Bach

A COMPANION TO J. S. BACH’S

St. Matthew Passion with contributions by Justin Abel Laura Bock Will D oran Steven Hildebrand Chi Nguyen Andrew Pham Ashley Porter Evan Sarver Rebecca Springer

A C O M P A N IO N TO J. S. B A C H ’S

St. Matthew Passion a book completed by members of

MUS480: Advanced Seminar in Musicological Topics Spring 2010: The Music of J. S. Bach instructor: J. Gibson

at James Madison University with contributions by:

Justin Abel

Laura Bock Will Doran Steven Hildebrand Chi Nguyen Andrew Pham Ashley Porter Evan Sarver Rebecca Springer

contributions are largely unedited, presented here as students submitted them




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CONTENTS 1. Bach’s Meditiation on Jesus’ Teachings and Sufferings in “Geduld!”

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2. The Sarabande as an End Focus in the Passions of J. S. Bach

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3. The Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory in

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Justin Abel

Laura Bock

“Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder”

Will Doran

4. A Historical Biography of J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion BWV 244

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5. Digging Deep into the Descent: The Musical Potential of Descending Bass Lines

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6. J. S. Bach’s Use of National Styles in the St. Matthew Passion

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7. Violone and Double Bass in the St. Matthew Passion

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8. Hearing the St. Matthew Passion

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Steven Hildebrand

Andrew Pham

Ashley Porter

Evan Sarver

Rebecca Springer

Contribution by Chi Nguyen forthcoming Works Cited




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CHAPTER ONE

Bach’s Meditation on Jesus’ Teachings and Suffering in “Geduld ” Justin Abel J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion portrays the Biblical narrative of Jesus sacrificing himself for the redemption of mankind. This is one of the principle beliefs of Lutheran as well as Christian theology. By analyzing the text, music, and instrumentation of the aria “Geduld,” I hope to illustrate that (1), Bach’s melodic and harmonic structure of the piece can be representative of God trying teach patience and counsel mankind in times of tribulation and (2), that Bach’s choice to re-score the continuo line for viola da gamba was a conscientious decision in order to put more emphasis on Jesus’ suffering at the hands of man. “Geduld” takes place in the second part of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. At the end of the first section, Jesus has been seized by chief priests and elders and brought back to the city for judgment at the hands of the high priest Caiaphas. The first narrative of the second section describes the scene of the priests trying to find a false witness against Jesus so that he may be condemned to death. After many unsuccessful attempts, two witnesses come forward and say, “He has said: I can break down God’s temple and in three days build it again.”1 The high priest then asks Jesus to defend himself against these accusations, to which Jesus replies nothing, and the following recitative “Mein Jesus schweight” depicts Jesus in his silence:2

1

Francis Browne, “English Translation in Interlinear Format: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244,” Bach Cantatas Website, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244Eng3.htm. 2
Ibid.


Abel, Bach’s Meditation

My Jesus is silent At false lies To show us in this way That his merciful will Is inclined to suffering for our sake And that we in such pain Should be like him And in persecution remain silent.

Mein Jesus schweigt zu falschen Lügen stille Um uns damit zu zeigen, Dass sein Erbarmens voller Wille Vo runs zum Leiden sei geneigt, Und dass wir in dergleichen Pein Ihm sollen ähnlich sein Und in Verfolgung stille.

Certainly, this lesson from the Bible is one that is meant to teach patience to mankind, even when we find ourselves under false persecution. The following aria “Geduld” gives us Picander’s poetic interpretation of this same lesson:3 Geduld! Wenn mich falsche Zungen stechen. Leid ich wider meine Schuld Schimpf und Spott, Ei, so mag der liebe Gott Meines Herzens Unschuld rächen.

Patience! Even if false tongues stab me. If I should suffer contrary to my guilt Abuse and mockery Oh then may dear God Avenge the innocence of my heart.

This text deals specifically with Jesus coming under fire from worldly actions, not judgment of God. Mankind persecutes him.4 In a discussion of this aria, Eric Chafe also notes that “Bach’s aria texts often refer to patience in tribulation as the foremost quality of the theology of the cross; nowhere else, however, does Bach present it as clearly as here.”5 The text is a very direct

3

Ibid. Eric Chafe, Tonal Allegory in the Vocal Music of J. S. Bach, 356. “The aria makes it clear—in the words “falsche Zungen” (false tongues), “Leid ich wider meine Schuld” (If I suffer for something other than my guilt), and “meines Herzens Unshuld” (innocence of my heart)—that the torment referred to it not God’s judgment, but the unjust treatment by the false world.” 5 Ibid. 4




5


Abel, Bach’s Meditation example of this lesson demonstrating patience, and I believe that this lesson can also be heard in the dialog between the tenor solo and the continuo line of the piece. “Geduld” is in the key of A minor, and during the baroque period A minor was suited to “serious subjects” and has the character of being “somewhat plaintive, honorable, and calm.”6 In the first measure (Ex. 1), we are given one of the two main rhythmic motives of the piece. The measure of 4/4 is broken up into four pairs of legato eighth notes running smoothly through the chords A minor to E major, A minor to E major. In the following three measures Bach gives us the second main rhythmic motive, consisting of a steady flow of dotted 16th and 32nd note rhythms that venture far from the tonic of A minor.

Ex. 1 mm. 1-4

Over measures two through four, we start in A minor, then go through D minor, E minor, back to D minor, then finally back to A minor at the end of measure four. The first motive, consisting of 6

Myrna Herzog, “The Viol in Bach’s Passions: A Performer’s notes,” 34. Herzog quotes two baroque musician/composers here: Jean Rousseau (1691), and Johann Mattheson (b. 1681), taken from Steblin’s Key Characteristics, 35, 49. B

Abel, Bach’s Meditation the legato eighth notes, represents an individual in a calm state. The second motive represents an individual in an agitated, impatient state, with its disjunct rhythm and inability to remain in the same key. Albert Schweitzer offers his own interpretation of these two motives in his book J. S. Bach, which was published in 1962. He believes the first motive symbolizes the word “Geduld,” while the second motive represents the sharp (false) tongues shooting forth.7 Myrna Herzog also notes that the first motive is mellow and calm, with its melodic contours softened by ties, and the second motive is edgy, agitated and disjunct.8 The continuo line has one of these two motives throughout, and immediately after these two ideas are introduced, the tenor comes in with his role of the counseling mentor. I believe that both the motives could either symbolize Jesus’ persecution under trial, or an individual that also may find his or herself losing patience under stressful conditions. In the former interpretation, one could view the continuo line as Jesus battling with his own human tendencies during his hearing in front of the high priests; he strives to remain calm while the high priests labor to find false witnesses in order to bring him to death. Perhaps every time the continuo line takes on the agitated motive, it is symbolic of Jesus’ internal struggle with his own human patience, then the voice of God rings in head, “Geduld, Geduld,” and calms him back down again. For the latter, the continuo line could represent the average person battling with his or her own impatience. In this case, the tenor line could represent Jesus or God trying to counsel someone and remind him or her to follow Jesus’ example of remaining patient, even if they find themselves wrongly accused. The first words of the tenor “Geduld, Geduld!” (Patience, patience!) enter while the continuo is calm and speak directly to the continuo line as well as the listener, reminding them, 7 8




Albert Schweitzer, J. S. Bach, 226. Myrna Herzog, “The Viol in Bach’s Passion: A Performers Notes,” 34. 7


Abel, Bach’s Meditation and us, to be patience (Ex. 2). As soon as the tenor stops, the continuo moves back to its anxious motive, continuing in this agitated manner until the tenor comes back in at measure nine. Upon his return he takes on more of a pleading role, and the continuo returns again to its calm state, but only for one measure. Ex. 2 mm. 5-9

This is also the last time in the aria that the continuo remains in a simple A minor to E major chord-progression until the final measures. In measure thirteen (Ex. 3), the continuo calms down rhythmically after the tenor has repeated his plea, “Patience, patience, even if false tongues stab me,” but now even the relaxed motive is still harmonically agitated. The next four measures remain in A minor, but a chord change occurs on almost every half-beat. And once again, as soon as the tenor stops calming the continuo it becomes agitated again. Ex. 3 mm. 10-17

”

Abel, Bach’s Meditation

For the next seven measures, the harmonies modulate frequently through the words “Schimpf und Spott” (abuse and mockery) which is the peak of its agitation (Ex. 4). Chafe makes note of this as well:9 In “Geduld” however, the middle section of the aria—“Leid’ ich wider meine Schuld und Spott, ei! So mag de liebe Gott meines Herznes Unschuld rächen”—moves away from the ideal of patient suffering. In fact, although the aria counsels patience, it has a very restless character. After this outburst of restlessness, the continuo finally settles down into the key of E minor in measure twenty-five while the tenor holds the word “rächen” (avenge), finding comfort in the assumption that God will assure that those who have wronged them will be punished for their deeds.

(

Eric Chafe, Tonal Allegory in the Vocal Music of J. S. Bach, 357.

(

Abel, Bach’s Meditation Ex. 4 mm. 19-

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The continuo finally makes its way back to A minor at measure forty-three (Ex. 5), after the tenor repeats “Geduld” three times consecutively, which is also the only time this occurs. Bach could have ended the piece right here, but he brings back the agitated motive once more, as if making the statement that although man tries to be patient, he will surely enough return to his old ways without being constantly reminded.

