St John Passion by Bach - Essay Example

?St John Passion Introduction If the ritornello motif in the violins are done right, strong and pacing an almost marching rhythm, with a triple-like quivering feel over a deliberate and stately four-count bar, all the while reflecting a sensitive controlling crescendo in the dynamics, then the opening chorus of the St. John Passion, Herr, “unser Herrsche”, becomes at the same time, a magnificently and wonderfully grand and melancholy choral work. It becomes a clear affirmation of unser Herrscher, the true Son of God, while standing as an opening to his coming betrayal. And just as important it stands a clear testimony of the skill and wonder of Johann Sebastian Bach as the foundational composer of Western music. This portrayal of “Herr, unser Herrsche” is so rendered by the Cologne Cathedral Boys’ Choir.1 Conductor Eberhard Metternich has shaped the quivering triple-like motif that is later carried through the lower instrument voices as a continuum expressed and released on a recurring sixteenth motif. The accents on the third, and the first in the phrases of four sixteenths maintain the triple feel activeness or energy of the quiver. Durr describes the motif as an enhancement over "a persistent pedal point" that is latter carried into the voices 2. The contrast of the strong pedal and the persistent repeating motif to dictate rises and falls in emotional feeling is perhaps indicative of the tools and techniques Bach has, at that time in his life, finally polished to display skillful and precise artistic control. Bach wrote his music through the Lutheran Christian frame of reference. He guided it through the Baroque frame of the Enlightenment to its decorative height, by way of the Saint John Passion and the Magnificant, to his magnus opus, as noted and appreciated by so many, the St. Matthew Passion. \ Discussion The St. John Passion was first performed in 1724 as Bach entered the first prolific period of his Leipzig phrase. As the New Canto zu St. Thomae, some believed he had written the work earlier in preparation for the Good Friday performance, the high point of the year for music in the Lutheran church.3 The work covers the Passion play biblical narrative in John 18:1 to 19:42 and enabled Bach to realize an uninterrupted and thematic score for the chorales and the arias. The work leads up to the Pontius Pilate tribunal scene in Part II where it ends with the Golgatha and burial scene. Repeated text passages were used, along with repeated crowd scene responses to unify the work. Wolff identifies "intensity and depth of expression" in the key sequence as it progressed later in part two. His sketch identifies Bach's precision toward foundation harmony. Chapter 19-22 is scored with three flats; through 24, four sharps; through 28, two flats; through 35, four flats; with the vocals and instruments expressing contrasting colors.4 Over the course of time, Bach took the Passion through several changes and never seemed quite satisfied with the final form. A year before his death, he had reworked almost half of the two part, 40 piece work. By that time he had reverted, after two major edition changes, back to the tighter original version. The problem he had was not a musical one but a libretto one. Wolff writes of it lacking textual unity.5 Bach uses familiar church hymns to develop some of the recitatives, arias, and choruses making up his work and draws from the work of other composers and poets for themes and ways of rendering the libretto. The music was written for a four-part chorus with solo tenor and bass, and a solo quartet of soprano, alto, tenor and base. Bass voices belong to Jesus, Peter, and Pilate, and the Evangelist is tenor. Instruments of the orchestra comprise two flutes, two oboes, viola da gamba, strings, lute and organ. Period instruments included viola da gama, two violas d'amore, continuo with cello and two oboes da caccia. The opening chorus is followed by the Evangelist recitative who sets the background for the betrayal of Jesus. Jesus sings to identify himself to the soldiers and the chorus renders the madrigal O gro?e Lieb, "Oh Great Love". After the Evangelist recites the arrest of Jesus, an alto aria is sung accompanied by alto and oboes, Von den Stricken meiner, "From the bonds of my sins". The Evangelist renders the aria lovely Ach, mein sin, "Oh, my senses", portraying the question of Peter before the Church. Part II covers Jesus facing the tribunal before Pilate and the Jews. Bach produces a rich layer of chorals with two opening and closing the drama. There is a rush of arias and recitatives, many standing on their own as tonal sculptures of great beauty. The bass aria "Eilt, ihr angefocht'nen Seelen" (“Haste Ye Deeply Wounded Spirits”) is admirable as well as From the Bondage of Transgression. Calling for a special depth and agility, it remains one of Bach’s challenging areas for bass. Michael Steinberg identifies Erwage as another one of these delights from Bach.6 Bach's genius with counterpoint has made the St John passion has made the work a challenging one with the interplay of the instruments with the chorus. His music is often onomatopoeic from the 11 bar passage displaying the dice-playing soldiers to the broken chord cock's crow heralding the