The Classical Music Book

104

impact of the text. This attention

to orchestration, which was far

more prevalent in stage works

of the time (which were often of

similar length to the Passion), can

be seen in the use of the oboes da

caccia (a low oboe similar to the

cor anglais) to underpin the eerie

description of Golgotha in “Ach

Golgotha.” No less vivid is the

moment in “Buss und Reu” (“Guilt

and Pain”) where the alto describes

his tears to the sound of flutes

playing staccato notes.

A large, varied cast

The piece also has parts for Judas,

Peter, two priests, Pontius Pilate

and his wife, two witnesses, and

The St. Thomas Boys Choir, Leipzig,

still flourishing today, dates back more

than 800 years to 1212. With Bach as

Cantor (1723–1750), the church and city

became the center of Protestant music.

two maids, although they are

not usually all taken by different

soloists. In many performances

the minor soloists are also members

of the choirs. With such a diverse

cast and discursive text, it was

also possible for Bach to break from

the oratorio tradition of avoiding

interaction between soloists; he

included duets and crowd scenes

with passages that simulate

simultaneous and interjecting

speakers. So, in “Weissage uns,

Christie” (“Prophesy Christ”) the

two choruses alternate in a style

known as cori spezzati, which was

first developed at St. Mark’s in

Venice, while in “Herr, wir haben

gedacht” (“Lord, We Thought”) they

sing simultaneously to represent

the power-hungry Pharisees.

The real glory of the choruses is

in the contrapuntal writing, notably

when, after singing in excruciating

dissonance as they call for the

freedom of the prisoner Barrabas,

they then embark on a series

of complex musical structures

notoriously difficult to perform.

An earlier, particularly poignant

moment follows Jesus’s capture in

the garden, where after a sighing

orchestral introduction, the soprano

HIGH BAROQUE RELIGIOUS CHORAL MUSIC

He demands that singers

should be able to do with

their throats whatever he

can play on the keyboard.

Johann Scheibe

Critic and composer (1708–1776)

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