Ry

Abel, Bach’s Meditation Ex. 5 mm. 41-47

Although Bach originally scored the continuo part for cello, it is often performed and recorded today with a viola da gamba instead. It is well known that Bach’s St. Matthew Passion went through many revisions after it was first written10. The 1720s version was the original composition and was first performed on April 11, 1727, and April 15, 1729. In the next revision, the viola da gamba replaced the lute part in “Ja, freilich” and “Komm, süsses Kreuz.” Bach’s final revision was completed in the 1740s, and during this revision the viol da gamba replaced the cello parts in “Mein Jesus schweight” and “Geduld.” But one must ask why this is important, specifically in the case of “Geduld.” The cello and the gamba seem to be similar instruments; first we should note just how they differ. The viola da gamba had a top string that was a fourth higher than the cello, endowing it with a more extended upper register. While it lacked the volume of the cello, its tone is more delicate, has richer chords, and due to its tuning in fourths and a thirds, has access to a larger variety of chords. Bach also demanded the use of a seven-string gamba for the St. Matthew Passion, making use of its extended range. Bach probably also knew that the switch from cello 10

Jonathan Gibson, “Hearing the Viola da Gamba in ‘Komm, süsses Kreuz,’” 418. RR

Abel, Bach’s Meditation to gamba would not be too difficult for the performer because while he did not compose a great deal of gamba music, he did write often for it when he worked for Prince Leopold at Cöthen.11 Another possible explanation for its use was one of balance. When Bach revived the work in the early 1740s, the organ had been removed from the second loft of Thomaskirche, and Bach was forced to substitute a harpsichord for the continuo of chorus two.12 Perhaps Bach thought that the gamba’s timbre melded better with that of the harpsichord. This also means that those who wish to reproduce a “sonically authentic”13 performance of the St. Matthew Passion need to pair the harpsichord with the gamba. On the surface, the change from cello to gamba could seem rather insignificant, but when one looks deeper into the gamba’s common associations at the time, as well as how purposefully Bach placed it in this movement, much more can be interpreted from its use. Herzog notes that during Bach’s time:14 There were well-known patterns and the use of the viol in connection with death in German Baroque music literature seems to be one of them. We find it in Buxtehude’s funeral dirge Muss der Tod denn nun doch trennen, in Telemann’s Trauerkantata Du aber, Daniel, gehe hin, and in Bach’s cantatas Trauer Ode (BWV 198), Actus 11

Charles Terry, Bach’s Orchestra, 132-135. Terry discusses the viol da gamba as well as Bach’s use of it and his familiarity with other Gamba players, such as Christian Ferdinand Abel (father of the last known gamba virtuoso Christian Friedrich Abel). Terry also poses the question of Christian Ferdinand Abel possibly being the gambist for the performances of the St. Matthew Passion. He could have performed the 1730s version (performed in 1736) for “Komm, süsses Kreuz,” but not for the 1740s version (as Christian Ferdinand Abel died in 1737). It is possible that perhaps his son (Christian Friedrich) did, as he would have been 19 in 1742. 12 Teri Towe, “St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244,” Bach Cantatas Website. She mentions this fact in a critical discography of the St. Matthew Passion recordings in December 2001. Up to 2001, mosts recording of the St. Matthew Passion used the 1741 version of “Mein Jesus schweight” and Geduld.” Only in one case was the continuo altered. Serge Koussevitzky orchestrated the harmonies of “Geduld” in a fully written out, through composed setting for full string orchestra. 13 For a discussion on sonic vs. sensible authenticity read the Peter Kivy article, “Authenticity as Sound” 47-57, 69-79. 14
Mryna Herzog, “The Viol in Bach’s Passions: A Performer’s Notes,” 31.
 


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Abel, Bach’s Meditation tragicus (BWV 106, and Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes (BWV 76), Johann Theile’s St. Matthew (1673), and Johann Meder’s St. Matthew (c. 1700), and in countless works depicting painful feelings, grief, sorrow, or lamentation. Bach undoubtedly was aware of this association and used the viola da gamba in order to emphasize Jesus’ own suffering and death, and by using the gamba in “Geduld” as well as “Komm, süsses Kreuz,” Bach is also linking the two pieces together thematically because the sound of the gamba is associated only with these two pieces and their preceding recitatives. Eric Chafe discusses this relationship:15

The first is the narrative of Jesus’ punishment at the hands of the high priests, the false witness, and Jesus’ silence before the trial, and the second is the story of his sufferings at the hands of the Roman soldiers, after the trial. The textual and other kinds of musical connections between the scenes in which “Geduld” and “Komm süsses Kreuz” appear to leave no doubt that the addition of the gamba to the earlier scene in the 1740s was meant to emphasize an already existing relationship.

One of these musical connections is the use of the “anxious” dotted rhythm discussed earlier, which is unmistakably prevalent in “Komm, süsses Kreuz.” The motive used here again to communicate a state of uneasiness. Gibson also discusses the connection between the gamba and Jesus suffering, arguing that the gamba itself can evoke an image of the wooden cross, and instrument’s gut strings could be symbolic of Jesus body stretched out upon the cross.16 With this interpretation, one could also conclude that not only did Bach re-score “Geduld” and “Komm, süsses Kreuz” in order to associate them acoustically to the narrative of Jesus’ suffering, but could have even used the gamba in “Geduld” to foreshadow Christ’s crucifixion. 15 16




Eric Chafe, Tonal Allegory in the Vocal Music of J. S. Bach, 355. Jonathan Gibson, “Hearing the Viol da Gamba in “’Komm, süsses Kreuz,’” 439. 
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Abel, Bach’s Meditation Both arias also share musical similarities with the chorale “O Haupt voll Blut and Wunden.” Herzog argues that the beginning of “Geduld” is an ornamented version of the first seven notes of the chorale. The opening melodies of “Geduld” and “O haupt voll Blut and Wuden” both share descending stepwise motion as well as ascending leaps in larger intervals. In “Komm, süsses Kreuz,” the beginning of the continuo part outlines the chorale’s first phrase. Starting with the first measure of the chorale, we find descending stepwise motion in the soprano from D5 to G4, and the continuo line in “Komm, süsses Kreuz” has the exact same descending line running from D3 down to G2.17 The text of the chorale also highlights Jesus’ own suffering and torture at the hands of man:18 O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, Voll Schmerz und voller Hohn, O Haupt, zo Spott gebunden Mit einer Dornenkron, O Haupt, sonst schön gezieret Mit höchster Her und Zier, Jetzt aber hoch schimpfieret, Gegrüßet seist du mir! Du edles Angesichte, Dafür sonst schrickt und scheut Das große Weltgewichte, Wie bist du so bespeit; Wie bist du so erbleichet! Wer hat dein Augenlicht, Dem sonst kein Licht nicht gleichet, So schändlich zugericht’?

O head full of blood and wounds, Full of sorrow and full of scorn, O head bound in mockery With a crown of thorns, O head once beautifully adorned With greatest honour and adornment, But now most shamefully mistreated, Let me greet you! You noble face Before which at other times shrinks and shies away. The great weight of the world, How are you spat upon, How pale you are! By whom has the light of your eyes To which at other times no light can be compared, Been so shamefully treated?

As Chafe mentioned previously, both aria texts portray Jesus’ suffering at the hands of man, and the chorale makes specific references to this mistreatment: “zo Spott gebunden,” “hoch

17

Mryna Herzog, “The Viol in Bach’s Passions: A Performer’s Notes,” 33. Francis Browne, “English Translation in Interlinear Format: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244,” Bach Cantatas Website. 18




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Abel, Bach’s Meditation schimpfieret,” “Wie bist du so bespeit,” and “So schändlich zugericht.” Regardless of the various interpretations possible, Bach replaced the cello with the viola da gamba in order to provide more continuity to the work as a whole, as well as to highlight and connect the narrative of Jesus’ suffering. With all the study that is conducted throughout music universities across the country by scholars and students alike, most of these question we have about Bach’s music will never have a definitely answer. The goal for us, as musicians and teachers, is to have a better understanding of these works so that we know how they can be interpreted and to also discover the hidden meanings that Bach may or may not have infused them with. As we delve deeper into the compositional methods and craftsmanship of Bach’s works, we can always discover something new that can be incorporated into performance or teaching. “Geduld” gives an excellent example of Bach using every compositional tool available to emphasize the Biblical lesson of keeping patience. And through his revisions, re-scoring the instrumentation in order to draw the piece tighter into the narrative of Jesus’ suffering as well as providing more continuity to the massive work that is the St. Matthew Passion.




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CHAPTER TWO

The Sarabande as End Focus in the Passions of J.S. Bach Laura Bock As human beings we have the capability to encode myriad emotions, thoughts, and sensations into our musical experiences. In many societies, dance and music are intertwined and the bond between the two may call to mind particular moods associated with a dance genre or even trigger physical sensations one might experience while performing that specific dance. To a modern listener, a heavy, pulsating techno beat might evoke images of strobe lights and a dense urban environment, while the twang of banjo and crooning singer might call to mind more rustic, pastoral images. In the same manner, it is easy to imagine that Baroque listeners might have also recognized and held particular associations with the well-known dance rhythms of their day. As Kantor of the St. Thomas church in Leipzig, J.S. Bach’s primary duty was to transmit the ideals of Lutheran doctrine to his congregation through music. In order to achieve this goal, Bach’s sonic messages had to be both clear and universally recognizable- no easy task when employing a medium as subjective and individually interpreted as music. On Good Friday, the day on which Bach’s Passions were performed, the vividness of these messages was especially critical, since the service set the tone for Easter, the climax of the liturgical calendar. As a result, the final chorales of the St. John and St. Matthew Passions were Bach’s last opportunities to leave an impression on his audience. Eric Chafe’s research on the planning of the structure of the St. Matthew Passion suggests that Bach may have considered the final chorale movement so important that he composed it before any other section of the Passion.19 Upon observing and examining characteristic dance rhythms in “Wir Setzen Uns Mit Tränen Nieder” from the St.

