 1727 in the St. Thomas

Church, and again on 30 March 1736. The work was not heard outside of Leipzig until 1829, when

Felix Mendelssohn performed an abbreviated and modified version in Berlin to great acclaim

Mendelssohn’s revival brought the music of Bach Particularly the large-scale works, to public and

scholarly attention appreciation, performance and study of Bach’s composition have persisted into

the present era Notably, in the Netherlands a tradition has grown where many professional and

amateur orchestras perform the St. Matthew Passion every year on Palm Sunday

The St. John Passion

The St. John Passion, BWV 245, is a sacred oratorio of Johann Sebastian Bach The original

latin title Passio Secundum Johannem tranlates to The Suffering According to John and is rendered

in English also as St. John Passion and in German as Johannespassion Although Bach wrote four or

five settings of the Passion only two have survived; the other is the St. Matthew Passion.During the

first winter that Bach was responsible for Church he composed the St. John Passion for the Good

Friday Vespers service of 1724 The St. John Passion is written for an intimate ensemble of soloists,
four-part choir, strings and basso continuo and two of each flauto traverso, oboe, oboe da caccia For

special colours Bach also used lute, viola d’amore and viola da gamba, instruments that were

already old-fashioned at the time In present day performances the part of Jesus is given to one bass

soloist, Pilate and the bass arias to another Some tenors sing the Evangelist a very demanding part

and the arias The smaller parts are sometimes performed by choir members

Originally Bach intended that the St. John Passion would be first performed in the St.

Thomas Church in Leipzig but due. to a last minute change by the music council, it was first

performed in 1724 in the St. Nicholas Church Bach quickly agreed to their desire to move the

service to St. Nicholas Church, but pointed out that the booklet was already printed, that there was

no room available and that the harpsichord needed some repair, all of which, however could be

attended to at little cost but he requested that a little additional room be provide in the choir loft of

St. Nicholas Church, where he planned to place the musicians needed to perform the music He also

asked that the harpsichord be repaired The council agreed an sent a flyer announcing the new

location to all the people around Leipzig The council made the arrangements requested by Bach

regarding the harpsichord and space needed for the choir

A Comparison of Bach’s St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion

When analysis of 2 pieces and compare the St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion A

thorough investigation of Bach's St. John Passion must in Matthew Passion Generally considered

the greatest of all passions, the St. Matthew Passion was the culmination of Bach’s idea of the

passion, drawing on ideas expressed in the earlier St. John Passion and also developing new musical

qualities

The most noticeable difference between the two passions is the choir and orchestral size The

St. John Passion required the typical size passion orchestra as two flutes, two oboes, bassoon strings

and continuo, as well as the more traditional viola de gamba, lute and two viola d’amore It also
included a four-part choir with sic concertises, or soloists However, the forces required for the St.

Matthew Passion were huge it required a double orchestra and double choir Along with these forces,

it also used a viola da gamba, two recorders, three different kinds of oboes, and an extra soprano

chorus to sing the ripiano, or full chorale in the first movement

The St. Matthew Passion uses a single libretto, or text, while the St. John Passion uses

words from a variety of sources The latter contains famous passion poem by B.H. Brockes, a

libretto by C.H. Postel, and parts of the Gospel of St, Matthew Passion in the part of the Evangelist

In contrast, Bach set the music of the St. Matthew Passion to a single libretto, written by Christian

Friendrich Henrici (Picander) Critics argue that the single text of the St. Matthew Passion accounts,

in part, for its structural and musical unity

Both of Bach's passions included numerous recitatives The were primarily used for the parts

of the Evangelist and Jesus, as well as Peter and Pilate In these sections both passions used a simple

organ continuo accompaniment, repetitive pitches, and a predominant vocal line However the St.

