# J.S Bach's Passions original performing context



## Drussell (Jun 23, 2019)

Hey, 

What do you guys think are the original performing context of the Passions and what do we gain from them and what are the disadvantages of them. 

I have identified that there are Cultural, Physical, Social, Personal and Spiritual functions, however I'm struggling to understand what we gain and what are the disadvantages of these functions in performance context. 

Any help would be much appreciated!


----------



## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I found the same question on Quora. Here is some guy's answer:

German Lutheran Passions were a type of sacred oratorio which was traditionally performed on Good Friday. Like sacred cantatas, they were part of the liturgy of the day, generally performed in two parts, first before the sermon, and the second one after it. The most documented performance of a Passion by Bach in his lifetime happened on March 30th, 1736, when the 3rd known version (the one that has come to us) of St. Matthew’s Passion (BWV 244) was performed for Good Friday vespers service in the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) of Leipzig. Normally, on even years, Passions were performed in the smaller Nikolaikirche, while Thomaskirche was the chosen place for uneven years, but St. Matthew’s Passion, with its peculiar 2-choir, 2-organ structure, was clearly destined for the two-organ Thomaskirche.
1.Good Friday vespers service usually started in the afternoon, around 15:00, with the entrance to the church and a sung hymn by choir and parishioners.
2.After that, the first part of the Passion was performed.
3.It was followed by choral songs, the reciting of Lord’s Prayer, and a sermon lasting around an hour, this time about Christ’s passion and death and its meaning for believers.
4.After the blessing, the second part of the Passion was performed.
5.It followed a latin motet, usually some old piece of Renaissance poliphony.
6.Finally, there were other hymns, a collect, a blessing, and the dismissal of attendants singing the Lutheran chorale “Nun danket alle Gott” (“Now let us all give thanks to God”).

All in all, it lasted about five hours, so it ended late at evening.


----------



## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Drussell said:


> Hey,
> 
> What do you guys think are the original performing context of the Passions and what do we gain from them and what are the disadvantages of them.
> 
> ...


Are you writing a paper about this subject?


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I'd recommend you read 'Music in the Castle of Heaven' by John Elliot Gardiner


----------



## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

If you'd like a scholar's perspective written with the non-specialist in mind try reading _Hearing Bach's Passions _ by Daniel Melamed. The author addresses how the people of Leipzig in Bach's time would have heard his Passions through examining the liturgical conditions and practices of the time. Among other things, Melamed examines what we learn from the _Entwurff_, Bach's famous memorandum of 1730 in which he outlined what was necessary for the performance of the church music he was responsible for.

A question at the center of Melamed's book is: is it possible to hear old music as it was heard when composed? The answer Melamed gives is, "No." We would be wise nonetheless to make ourselves aware of ways in which modern performance practice differs from Bach's time in execution and understanding--that is, the performers and instrumentals as well as the significance of the experience for the intended audience and the conventions of performance. As Melamed rightly points out, Bach's Passions are enjoyed by audiences today, not so much because these works are "timeless" or "transcendent," or that they have kept their meaning over time, rather because they are able to draw new listeners and mean _something_ for new audiences.


----------