19

Eric Chafe. "J. S. Bach's ‘St. Matthew Passion’: Aspects of Planning, Structure, and Chronology." Journal of the American Musicological Society, 35 no. 1 (Spring, 1982), 54-55

Bock, Sarabande as End Focus Matthew Passion and “Ruht Wohl,” from the St. John Passion, it is clear that Bach intentionally chose to frame the conclusions of both Passions through the sarabande in order to create similar impressions upon his audience. Bach’s choice of secular dance music for such a profoundly liturgical setting may at first seem paradoxical, but become more logical when one considers the appeal of popular style upon any audience, even a devoutly religious one. Based on Bach’s previous appointments as court music director at Weimar and Cöthen, it is more than safe to assume that he would have felt comfortable writing in dance styles and manipulating them for a given purpose. Not only did Bach have the experience of professional appointments, he also would have been exposed to these dance idioms from a young age: “In 1700, when he was fifteen years old, Bach came as a scholarship student to St. Michael’s School in Luneburg. Here he became acquainted with French court dance practices because they were taught at the nearly Luneburg Ritterschule, a school for young aristocrats…Even though Bach did not attend the Ritterschule himself, he might have studied dance or at least played the violin for dancing lessons and classes; thus, even if he had not been trained in French court dancing as a child, he would have encountered it there, at least as a teenager.”20 Furthermore, it seems that the citizens of Leipzig had kept popular dance in high demand. “It is interesting to note that more treatises on French court dancing were published in Germanspeaking lands in the early eighteenth century than in France...Dancing masters were numerous in Leipzig, where [Bach] lived, teaching the disciplined practices and noble carriage that

20

Raymond Erickson. The Worlds of Johann Sebastian Bach. (New York: Amadeus Press, 2009), 210-211.




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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus facilitated most human interactions.”21 The popularity of German Baroque dancing also extended beyond the confines of the nobility: “Far from being the purview of a small elite, French court dancing prevailed, not only in German courts but also in the cities, by the early eighteenth century. Its training in the noble style had intrigued and engaged the middle class, to which the numerous dancing masters practicing in Leipzig, and their treaties attest.”22 In other words, Baroque dance music would have been recognized by a significant portion of Bach’s churchgoers and even considered fashionable. Knowing this, Bach would have undoubtedly been are aware of the advantages of putting a new twist on his religious message by encoding it within Baroque popular culture. Both chorales clearly depart from Bach’s typically contrapuntal textures, with the entrances in the vocal line echoing the melody of the orchestral introduction identically in each. In the imaginative context of an actual court dance, it is easy to imagine the first several bars would serve as the critical orchestral introduction, giving time for dancers to listen and gather information about the tempo, style, and rhythmic patterns of the steps about to be performed. The fact that both movements are in triple meter, confines the possibilities of their dance classifications to three options: the sarabande, the minuet, or the courante. According to descriptions of the minuet, although tempo markings (omitted by Bach in these cases) may vary, the overall mood of a minuet is designated as “gay” and “lively,”23 neither of which seems fitting for the key of C minor which dominates both chorales. When considering the distinction between the sarabande and courante, “Mattheson describes the character of the sarabande as one of

21

Erickson, 223.
 Ibid. 23 Betty Bang Mather. Dance Rhythms of the French Baroque. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987), 274-277. 22




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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus ambition, and one that permits no running notes.” 24 The texture of “Wir Setzen”, from the St. Matthew Passion has only the occasional sixteenth note functioning as an ornamental passing tone, and so seems to gravitate much more toward the sarabande than the courante style in which a multitude running notes would have been apparent. The extremely homophonic texture of “Ruht Wohl” fits this description even more precisely. Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne offer the following helpful checklist when it comes to identifying sarabandes: Checklist of Sarabande Characteristics: 1. Triple meter (3/4) 2. Serious affect; noble, majestic, yet passionate 3. Slow tempo 4. Balanced 4 + 4 phrase structure 5. Characteristic rhythmic patterns 6. Complex harmonies 7. Soloistic25 Because a soloistic texture does not apply in this particular setting and a precise metronome marking for determining the “slow tempo” of item three is omitted by Bach, evidence of the other five elements must be used as determinants to classify each movement.

In “Wir Setzen Uns Mit Tränen Nieder” of the St. Matthew Passion, common sarabande rhythms are most strongly suggested by the rhythms in viola line, which clearly delineates regularly occurring dotted figures that litter the sarabande (occasionally written as a tied figure instead). The melody in the flutes, oboes, and violins is frequently passed between the orchestras through offbeat entrances which also serve to imply the same shift between duple and compound

24

Helen Hoekema van Wyck. "Mourning into Dancing: Dance Rhythms in J.S. Bach St. Matthew Passion." Choral Journal 40:3 (October 1999), 9-21. 25 Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne. Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach: Extended Edition. (Bloomington: Indian University Press, 2001), 236. 


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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus meter. Furthermore, the melodic accenting of beat two, which occurs in measures four and five, and recurs in subsequent parallel phrases, creates a temporarily feeling of hemiola, common in the sarabande.26 Bach’s use of the figure seems to be two-fold in serving as an effective musical representation of the text (“rufen” or crying out) and also creating dramatic contrast with the serious mood of the sarabande. “Wir Setzen” uses an ABA form and symmetrical four bar phrasing, which seems to fit the balanced style of the sarabande described in item four of the list. In addition, the active continuo line allows for the complex harmonies of item six as well as shifts in tonality throughout the chorale. Since all of these sarabande elements are illustrated in the brief twelve bar orchestral introduction, the listener is able to identify the corresponding dance style even before the entrance of the chorus. Example 1. Bach, St. Matthew Passion, “Wir Setzen Uns Mit Tränen Nieder,” mm. 1-13

26




Little and Jenne, 97.

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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus

“Ruht Wohl” of the St. John Passion, by contrast, is considerably more ambiguous in terms of rhythm, since only a few rare dotted rhythms or tied hemiola effects are present throughout the work. Despite these observations, in a comprehensive discussion of sarabande form, Meredith Little cites that, “ ‘Ruht Wohl”…rarely incorporates the sarabande rhythmic module, but neither do some titled sarabandes, e.g., BWV 1002 for solo violin, and BWV 1010 and 1011 for solo cello. The piece is cast in balanced phrases throughout…The angular, wrenching melodies, and frequently chromatic bass line…produce a serious affect.”27 In other, “Ruht Wohl” still satisfies all of characteristics of the sarabande even if the rhythmic qualifications may not be quite as obvious as in “Wir Setzen.”

27




Little and Jenne, 248-249. 21


Bock, Sarabande as End Focus Example 2. Bach, St. John Passion, “Ruht Wohl,” mm. 1-8

One suggestive feature of the sarabande was that, unlike other dance classifications, it originated as “a dance accompanied by singing and instruments,” in its early Spanish and New World folk arts forms.28 Therefore, the presence of the vocal lines in the two choruses would not have been nearly as out of place as they might have been in another dance form. These chorale movements clearly embody popular Baroque era dance styles that many of Bach’s churchgoers would likely have recognized. This conclusion calls into question the possibilities of other implications and associations which the sarabande may have evoked. Leonard Ratner proposes the idea that all Baroque dance styles, “were associated with various feelings and affections…dances, by virtue of their rhythms and pace, represented feeling.”29 Of the sarabande in particular, Wilfrid Mellers points out that this dance genre is particularly fitting 28

Little and Jenne, 92. G. Ratner. Classic Music: Expression, Form, and Style. (New York: Schirmer Books, 1980), 11.


29
Leonard




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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus considering the text at the beginning of the St. Matthew Passion depicting Christ as the bridegroom. “By Bach’s time [the sarabande] was not only ceremonial, but also solemn, sometimes even sacral, a marriage or altar dance.”30 Ratner identifies the sarabande as also holding associations as being, “high style, elegant and courtly.”31 This would have been appropriate for a work of music centered on Christ as the King of Kings. This high style was further described by Johann Adolf Schiebe in Der crtische Musikus in 1745. Schiebe’s writings illuminate the concept that high dance forms, “should only be used for heroes, kings, and other great men and noble spirits; magnamity, majesty, love of power, magnificence, pride, astonishment, anger, fear, madness, revenge, doubt, and other similar qualities and passions can only expressed in the high style.”32 In other words, within the context of reserved Baroque society, this classification of dance may have offered one of the few emotional outlets appropriate for the congregation to grieve over the loss of their savior. Wilfrid Mellers points out that dance music in general also kept a focus on earthly concerns, “the metrical order of the dance, originally derived from the dances of the court masque…literally a symbol of human solidarity in the here-and-now. Men and women measuring time as they beat the earth with their feet, create concord within a clearly defined system of harmonic order and tonal relationships.”33 However, the sarabande in particular has a sort of dual identity in this respect: “the sarabande is both human and divine- not because it is a ceremonial dance…but because it reveals the sacramental significance of human love.”34 Since the New Testament emphasizes the love of Christ above all else, this would have been a particularly fitting association for Bach to close 30

Wilfrid Mellers. Bach and the Dance of God. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), 23. 31 Ratner, 11-12. 32 Ratner, 7. 33 Mellers, 10. 34 Mellers, 30.
 


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Bock, Sarabande as End Focus with. The text of each chorale also goes a long way in suggesting the particularities of the musical message Bach would have intended to convey. The following translations are offered from the Bach Cantatas Website: Wir Setzen

Ruht Wohl Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine, Rest in peace, you sacred limbs, Die ich nun weiter nicht beweine, I shall weep for you no more, Ruht wohl und bringt auch mich zur Ruh! rest in peace, and bring me also to rest. Das Grab, so euch bestimmet ist The grave that is allotted to you Und ferner keine Not umschließt, and contains no further suffering, Macht mir den Himmel auf und schließt die Hölle zu. opens heaven for me and shuts off hell.




Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder We sit down with tears Und rufen dir im Grabe zu: And call to you in your term Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh! Rest gently, gently rest! Ruht, ihr ausgesognen Glieder! Rest, you exhausted limbs! Euer Grab und Leichenstein Your grave and tombstone Soll dem ängstlichen Gewissen For our anguished conscience shall be Ein bequemes Ruhekissen A pillow that gives peace and comfort Und der Seelen Ruhstatt sein. And the place where our souls find rest. Höchst vergnügt schlummern da die Augen ein. With the greatest content there our eyes will close in sleep.

24


Bock, Sarabande as End Focus Both poetic texts make reference to a metaphorical link between death and sleep. The use of dance music inherent invokes references to physical motion. Wilfrid Mellers notes that the text of the “Ruht Wohl” chorale “involves bodily gesture-an appeal to Jesus and to us his redeemed servants to lie down and sleep- and metaphysical in that corporeal movement leads to spiritual release.”35 In both cases, the slow tempo of the sarabande would have been the only one suitable to call to mind the gentle, peaceful resting of the weary body of Christ. In a sense, the sarabande was a sort of musical chameleon; while it always set a serious and majestic mood for the dancer, the compositional palette of the composer could vary greatly, in terms of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Perhaps the empowerment of this compositional freedom is the very element that led Bach to write more sarabandes than any other dance style.36 In addition to expressive versatility, the many possible overlapping connotations of the sarabande would have had the ability to convey and contain both the solemn reverence of an important church service and the passionate grieving of the congregation over the death of their savior. By simultaneously expressing passionate and serious emotions, the sarabande paralleled the paradox of Christ’s dual identity as a suffering human and a divine entity. Having examined all of this evidence, it is clear that the sarabande was not only an ideal setting for these concluding choral movements, but, ultimately, the only suitable choice among the dances familiar to Bach’s audience. While biographers sometimes characterize Bach as a composer who obsessed over archaic or dying styles of music, these chorales point out that he was just as capable of composing in the contemporary styles of his time if the context called for it. This analysis builds support for a vision of a cognizant and versatile Johann Sebastian Bach who discovered that, paradoxically, a less-than-divine medium was the most potent intermediary 35
Mellers, 36

148.
 Little and Jenne, 102.




25


Bock, Sarabande as End Focus he could employ to transmit a profoundly divine message.




26


CHAPTER THREE

The Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory in “Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder” Will Doran To composers of the Baroque era, word painting and allegory in music were about as common as animals at a zoo. There have been various debates as to what degree allegory is prevalent in the music of Bach, with scholars like Susan McClary and Eric Chafe analyzing every aspect of form and tonality for hidden meaning and implications while others, such as David Schulenberg, believe that these musical choices can be explained more easily.37 While we will never know the real answer to what Bach’s intentions may have been, given the philosophy of the times in which he lived (e.g. specific aspects of art and music can literally represent emotions and objects, and it is the artist’s job to move our affections), it is not too much of a stretch to assume that some extra-musical meanings end up in his music, especially in an important work like the St Matthew Passion. In fact, by examining Bach’s use of harmonic language and tonal allegory in the final movement of the Passion, “Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder,” we can see how Bach emphasizes Lutheran theology about the Passion story and why he chooses to leave us in such a sad state at the end of this piece. Tonal allegory can take on many forms and definitions. Manfred Bukofzer, in an early article on the subject, used the term “allegory” to describe a coherent relationship between a musical element and something extra-musical.38 A triad can represent the trinity, for example, because it embodies the “three in one” concept by having three notes in one chord. Following this, tonal allegory is the use of any tonal element—key, modulation, sharp sign, or the key 37
David
Schulenberg,
“’Music
Allegory’
Reconsidered:
Representation
and
Imagination
in


the
Baroque,”
The
Journal
of
Musicology
13,
no.
2
(Spring
1995):
203‐239.


38
Manfred
Bukofzer,
“Allegory
in
Baroque
Music,”
Journal
of
the
Warburg
Institute
3,
no.
1


(1939‐1940):
1‐21.


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory structure of a lengthy work—to express a coherent relationship with something extra-musical.39 The two passions by Bach are unique in that they both employ a wide range of keys. The St Matthew Passion, for example, uses twenty-three of the major and minor keys; seventeen as the keys of the movements, and the rest through modulation within the movements.40 This distinguishes the passions from the cantatas and his other larger works, such as the B-Minor Mass, which only has seven different key signatures. It also begs the question of why Bach chose to use so many different keys, especially considering how the tuning systems of the day did not allow Baroque instruments to sound equally good in all keys. Eric Chafe makes the argument that the opposition between sharps and flats is the main allegorical structural principle in the two passions. He also believes that in the St Matthew Passion, the keys follow the text. This can happen because there are various connotations associated with flat and sharp keys in the Baroque period. According to Chafe, sharps are generally seen as masculine, and throughout the Matthew Passion, all scenes dealing with the crucifixion (such as the trial, the shouts of the mob for Jesus’ death, and his scourging) and glory (Christ’s prediction of the Kingdom of God, the spread of the gospel, his resurrection, and Peter’s repentance) are in sharp keys. Flats, on the other hand, are associated with the “soft,” feminine affections. Scenes involving Jesus’ weakness, such as his difficulty accepting the cup at first and his depressed states on the Mount of Olives and on the cross are in flat keys. Also in the flat category are the Christian reactions to his sufferings (“Wer hat dich so gechlagen,” “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden”), the disciples’ sleep in the garden, Jesus’ final sleep in the grave, and

39
Eric
Chafe,
“Key
Structure
and
Tonal
Allegory
in
the
Passions
of
J.S.
Bach:
An


Introduction,”
Current
Musicology
31
(1981):
39.


40
Eric
Chafe,
“Allegorical
Music:
the
‘Symbolism’
of
Tonal
Language
in
Bach
Canons,”
The


Journal
of
Musicology
3,
no.
4
(Autumn
1984):
360.





28


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory His finding rest in the believer’s heart.41 Another example of tonal allegory is the use of sharps for texts dealing with the cross, the reason being that “Kreuz” means both sharp and cross in German.42 An example of this occurs right at the outset of the St Matthew Passion with the opening chorus, “Kommt, ihr Töchter helft mir klagen.” This movement is set in e minor, the key of many Baroque laments, including passions.43 The movement represents Christ bearing the cross for us, and the drudging pedal bass brings to mind Jesus’s slow trek under its weight. Also of note is the one sharp in the key signature, a possible representation of the cross Christ is bearing for us. In fact, the key of e minor is predominant up until “Andern hat er geholfen.” After the crucifixion, however, flat keys dominate the rest of the passion, ending in a lamenting c-minor. Additional evidence linking the keys of e-minor and c-minor are the multiple instances where Bach confronts the two keys throughout the St Matthew Passion, with c-minor always following e-minor in a way that seems to point towards the final ending of the passion. This confrontation between the two keys appears six times: the prediction of betrayal, Peter’s mention of Jesus’ death, the buying of the potter’s field, the actual crucifixion, and so on.44 Also of note with the crucifixion is the giant e-minor cadence in “Ander hat er geholfen” at the end of the movement. Every voice and instrument is playing an e at this point, and the text is “ich bin Gottes Sohn” (I am God’s son). According to Chafe, the interval of an octave has the meaning of the Son in this era, so Bach is choosing to represent the text with a reference to Baroque symbols

41
Chafe,
“Key
Structure,”
46.
 42
Helen
Wyck,
“Mourning
into
Dancing:
Dance
Rhythms
in
J.S.
Bach’s
‘St
Matthew
Passion,’”


Choral
Journal
40,
no.
3
(October
1999):
9.


43
Chafe,
“Key
Structure,”
50.
 44
Ibid.





29


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory that his contemporaries would recognize.45 Also, considering that this is the last occurrence of eminor and sharp keys in general in the Passion, it seems like Bach is trying to make a bigger deal out of this last cadence. That he would so sharply divide the passion at this point suggests to me that his key choice in the St Matthew Passion is no coincidence, and that Bach is conscious of his tonal plan and how it relates to the passion story. Why, then, does Bach choose to end the Matthew Passion with a chorus that, as Peter Williams says, “…leaves behind the impression of so terrible a story and cathartic exhaustion…?”46 After all, according to Luther, the Passion story is one of joy for salvation from our sins and how much Jesus loves us. Why, then, would Bach, being a devout Lutheran, choose to seemingly contradict Luther’s theology? To answer this question, one must take into account the context of the Matthew Passion when it was composed. Because the passion was performed on a Good Friday service, the triumphant part of the story when Jesus is resurrected and ascends to heaven is yet to come. Bach’s passion narrative leaves us in the throes of mourning after Jesus’ death, and in fact, the way that Bach tells the Passion does not instill hope for salvation: Jesus never once speaks as a victor, the Resurrection is only briefly hinted at, and the whole work ends with a sort of funeral “dirge.”47 This is actually directly in keeping with Martin Luther’s teachings about how believers should experience the Passion story. In his writings, Luther aligns Jesus’ death with terror and guilt and the Resurrection with the joy of Christ’s victory over sin. According to Luther, Christians should suffer as they contemplate the crucifixion story: he believes that reflecting on 45
Chafe,
“Key
Structure,”
51.
Also,
the
interval
of
a
fifth
is
representative
of
the
Holy
Spirit,


while
a
unison
represents
the
Father.
 46
Peter
Williams,
J.S.
Bach:
A
Life
in
Music,
(New
York:
Cambridge
University
Press,
2007),
 198.
 47
David
Hill,
“The
Time
of
the
Sign:
‘O
Haupt
voll
Blut
und
Wunden’
in
Bach’s
St
Matthew
 Passion,”
The
Journal
of
Musicology
14,
no.
4
(Autumn
1996):
515‐516.
 


