St. John Passion: About the Program

By Dr. C. Matthew Balensuela

The obituary of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) states that he composed five settings of the Passion story, however, only two survive with music: the Passions of St. John (1724, BWV 245) and St Matthew (1727, BWV 244). A text survives for a setting of St. Mark, but without music. One of the other two “missing” Passions, is most likely a setting of St. Luke in Bach’s own hand, which is actually the work of another composer, and the “fifth” could be one of the revisions Bach made to the setting of the St. John.

Bach’s Passion of St. John, his first setting of a Passion text, was performed in Leipzig on Good Friday, April 7, 1724. The work is scored for two transverse flutes, two oboes (who also play oboe d’amore and oboe da caccia), strings (including two viola d’amore), continuo (including harpsichord, lute, and organ), vocal soloists, and choir. The work can be divided into five scenes (the numbers below correspond to the musical numbers given in the translation).

Part I

1. Arrest (1–5), Kidron Valley 

2. Denial (6–14), palace of the high priest Caiphas 

Part II

3. Court hearing (15–26), hall of judgment of Pontius Pilate

4. Crucifixion and death (27–37), Golgotha

5. Burial (38–40), burial site 

Bach’s music would have been only part of the Lutheran service for Good Friday, which would have included other liturgical elements (such as prayers) as well as a lengthy sermon.

It may be easiest to imagine the work as a central story with two simultaneous commentaries braided together. The biblical narrative (John chapters 18 and 19) is delivered by the tenor, who represents the Evangelist, in dramatic recitative. As opposed to the dry (or secco) recitative of contemporary opera composers (such as Handel) which is based on a central pitch with static harmony, Bach’s recitatives in the Passions are propelled by wide ranging declamation with subtle chromatic shifts to give support to the evolving story. Other musical forces are added to the recitatives as needed (soloists for specific characters and the chorus for the crowds). The first commentary includes the solo arias and newly composed choral movements that comment on the action. These are virtuoso works reflecting the emotional complexity of the evolving narrative. The second commentary includes the simple chorales which would be known by the congregation; these bring home the message to the faithful in a direct way. All of this is supported by an orchestra shaded towards the darker timbres. For example, the oboists also play the oboe d’amore with a lower range and mellower tone as well and oboe da caccia which is lower still. 

There is some debate if Bach collected and edited the texts for the St. John Passion himself or if he had someone (a poet or theologian) to help organize the non-biblical texts. One of the most popular approaches to musical settings of the Passion story in the early 18th century was a complete rewriting of the narrative into new poetry by Barthold Heinrich Brockes (1860-1747); this text was set by many of Bach’s contemporaries including Handel and Telemann. The churches of Leipzig, however, expected that a musical setting of the Passion would include the text of the gospels. Bach worked within this constraint, but did draw on Brockes for many of the aria texts, as well as other sources. 

The text of John’s gospel uses the vague term “the Jews” frequently and with a sense of animosity. For example, “the Jews” call for Christ’s crucifixion and Joseph of Arimathia asks to bury Jesus secretly “from fear of the Jews.” When coupled with the writings of Martin Luther (who belittled everyone other than his own followers, including not only Jews, but Catholics and Muslims), Bach’s piece has been seen by some as anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish. Michael Marissen, one of the leading musical scholars on this issue, notes that it was not the purpose of Bach’s setting of the St. John Passion to promote anti-Semitic sentiments, although such sentiments can be seen in the work. In an historically sensitive re-creation of this piece, it is important to note that anti-Semitism was and is a real and harmful attitude—it was part of German culture of the time, just as (regrettably) it is across the world today. It remains the work of all of us to be sensitive to the biases and racism we carry with us, to acknowledge such biases when we see them, and to take action to overcome them. 

Over the following years, Bach revised his setting of the St. John Passion several times, which may account for the misnumbering of his Passions in his obituary. Today’s performance is referred to as Version I (the most frequently performed) from 1724. Version II was done for the following year (1725) and among the changes were the substitution of the opening and final chorus movements with elaborate chorale settings. These changes align the St. John setting with the musical structures Bach was using in his annual cantata cycles and that the congregation was becoming familiar with. Version III was edited around 1730 (after he had set the St. Matthew Passion) and among the changes was the removal of passages from other gospels that Bach included in the St. John Passion for dramatic effect—the weeping of Peter at his denial (Matthew) and the rending of the temple curtain (Mark). Version IV was from Bach’s last years and (as happens with many creative projects) undoes many of the changes made in Versions II and III and adds orchestral forces (such as a contrabassoon) for an even darker tone.

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Dr. C Matthew Balensuela is the James B. Stewart Professor of Music History at DePauw University. His research interests include the history of music theory, music history pedagogy, and American popular music of the early 20th century. His publications include Music Theory from Boethius to Zarlino: A Bibliography and Guide, co-authored with David Russell Williams, and articles in Grove Music Online, Acta musicologica, Fontis artis musicae, Popular Music and Society, The Journal of Jazz Studies, and The Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor. Balensuela was the general editor of The Norton Guide to Teaching Music History and the founding editor of The Journal of Music History Pedagogy.