betrayal of Peter. The Evangelist role serves as a standard in the choral religious music at this time. It is used as a method not only to tie the music together but to also to engage the audience with spiritual thought from the Bible. Using recitatives and arias Bach has provided the evangelist r1ole with moving and comforting music. Bach's Christianity was influenced directly from Martin Luther's austere rather conflictive version. Bach used Luther's Bible translation and draws out the role of the Jews in the condemnation of Christ in pronounced and dramatic ways. Bach drew out the chorus "Kreuzige, kreuzige!" the Jewish Priests agitate for the crucifixion of Christ in determined passion. This event taken on the surface is simply part of the narrative, but it is sustained in special ways only enabled by the lilt skill of a genius composer. In an influence book, Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism and Bach's 'St. John Passion (1998), author Michael Marissen makes elaborate arguments to demonstrate the musicality of Bach's project as overpowering any arguments of anti-Semitism. The point is that Bach as a musician labored under many conflicts at that time. Where it not Luther's demonstrated enthusiasm for sacred music, Bach's music production could have been seriously limited. Two contrasting styles of music were growing in his day under the Luther aegis. There was the orthodox strain which did not go against liturgical drama of Bach's offering, and there was the more pietistic strain. Bach had to also face the sometimes surprising censure of civic authorities. Marissen ends his treatment with a labored re-translation of the libretto. His point concerning Bach was the concentration and focus of the artist. It is appoint addressed in a philosophical article on religious song. Kevin J. Vanhoozer emphasized Bach as the committed religious artist who believed "the highest activity open to human beings is praise and the only object worthy of praise is the triune God”.7 The St John Passion, Marissen shows, places the death of Christ on the responsibility of all humans as sinners and is to serve as a glorifying work, and not as a position of the vitriolic Luther. Phillip Spitta points out several conflicts where the lyrical magical pieces do not lie smoothly with the overall movement of the work. In fact, he is highly critical in places where he has found Bach has "sacrificed suitability of character to musical solidity and unity”.8 In fact, Spitta finds the work inferior in quality to the St. Matthew Passion.9 It may be said, for the many times Bach returned to rewriting work, that it was his massive laboratory which birthed the power of the St. Matthew Passion. However, his ultimate view is that in regard to musical style that Bach "proves himself to have reached the heights of ripe and perfect mastery”.10 In spite of the problematic libretto, tihe St John Passion stands on its own as an accomplished volume of beauty in the canon of Western music. On its own the St. John Passion stands as a richly composed testimony to the height of Bach's choral work. The learned expert Christine Wolff uses such descriptions as "continuing freshness, originality... experimental radiance ... sheer compositional sophistication and artistic maturity".11 Recognizing the certain overall timeless genius of Bach, Spitta finds the four part choruses of exceptional complexity. Their mixture of oratorical and dramatic produce grandiose forms which could only be testimony to a "stupendous creative power"12 Conclusion St John Passion represents the high point of Bach's craft where he was able to place concordant features of his findly rendered style into a massive and moving portrayal of faith. The St John Passion is played every year at Easter festivals throughout England expressing how the power of Bach's vision still flows classic energy of the religious music festival over all. Bach labored under the watch and guise civic Church fathers, freshly wrought in separation from the Roman Catholic Church. They easily learned to appreciate the deft gaze of a master. The challenge of the Passion showing both praise and the pressure of condemnation is reflected in the rolling contrasts of music which are sometimes done at one time. The St John Passion made the platform upon which the magnus St Matthew Passion stood. That platform stands magnificently today. Bibliography Bach, J.H., "unser Herrsche". Cologne Cathedral Boys' Choir. Conductor Eberhard Metternich [Accessed 03 2011] Durr, D. Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Pass: genesis, transmission and meaning (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) Spitta, P., Johann Sebastian Bach: his work and influence on the music of German, 1685-1750. Translated from the German by C. Bell and J.A. F. Maitland (London: Novella and Co, Ltd, 1899) Steinberg, M. The Passion of Saint John, BWV 245 (August 2004)< http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/SJP-Steinberg.htm> [Accessed 03/2011] Vanhoozer, K.J. ‘Praising in song: beauty and the arts, Chapter 9’. In S Hauerwas and S. Wells, eds. Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics (Oxford Blackwell, 2004). Wolff, C., Johann Sebastian Bach, The Learned Musician (New York: Norton, 2000) Read More