30


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory the Passion properly requires great endurance on the part of the believer and that the horror of the crucifixion must be sympathetically experienced. “This terror must be felt as you witness the stern wrath and the unchanging earnestness with which God looks upon sin and sinners.”48 Another important aspect of “Wir setzen” is its relationship to the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew uses two passages—one near the beginning, and one near the end—to show that he believes that God is present on Earth through Jesus. The first passage comes from the scene where an angel is appearing to Joseph in a dream to dissuade him from divorcing Mary: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23). The second passage is from the last verse in the book: “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20b). Following this notion, if God is present on Earth through Jesus Christ, then the three days between Jesus’ death and his resurrection are all the more tragic because they mark the only time in Matthew’s Gospel that God is not present with humanity.49 Another important point about Matthew’s Gospel is that the Ascension is not depicted, just alluded to. Bach reflects the character of the Gospel of Matthew by also downplaying the resurrection in the Matthew Passion. With all of this in mind, the mood of “Wir setzen” makes a bit more sense. Bach is following the Lutheran tradition of contemplating the crucifixion with guilt and mourning by creating a very mournful end to the Passion narrative, leaving us in the correct emotional state for Good Friday. Because the Resurrection will not be commemorated until Sunday, Lutherans are meant to suffer during the days leading up to it, just like Christ himself suffered. Being a Baroque composer, Bach would not be one to pass up an opportunity to manipulate the affections 48
Martin
Luther,
“A
Meditation
on
Christ’s
Passion
(1519),”
qtd.
in
Hill,
526.
 49
Hill,
519.





31


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory of his congregation. As mentioned before, “Wir setzen” is mostly in c-minor, but it modulates often to other flat keys. The movement as a whole can be seen as having the character of a sarabande,50 and it has a solemn, steady stream of eighth and sixteenth notes, either in the melody or the counterpoint (Example 1). The pedal bass is reminiscent of the opening movement’s quarter note low e pedal (Example 2), once again bringing in ties between e-minor and c-minor. Overall, the melodic contour is conjunct and downward, giving the feeling of a “piece of burial music.”51

Example 1. J.S. Bach: St Matthew Passion, “Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder”

Example 2. J.S. Bach: St Matthew Passion, “Kommt, ihr Töchter helft mir klagen.” An instrumental introduction stating the main theme in c-minor opens the movement, however, the first phrase cadences in the relative major, e-flat, at measure twelve. The immediate

my mR

a I cR” eR( l 2l

p:

Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory implications of this harmonic choice are not obvious without the text. When the voices do enter, though, we can see Bach’s motivation. The first phrase, “We sit down with tears,” is all very much in c minor, following the text. For the next part of the line, “and call to you in your tomb, rest gently, gently rest,” the music moves into e-flat major (measures seventeen to twenty-four). One gets the sense that the narrator is telling Jesus that now that he has completed the task that he feared so much in the Garden of Gethsemane, he can rest. The dynamics and texture at this point also support this theory. Half of the musicians drop out while the other half implores Jesus to rest gently. The second group then echoes the first before the whole ensemble comes together, repeating and emphasizing the point to “rest gently.” For the second phrase, starting at measure twenty-five, the same opening motive is repeated by the orchestra, only this time the piece is still in e-flat major. In a sort of reversal of the first cadence, this phrase starts in e-flat major and ends on the dominant of c-minor before quickly modulating back to e-flat for the chorus’ entrance. At measure thirty-seven, the chorus enters again with the same text and echoes the instrumental interlude. Repeating the same text in a major tonality going to a minor one gives a slightly different shade of meaning. The rest does not seem as peaceful, and the final cadence of the phrase in measure forty-eight contains a strikingly dissonant appoggiatura on the leading tone that is highlighted even more by the timbre of the instruments playing it, the flute.52 This dissonance seems to be at odds with the text going on at the moment, in this case being the desire for Jesus to “rest gently.” However, Bach obviously did not want this rest to be completely at peace. The meaning of this text, at this point, could be examined from two different points of view. The first viewpoint would be that the object of the text is Jesus and the

52
Wyck,
19.





33


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory mourning believers are lamenting his passing and wishing him a peaceful rest after all his suffering. The second point of view would still be talking about Jesus resting, but in this case, he is not resting in his grave, but metaphorically in the heart of the believer. This is not too far of a leap of faith considering the rest of the text of this movement. “Your grave and tombstone / for our anguished conscience shall be / a pillow that gives peace and comfort / and the place where our souls find rest / with the greatest content, there our eyes will close in sleep.” Essentially, the believer is finding rest and comfort in Jesus, or in Lutheran terms, salvation and peace in knowing Christ’s love for us. Also supporting this notion of Jesus resting metaphorically in the hearts of believers is the reference made to this point in the last aria before this chorus, “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein.” This aria expresses how the believer wants to “bury Jesus within” himself. “For he now within me / forever / shall have his sweet rest. / World, depart from my heart, let Jesus enter!” Considering this is the last aria in the whole passion, it makes a particularly lasting impression upon the listener. So, going back to the question of why there is such a harsh dissonance in the cadence of measure forty-eight, and ultimately in the last chord of this movement and the passion as a whole, the answer would be that Bach is trying to express more Lutheran theology. The life of a believer is difficult, and while one can find rest in their salvation and through the love of Christ, the path of imitating Christ is difficult: Luther, feeling keenly his own persecution, stressed that Christ’s passion should not be acted out in words or appearances but in one’s own life; having acknowledged guilt and received Christ’s loving redemption, all should foster their potential to imitate Christ and be fearless in the face of persecution.53 Based on these details, one can conclude that the final words of the St Matthew Passion are 53
John
Butt,
“Bach’s
Vocal
Scoring:
What
Can
it
Mean?”
Early
Music
26,
no.
1
(1998):
104.





34


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory imploring Jesus to rest inside of the believer, but Bach and Luther are warning them of the persecution they will face. Is this too much of a stretch? Again, given the context of the St Matthew Passion, it was certainly composed as a sort of sermon. Its intended audience was a congregation of Lutherans, and, as John Butt says, as opposed to an opera, “…much of the poetic material in the Passions— derived as it is directly from sermon poetry—speaks directly to the individual listener.”54 Just like a sermon, the St Matthew Passion was meant to move and inspire its congregation. Arguments have been made about other aspects of the Passion being used to reinforce Lutheran tenets, such as the vocal scoring of the work.55 It would seem just as likely that Bach would use harmonic means to get across his points as well. As for the B section of “Wir setzen,” Bach uses several more devices to emphasize the points already made. Starting at measure forty-nine, the soprano melody immediately outlines a diminished chord while singing the words, “Rest, you exhausted limbs.” This shows just how badly the believer is yearning for Christ to rest in them, in a very pietistic sort of manner. Measure fifty-four sequences the same four measures up a fourth, making the plea sound even more desperate. It is also worth mentioning that measure fifty-four to fifty-five are in b-flat minor, which is fairly difficult to play in tune on Baroque instruments. The intonation problems would add even more to the sound of the desperate, imploring cry of a believer for Christ’s presence in their life. In conclusion, throughout the St Matthew Passion, Bach uses many tools to add shades of meaning to the text he uses. Bach’s use of tonal allegory is just one of the many ways he espouses Lutheran theological principles through his music. In particular, however, examining 54
Butt,
106.


55
Ibid.,
99‐107.





35


Doran, Implications of Bach’s Use of Tonal Allegory “Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder” is important, as it is the last piece of music in the St Matthew Passion, and therefore Bach’s last words to us during the Good Friday service. No one will ever truly know what Bach’s intentions behind his music are, but by trying to get into Bach’s head to get an understanding of what his music may have meant to him, perhaps performers of this work can better convey a hidden meaning behind the music that would otherwise be lost to the vestiges of time. Overall, however, even if these theories about allegories behind the music seem farfetched, it is important to note that music is Bach’s only way of communicating to us. Why would he not include these sorts of allegories if he could? After all, “…Bach and his librettists went out of their way to show… that we are not predestined to be damned or saved, but that contrition, faith in Christ’s love and the imitation of Christ are the way forward.”56

56
Butt,
104.





36


CHAPTER FOUR

A Historical Biography of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 Steven Hildebrand Before we can analyze the complex dimensions of a work as substantial as J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion BWV 244, it is necessary to gain a thorough understanding of the piece’s background, history, and original context. We must be certain that we recognize some universal understanding of how a piece came about before we can analyze what it means. Therefore, I propose to provide an in depth description of the origin and nature of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 in order to preface further conceptualization and discussion of more specific aspects of the work. The most fundamental understanding we can gain about this work stems from recognizing the definition of the genre, the passion. A passion is the story of the Crucifixion as told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are recited during Mass on various days throughout the Holy Week, with the Gospel of Matthew being recited on Palm Sunday57. Recitations of the passion texts have been set to pitches since as early as the 12th century; however, it wasn’t until the 15th century that we see polyphonic settings of the text. Bach expanded on the basic polyphony, “motet” style of composing for the Gospels. He incorporated elements of the oratorio by introducing instrumental sections as well passages with text that

57
Braun,
Werner.
"Passion."
Grove
Music
Online
Oxford
Music
Dictionary.


Hildebrand, Historical Biography was not taken from scripture, but rather, was written for the passion58. Bach wrote five passions: the St. Matthew Passion, the St. John Passion, the St. Mark Passion, the St. Luke Passion, and the Weimar Passion. The St. Matthew Passion is perhaps the most well known because of its use of two choirs and two orchestras. These large-scale concerted passions were performed during the Vespers, the early afternoon services, on Good Friday in the two principal churches in Leipzig, the Nikolaikirche and the Thomaskirche, alternating between churches each year. A typical church service structure during Good Friday Vespers proceeded as follows: 1) a singing of the Hymn Da Jesus an den Kreuze stund, 2) a performance of the first part of a passion, 3) a giving of the Sermon, 4) a performance of the second part of the passion, 5) a performance of the motet Ecce quomodo moritur, written by Jacob Handl, 6) the Collection of the Offering, 7) the Benediction, and finally 8) the Hymn Nun danket alle Gott59. Referred to by composer Felix Mendelssohn as “the greatest of Christian works”, the St. Matthew Passion is a setting of the Passion story from the Gospel of St. Matthew and was first performed on Good Friday, April 11 1727 at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany60. Historically the work was not thought to have been performed until 1729; however, after uncovering various pieces of evidence, in 1975, many scholars accepted that the passion was indeed first performed in 1727. Although the original manuscript score and parts are no longer extant, scholars have 58
Conservapedia.
"St.
Matthew
Passion."
Available
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"Passion."
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Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
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J.S.
Bach.
New
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Oxford
University


Press,
1999.

