St Matthew Passion
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The St Matthew 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. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of the Gospel of Matthew to music, with interspersed chorales and arias. It is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of Baroque sacred music. The original Latin title Passio Domini nostri J.C. secundum Evangelistam Matthæum translates to "The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Evangelist Matthew".
Fair copy in Bach's own hand of the revised version of the St Matthew Passion BWV 244 that is generally dated to the year 1743–46
"Small" organ loft in the St. Thomas Church, that would have fitted Chorus II and Orchestra II of the St Matthew Passion in Bach's time (note: the organ in this photograph is a late 20th-century addition)
"O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden", vocal score
The melody of Am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet (slaughtered at the stem of the cross), the second line of Decius' chorale, is shown twice in red ink, without the words, on this page of Bach's autograph score: in the middle of the page for the ripienists, and in the upper of the two staves for organ II at the bottom of the page.
Passions (Bach)
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As Thomaskantor, Johann Sebastian Bach provided Passion music for Good Friday services in Leipzig. The extant St Matthew Passion and St John Passion are Passion oratorios composed by Bach.
First page of a manuscript copy from around 1750 of Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel's Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld Passion oratorio (1720)