Matthew Passion use the string section, notably two violins and a viola, when Jesus spoke. The

accompaniment, described in New Groves as a “halo” was only modest, but it highlighted the lines

of Jesus as the most important Furthermore, the recitatives in the St. Matthew Passion seemed more

developed They were generally longer and included more dialogue between the main characters

The recitatives in the St. John Passion some lasting no more than a measure were continually

interrupted by choral sections Though this was at times beautiful, it hurt the flow of the passion

Therefore, the recitatives in both passion were similar in function but varied in structure,

accompaniment, and length

The arias in the both passions differed in many ways The arias in the St. Matthew were more

brilliant and expressive They incorporated dazzling lines, especially brilliant runs imitated in the

imitated in the instruments At the same time, the rhythm in the later passion was less metrical Some
arias in the St. John Passion, especially those in the beginning, appeared almost modal, using

consistent patterns of long and short notes in the accompaniment, especially the continuo line

Furthermore, the instrumental line played a larger role in the arias of the Sy Matthew Passion

Though I listened to the same group for both pieces, the aria accompaniment for the St. Matthew

Passion was much louder This made the climaxes dramatic and the vocal line, atop a flurry of

instrumentation, more impressive Therefore, the arias in the St. Matthew were more expressive and

less metrical than those in the St. John Passion

Bach used the most popular Lutheran tradition of the time, the chorale, in both passions. The

St. John Passion includes eleven chorales while the St. Matthew Passion uses fifteen In both

passions, the chorales are written for four voice parts, have religious texts, and use an organ

continuo accompaniment Furthermore, the instrumentalists double the vocal lines like this

• Soprano: 1 or 2 flutes, violin, and oboe

• Alto: violin, oboe, and sometimes flute
• Tenor: viola
• Bass: continuo

Therefore, the chorales are similar in both passions

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and his earlier St. John Passion share some common musical

elements They both include recitatives, arias, and chorales While the chorales are very similar, the

St. Matthew Passion develops the chorales and arias more Furthermore, the larger size of the

orchestra in the St. Matthew Passion provides a larger range of emotion and the single libretto

contributes to a unified structure Therefore, the St. Matthew Passion is an extension and

development of the St. John Passion

Why the St. John Passion should be covered in an early music course The St. John Passion

is the one of two survive of Bach’s Passion When we talk about Bach’s Passion I think we should

talk all of them because the evolve of the piece to piece is so much far of evolve The literature and

history of the both Passion is so interested why only two Passions had Survived The Both of them
St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion are legendary piece

Bibliography

Melamed, D.R., Marissen, M. (1998) An Introduction to Bach Studies.Oxford University Press

Wolff, C., (2013) Johann Sebastian Bach The Learned Musician. Oxford University Press

Donald, J.G., Palisca, C.V. (2019) A History of Western Music W.W. Norton & Company

Matthews, M.W., (2014) The World Encyclopedia of Musical Instrument. Hermes House

Shuttleworth, J., (2018) Bach's St Matthew and St John: a tale of two Passions https://
bachtrack.com/feature-bach-st-matthew-passion-st-john-passion-baroque-month-february-2018

Bach, J.S., St. John Passion https://imslp.org/wiki/

Johannespassion%2C_BWV_245_(Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian)

Bach, J.S., St. Matthew Passion https://imslp.org/wiki/

Matthäuspassion%2C_BWV_244_(Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian)

Marie, J. S. St., (2012) Theology as the basic for golden section analysis: A model of construction
for Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion University of Southern California

Rather, M., (2012) Johann Sebastian Bach's Passions: Recent Publications and Trends in Current
Scholarship Riemenschneider Bach Institute

Taylor, A.R., (2017) J.S. Bach's Passions in Nineteenth-Century America Florida State University

Kim, K.S., (2018) From picture to sound: A conductor’s study guide to the St. John Passion of
Johann Sebastian Bach University of Maryland

Hubbard, T., (2015) The theological roots and historical context of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion,
BWV 244 Florida Atlantic University

Hoffman, W., (2009) Spiritual Sources of Bach's St. Matthew Passion https://www.bach-
cantatas.com/Articles/SMP-Spiritual-Hoffman.htm