360‐261


60
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
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J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
430





38


Hildebrand, Historical Biography found copies and manuscripts from various later sources including the libretto by Christian Friedrich Henrici (1729), the 1748 manuscript of the score by J.C Atkinol, one of Bach’s pupils, and a incomplete copy of the score by J.F Agricola, another pupil of Bach61. Besides these manuscripts and copies, there are numerous pieces of evidence that suggest that the premiere date was in 1727. Evidence suggests that Bach began preparing the St. Matthew Passion as early as 1725. There is a connection between the fourth movement of Cantata 127 Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott, first performed in February of 1725, and the chorus Sind Blitze, sind Donner from the passion. The cantata movement melody echoes the melody of the passion chorus, suggesting that Bach composed the chorus before the cantata movement62. More evidence comes from a libretto composed by Picander (actual name) that was part of a collection of cantata librettos entitled Sammlung Erbaulicher Gedancken über und auf die gewöhnlichen Sonnund Fest-Tage (1724-25). Christian Friedrich Henrici, who composed the libretto for the St. Matthew Passion, wrote text for nos. 39, 49, and 68 as parodies of movements from his libretto found in the 1724-1725 collection63. More evidence is found on the verso of the viola part from the Sanctus BWV 232, prepared in 1726. Written upside down in the bottom right corner of the manuscript is a sequence of notes that is found in the first violin part of the aria Mache dich, meine Herze, rein

61
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
431
 62
Boyd,
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Oxford
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J.S.
Bach.
New
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Oxford
University


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430


63
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
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J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
431
 


39


Hildebrand, Historical Biography from the passion64. Finally, the last piece of evidence confirms that the passion was not first performed in 1729; movements of the St. Matthew Passion were parodied for a memorial service for Prince Leopold of Cöthen in March of 1729. The funeral cantata for this service, Klagt, Kinder, Klagt es aller Welt contains parodies from nos. 3, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, and 24 of the St, Matthew Passion.65 Although these pieces of evidence seem small and fragmented, they have persuaded scholars to universally accept that the passion was not first performed in 1729, but rather, in 1727. As mentioned above, most of the libretto for the St. Matthew Passion was composed by a German poet by the name of Christian Friedrich Henrici (17001764). Henrici’s pseudonym was Picander, and he is most often referred to as such. Picander studied poetry at the University of Leipzig and later wrote for many of Bach’s cantatas and passions. The Passion is composed of Picander’s own text, text that he borrowed from other German poets as well as segments of biblical scripture66. As mentioned above, part of what makes St. Matthew Passion so well known is the use of doubled ensembles. The scoring calls for two SATB choirs accompanied by two orchestras, each containing two flutes dolce, two transverse flutes, two oboes, two oboes d’amore, two oboes da caccia, two violins, one viola, one viola da gamba, and basso continuo. These two ensembles were placed opposite 64
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
431
 65
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
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J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


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66
Conservapedia.
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2010.





40


Hildebrand, Historical Biography one another to create an antiphonal effect. Bach also wrote sixteen vocal solo parts. He assigned two sopranos, alto, tenor, and bass to one choir as soloists and then another soprano, alto, tenor, and bass to the second choir as soloists. The remaining seven soloists, soprano, tenor, and five basses, performed outside of either ensemble67. Twelve of the soloists are named and outline the story of the Passion. The characters are as follows: Erste Magd (First Servant Girl), soprano; Zweite Magd (Second Servant Girl), soprano; Pilati Weib (Pilate’s Wife), soprano; Zeuge (Female Witness), alto; Evangelist (Narrator), tenor; Zeuge (Male Witness), tenor; Jesus, bass; Petrus (Peter), bass; Judas, bass; Pilatus (Pontius Pilate), bass; Pontifex I, bass; and Ponitfex II, bass68. The Passion is divided into two sections with a total of sixty-eight movements, or numbers, including choruses, recitatives, and arias. Bach used many hymn tunes to compose the choruses in the Passion, which allowed his audience to be more familiar with the work and to more easily relate to it. For example, the Passion begins with a chorale fantasia based on the hymn O Lamm Gottes unschuldig, composed by Nicolaus Decius. No. 3 is a chorale setting of Herzliebster Jesu by Johann Crüger; nos. 10 and 37 are settings of O Welt ich muss dich lassen by Heinrich Isaak; no. 25 is a setting of Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh Allzeit, an anonymously composed hymn based off a secular German song; no. 29 is a setting of Es sind cloch selig alle by Matthias Greiter; no. 32 is a setting of In dich hab’ ich gehoffet by Seth Calvisius; and finally, no. 40 is a setting of Werde munter, mein 67
Green,
Jonathan.
A
Conductor's
Guide
to
the
Choral­Orchestral
Works
of
J.S.
Bach.
Lanham:


The
Scarecrow
Pres,
Inc.,
2000.

502


68
Green,
Jonathan.
A
Conductor's
Guide
to
the
Choral­Orchestral
Works
of
J.S.
Bach.
Lanham:


The
Scarecrow
Pres,
Inc.,
2000.

503





41


Hildebrand, Historical Biography Gemüthe by Johann Schop69. Bach also used the chorale melody O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, often referred to as the “Passion Chorale” composed by Hans Leo, five times throughout the Passion (nos. 15, 17, 44, 54, and 62) as well in his Christmas Oratorio and Cantatas 135, 159, and 16170. The structure of the Passion follows a simple pattern that progresses the story of the Passion as told by the Gospel. First, a biblical narrative is sung, primarily by the Evangelist. The narrative tells of the Crucifixion and advances the Passion story. The narrative is then followed by a comment. The comment, usually a recitative, reflects on the narrative and relates it to the audience. Finally, the prayer follows the comment. The prayer occurs in the form of an aria and is a transformation of the comment. It turns the emotion and understanding of the comment into an artistic and beautiful expression. This pattern repeats throughout the Passion, interrupted by chorales. These chorales punctuate the narrative at various junctures throughout the story. They give the audience time to reflect on the story, and they often prepare for the next repetition of the pattern71. Examples of the pattern include nos. 4, 5, and 6; nos. 11, 12, and 13; and nos. 21, 22, and 23- all examples of a narrative, comment, and prayer72. Furthermore, the Passion was also composed on a chiastic structure. The term chiastic refers to the symmetry of the movement orders. Bach often wrote in a 69
Green,
Jonathan.
A
Conductor's
Guide
to
the
Choral­Orchestral
Works
of
J.S.
Bach.
Lanham:


The
Scarecrow
Pres,
Inc.,
2000.

503


70
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
361
 71
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
432


72
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
432





42


Hildebrand, Historical Biography pattern such as chorus, recitative, aria, recitative, and chorus. This creates an “X” shape when analyzing the order of the movements. The “X” refers to the Greek letter “chi”. The letter “chi” is the shape of the Greek cross (an “X”), which is similar to the shape of a Christian cross. The connection between the Cross and the structure of the Passion holds great significance, as it reinforces the meaning of the Crucifixion. It is important to note that Bach made a few key revisions to the Passion in 1736. One of the most important of these additions included the addition of two organs, placed in opposite balconies to accompany the ensemble. Bach also replaced the chorale Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, which ended the first part of the Passion, with a more elaborate fantasia setting of O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross. Interestingly, the latter was used as the opening movement of the second version of the St. John Passion73. The earliest manuscript of the Passion dates from 1736 and includes all of these revisions. This manuscript also happens to be one of the most beautifully perfected manuscripts from the Baroque era. Bach clearly held this Passion in high regard above most of his other sacred works; for he was inspired to copy the entire Passion in a blackish ink while using a bright red ink to compose the chorale melody in the opening movement O Lamm Gottes unschuldig as well as the text that was taken from the Gospel74. Bach would make later minor revisions to the Passion in 1739 and 1745. The Passion was not heard out of Leipzig until 1829

73
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
432


74
Rifkin,
Joshua.
"The
Passion
According
to
St
Matthew
BWV
244."
Bach
Cantatas.
Available


from
http://www.bach‐cantatas.com/Articles/SMP%5BRifkin%5D.htm.
Internet;
accessed
 24
Mar
2010.
 


43


Hildebrand, Historical Biography when Felix Mendelssohn conducted a version in Berlin with many of his own revisions. It is obvious at this point that Bach held the St. Matthew Passion with high regard and believed it conveyed an impassioned theological message. Serving as cantor at the Thomaskirche, Bach was essentially the musical preacher for the city of Leipzig. He was tested on his knowledge of the Gospels before attaining this position, and therefore was extremely well versed in the story of the Passion75. Bach composed the Passion not as an independent oratorio; rather, he composed the work to be heard in a specific liturgical context (i.e. the Good Friday Vespers). The Passion was meant to include congregational hymns, preaching, and prayer. This facilitated a clearer and more direct telling of the story of the Passion according to the Gospel of Matthew. Bach structured his Passion to convey the story of the Crucifixion to his audience, while allowing them to relate to it and appreciate some universal truth by which to live their lives. A main theme to be understood from the St. Matthew Passion is one of repentance. Unlike other passions the St. Matthew Passion ends with the Crucifixion and not the Resurrection. This places the Crucifixion as the moment of humanity’s redemption, and it encourages us all to seek repentance for whatever sins we may have committed. The text of the opening chorale O Lamm Gottes unschuldig is a paraphrase of the Agnus Dei that was to be sung at the end of the

75
Marissen,
Michael.
Lutheranism,
Anti­Judaism,
and
Bach's
St.
John
Passion.
New
York:


Oxford
University
Press,
1998.
7





44


Hildebrand, Historical Biography morning Hauptg ottesdienst on Good Friday76. This serves as a reflection on God’s sacrifice and man’s repentance. Another chorale, Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen (no. 40) reflects on this theme; it is essentially a prayer for mercy. The idea of repentance is shouted in more chorales such as the ending chorale of the first section and the final chorale of the Passion, echoing the redemption from the Crucifixion. All of the information stated above is a brief overview of some of the important details that are necessary to acquaint oneself with in order to analyze the work further in depth. It is important to note the liturgical context in which Bach composed this Passion. This allows one to further appreciate why he composed such a large-scale work and who it was intended for. It is only after this that one can analyze how Bach achieved conveying specific messages and how it affected his audience. With this foundation having been laid, it is now possible to explore the deeper theological and conceptual implications of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

76
Boyd,
Malcolm.
Oxford
Composer
Companions:
J.S.
Bach.
New
York:
Oxford
University


Press,
1999.
432





45



 CHAPTER FIVE

Digging Deep into the Descent: The Musical Potential of Descending Bass Lines Andrew Pham According to Laurence Dreyfus, for Bach “the function of the continuo part was not only a practical matter, but also the basis for composition.”77 Given this statement, Bach had likely thought very carefully about the continuo writing in much of his music, particularly a large scale piece such as the St. Matthew Passion, which employs the continuo virtually throughout the entire work. Dreyfus also adds that “the function of the continuo part was more important than the instruments that happened to play it.”78 He emphasizes the significance of continuo for encompassing the harmony of a piece of music. For the purpose of this paper, the term continuo refers to the instrumental realization of the harmony, but I venture to put aside the realization of the figured bass to argue the importance of the single monophonic line that is the continuo’s bass line. The bass line provides opportunities for a composer to manipulate several aspects of the music. Monteverdi, for example, in his “Lament of the Nymph,” exploits the descending tetrachord figure in the bass to derive several other interesting melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic implications for the rest of the ensemble. “By employing suspensions, syncopation, and phrase overlapping, he creates affective dissonances of harmony, melody, rhythm, and texture. In addition, he achieves structural dissonances by exploiting the ambiguity of phrase length, the double function of the tonic note as the beginning or ending of a phrase, which is increased by ostinato repetition of the pattern.”79 The bass line alone is a source for musical gestures that

Dreyfus, 2.
 Ibid.
 79 Rosand, 349.
 77 78

Pham, Digging Deep complement the meaning of the text. For instance, the descending minor tetrachord figure conveys a sense of emotional heaviness and functions historically as a lament.80 Descending contours in the bass line also appear in the first eight measures of “Erbarme Dich” and “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,” two emotionally contrasting arias from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Whereas “Erbarme Dich” elicits a sorrowful and lamenting tone, “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein” evokes a more hopeful and uplifting mood. Although the descending minor tetrachord functioned historically as a lament, Bach demonstrates the versatility of a conjunct descending bass contour. Bach achieves contrasting musical effects through careful construction and interplay of the bass line with the rest of the ensemble, highlighting many effects on melody, harmony, rhythm, and text painting according to how it might be perceived by modern listeners. “Erbarme Dich,” an alto aria, occurs in the middle of the St. Matthew Passion and follows the recitative in which Peter denies knowing Jesus for a third time. The text poetically reflects Peter’s remorse as he weeps bitterly, asking for God’s mercy. The bass line effectively depicts his sorrow, and the opening eight bars set up the listeners for what takes place in the bass line for the majority of the aria. Example 1.1 excerpts its first three measures, which contains the bass line’s primary material: a steady pulse of eighth notes descending stepwise. This figure varies throughout the aria, sometimes occurring as an ascending contour and sometimes using arpeggiated chords rather than three repeated notes, but the rhythm persists with a stream of eighth notes, which carry a potentially hypnotic effect on the listener. This minimalistic use of constant eighth note motion perhaps alludes to Peter’s dazed state as he comes to terms with his guilty betrayal of Jesus.

80




Rosand, 346.
 47


Pham, Digging Deep

Example 1.1. J.S. Bach, “Erbarme Dich,” from St. Matthew Passion BWV 244, mm. 1-3.

The bass line achieves this effect not only with the steady beat of eighth notes but also with patterns of alternating descending and ascending contours. The descending stepwise motion spans a fifth in the opening and becomes emphasized by the three repetitions of each pitch. The downward motion then inverts upwards in measure two, only to descend again in measure three. This descending and ascending contour in the opening measures creates an entrancing circular motion, creating the sense that the bass notes spin around the listener. This revolving sense also emerges on a microcosmic scale with the descending and ascending notes of the broken e minor triad on beat 3 in measure two. The unchanging rhythm in the bass line counters the rhythms of the solo violin, which freely explores faster notes that weave in between the eighth notes. This bass line creates a rhythmic constraint against which the solo violinist plays, ultimately directing attention to the grace notes in the melody. In the first measure, the violinist plays a B on virtually every beat. Because of the descending contour in the bass, space between the melodic B and the bass line gradually increases, and the grace notes convey a sense that the melodic line is losing a grip on the bass line, which seems to slip away. This essentially oblique motion between outer voices in




48


Pham, Digging Deep the first measure elicits the effect of something fleeting or dissipating while also emphasizing the static nature of the violin part. This unique interplay also suggests contrasting characters of the violin solo and the bass line. Though highly expressive and rhythmically free, the violin solo remains fixed around the same pitch as if portraying an insistent pleading for forgiveness. The perpetual descending eighth note motion, however, seems to insist on Peter’s inevitable guilt and increasingly lowering spirits. The pickup into the first measure shared by the violin solo and bass line emphasize the joint relationship of these two characters, demonstrating that the remorse and guilt go hand in hand. The bass also moves in contrary motion with the Violin I, Violin II, and Viola. The contrary motion becomes especially effective because the longer notes in the inner string parts contrast with the eighth notes moving underneath. As a result of this motion, the displacement between the low note in the bass line and the high note in the Violin I part doubles from one octave in the downbeat of measure 1 to two octaves on the downbeat of measure 2. Moreover, the short decay and ringing timbre of the pizzicato notes in the bass line contrast the bowed long notes in the strings, creating yet another striking contrast. These factors draw attention to the slower, dragging motion of the inner strings, perhaps suggesting a heavy languidness that accompanies Peter’s remorse. The structure of the bass line in the first three measures also provides much harmonic variety and ambiguity. Bach explores different harmonies such as a dramatic Neapolitan chord on the downbeat of the third measure before returning to the tonic in the fourth measure. While the harmony changes on virtually every dotted quarter note beat, the grace notes and faster moving notes of the violin solo tug at the harmonies and create a harmonic instability within the dotted quarter division. For example, the first beat of the violin line consists of many instances of




49


Pham, Digging Deep C sharp that function as passing tones that clash against the tonic harmony. Then in the second beat, the tonic harmony established by the sustained strings becomes further embellished by the newly descended upon A4 in the bass line and the A sharp 5 neighbor tone. This harmonic tension implies inconsolability and bitterness, which appropriately fits the mood of the singer who weeps before God and begs for mercy. Moreover, the ambiguous tonicization in a long harmonic progression creates an unsettling restlessness that distorts the listener’s harmonic orientation, reinforcing the idea of Peter’s dazed state. Erbarme dich, Have mercy, Mein Gott, um meiner Zähren willen! My God, for the sake of my tears! Schaue hier, Look here, Herz und Auge weint vor dir My heart and eyes weep before you Bitterlich. Bitterly. 81 The bass line serves an important purpose in alluding to the poetic text. The descending pizzicato notes seem to depict teardrops, and the plucked articulation suggests the sound of a drop of water or tear splashing upon a surface. This image most clearly illustrates the tearful eyes of the text, but the pizzicato notes also seem to liken to the vibrations of a beating heart, suggesting a dual image created by the text’s description of a weeping heart. The ascending contours in measure two suggest an increasing emotional intensity, as if graphically depicting a raised awareness of the thumping heartbeat. On the downbeat of measure three, the ascent up to E4 in the bass line conveys a feeling of an anguished heart lifted beneath one’s chest. The bass lines in the alto aria “Erbarme Dich” and the bass aria “Mache dich, mein Francis Browne, “Saint Matthew Passion BWV 244 – English Translation,” http://www.bachcantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm. Both translations come from this source. 
 81




50


Pham, Digging Deep Herze, rein” share common features, but Bach manages to achieve a much more joyous and hopeful effect in the latter aria. The aria takes place close to the end of the St. Matthew Passion, after Joseph, one of Jesus’ disciples, requests Jesus’ dead body from Pilate. Example 1.2 contains the first three bars of the aria, in which the bass line gradually descends. Like “Erbarme Dich,” this aria employs a bass line that descends stepwise to the perfect fifth below the starting tonic before changing directions, but the change of direction happens by the middle of the third measure opposed to the downbeat of the second measure in the previous aria. Interestingly, the bass lines of both arias share a 12/8 meter, but the implied tempo difference sets the two apart. In his book, The Art of Strict Musical Composition, Johann Philipp Kirnberger states that “One meter can be used for contrasting passions, depending upon the tempo and other factors.”82 Even though the bass aria typically assumes a faster tempo than the alto aria in most modern performances, the arrival on the low note takes at least a few seconds more in the bass aria. Furthermore, the arrival on the low note takes place in a different part of the harmonic progression, occurring immediately before a clear outlining of the dominant chord. This clear harmonic direction contrasts the harmonic ambiguity that surrounds the arrival of the low E3 in “Erbarme Dich.” Bach’s descending bass line in “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein” thus achieves a more harmonically clear and fulfilling effect than the descending bass line in “Erbarme Dich.”

82




Kirnberger, 776.
 51


Pham, Digging Deep

Example 1.2. Bach, “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,” mm. 1-3.

“Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,” also implies the presence of at least two voices in the bass line of the opening three measures. The first voice occurs in the register of B flat 3 and the second voice occupies the register of B flat 4. Although both lines descend, the eighth note pickups into the quarter note downbeats create a light, less anchored quality that suggests more motion in the music. The rhythm and alternation of two voices lengthen each line, enabling Bach to stretch the descent of the bass altogether. The octave difference between the voices also creates an opportunity for the listener to experience a refreshing break from the descending motion of either of the two lines. This contrasts with the unyielding eighth notes of the single implied voice in the bass line in “Erbarme Dich,” which offers no respite from the continuous eighth note motion of the bass. Furthermore, the arrival on measure 4 a few notes after the lowest note brings about a dramatic arppeggiated ascent, which contrasts both the rhythmic material preceding it and the gradual stepwise ascent of the alto aria’s bass line. Another aspect that factors into the differences between the bass lines includes the major tonality and the difference in the harmonic potential. Whereas “Erbarme Dich” explores various harmonies before returning to the tonic established by the opening, “Mache dich, mein Herze,




52


Pham, Digging Deep rein” assumes a more conservative harmonic progression. For the entire first measure, the bass line holds a B flat pedal tone, maintaining the major tonic harmony for the full measure. As mentioned earlier, the presence of two voices lengthens the descent, so as a result of the octave displacement, the bass line assumes the same fundamental pitch longer in at least two instances in the third and fourth dotted quarter beats of measure two and the first and second of measure three. Ultimately, this allows the music to dwell on the same harmony longer, and much of the harmony dwelt upon is reassuringly major rather than minor. The synergy of the bass line and the other instruments in the ensemble consist of a more unified approach compared to the interplay in “Erbarme Dich.” The bass line often shares similar motion with the two top instruments. Many of the octave leaps prepare the listener for the ascending motion in the third dotted quarter division of measure one in the oboe da caccia and violin parts, which differs from the contrary motion that pervades much of the opening of “Erbarme Dich.” between the bass line. The bass arpeggiations in measures 4 and 5 in Example 1.3 emphasize persistence in rising upwards even when the line descends in the Oboe da caccia I. Measures 4 and 5 also emerge as the strongest examples of homophonic similar motion, demonstrating a strong directional emphasis on upward movement, which contrasts the subtle descent of the opening.




53


Pham, Digging Deep

Example 1.3. Bach, “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein,” mm. 4-5.

As for the significance in text painting, the inclusion of at least two voices in the opening bass line potentially suggests the presence of Jesus with an individual. When one voice descends, the other descends with it, as if depicting one walking with Christ, demonstrating a reassurance that Jesus is now with the speaker of the text as suggested by the text translation below: Mache dich, mein Herze, rein, Make yourself pure, my heart Ich will Jesum selbst begraben, I want to bury Jesus himself within me, Denn er soll nunmehr in mir For he now within me Für und für Forever Seine süße Ruhe haben. Shall have his sweet rest. Welt, geh aus, lass Jesum ein! World, depart from my heart, let Jesus enter! The arppeggiations in measures 4 and 5 suggest an optimistic lifting upwards to heaven, perhaps foreshadowing Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday. Also, in both the opening three measures and the arpeggiated measures, the movement upward becomes accented by large intervallic strides and leaps that overshadow much of the downward stepwise motion. This




54


Pham, Digging Deep emphasis on ascent over descent creates a shifting focus from being grounded to the world to lifting one’s perspective to heaven. The rhythm of the bass in the first three measures also carries a general sense of stateliness that convey the image of Christ the king. Additionally, many of the aforementioned features also imply a dance-like nature to this aria. The quick tempo, 12/8 meter, slow harmonic movement, and homophonic textures suggest features of the Italian gigue, which provides a fitting uplifting rhythm for a rather joyous text.83 Bach’s descending bass lines demonstrate abundant musical potential as shown by the analyses of the openings of these two arias, yet further analyses can extend into several other issues. For instance, the bass line of “Mache dich, mein Herze, rein” in measure 2 demonstrates an unusual digression. The bass line establishes the expectation that the top voice will descend as the bottom voice descends, but on the fourth beat, Bach deliberately violates this expectation, allowing the lower voice to descend while the top voice repeats the same pitch. Did Bach perceive these two voices as portraying different characters on a theologically symbolic level, and if so, what does this pattern of descent suggest? Do the two voices suggest God’s relationship with man? Also, this paper omitted discussion of the bass line’s interaction with the vocal soloist in each aria. Further analysis of each aria may yield additional insight about the role of the bass line.

Grove Music Online, “Gigue (i),” http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11123 (accessed May 4, 2010).


83




55



 CHAPTER SIX

J.S. Bach’s Use of National Styles in the St Matthew Passion Ashley Porter One of the most striking aspects of the compositional style of Johann Sebastian Bach was his ability to move between various genres with ease while still maintaining a style very distinct to him. Throughout his compositions, Bach employed numerous techniques and genres making it difficult to classify his compositional style as being one particular manner. The St Matthew Passion (BWV 244) is no different in this respect. This discussion will focus specifically on the different national styles Bach utilizes in the St Matthew Passion and how their usage emphasizes and furthers the meaning of the text. The term “style” itself signals a wide variety of meanings. The term can refer to an individual composer’s style or the style of an age, as well as genre or even form.84 For this discussion, the term style will apply exclusively to that of the eighteenth-century in the various countries. The Italian style of the eighteenth-century is characterized by dramaticism, virtuosity, forward moving harmonic motion, and sustained tension and release.85 In eighteenth-century Italian music, you will often see long strings of fast notes and grand gestures often on variations of scales and arpeggios. These gestures serve not only to show off virtuosity, but also to create the element of drama in the music. This introduction of the idea of virtuosic playing is often attributed to Antonio Vivaldi as he employed these techniques often, especially in his violin

84
Laurence

Dreyfus, Bach and the Patterns of Invention (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996), 189. 85 Susan McClary, “The blasphemy of talking politics during Bach Year,” in Music and society: the politics of composition, performance and reception, ed. Richard Leppert and Susan McClary (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 41.

Porter, Use of National Styles concertos. A good example of this can be found in the solo violin part in the first movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin in F Major (RV 293):

Italian music of the eighteenth-century places heavy emphasis on drama and is full of dramatic moments. 86 The drama is created from the kinetic energy of the fast moving notes, as well as the perpetual forward moving motion. The feeling of moving forward is created not only by the direction of the notes, but also by the harmonic motion that seems to be leading the ear of the

86

Ibid. mq

Porter, Use of National Styles listener forward towards resolution.87 Furthering the aspect of drama, eighteenth-century Italian music also often utilizes strings of suspensions all in a row. A good example of the use of suspensions in a row can be found in the second movement of Archangelo Corelli’s Concerto No. 3 in C minor:

The suspensions created amongst the tied notes in the upper violin parts and the moving notes draw the listener in, almost making them beg for the music to resolve at last. Generally speaking, eighteenth-century Italian music places emphasis on drama and expression of emotion through the energy of fast notes, harmonic and melodic forward motion, and sustained tension and release. The style of French music from the eighteenth-century is almost completely contrary to

”q

Ibid., 41. m”

Porter, Use of National Styles that of the Italian.88 Eighteenth-century French music is characterized by deliberate gestures and rhythms, dance styles, quick releases of harmonic tension, and the heavy usage of ornaments, also known as agréments. Much of the French music from this time was influenced by the court music for Louis XIV and especially Jean-Baptiste Lully who composed for him and virtually controlled the genre of French music from 1653 until his death in 1687.89 The element of court music, especially the dances, can be heard and easily identified in French music from this time. The deliberate strong beats that would have been dictating how the dancers would have moved are one very clear way to distinguish eighteenth-century French music. The instance of a short note directly preceding a long note on the beat is another characteristic that comes from the French court dances. Eighteenth-century French music was also notorious for its use of flourishes and agréments. Below is a good example of the style of French music from this time from Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Ballet de l’Amour Malade (LWV 8):

88

Ibid, 42.

89
Oxford
Music
Online,
s.v.
“Lully,
Jean‐Baptiste.”






59


Porter, Use of National Styles

French music from this time period also made use of quick harmonic tensions and releases unlike the long strings of suspensions found in the Italian music of the day. Generally speaking, the French music of the eighteenth-century, heavily influenced by Lully, sought to be the contrast of the Italian90. The French method placed emphasis on dance styles, deliberate gestures and rhythms, and the use of agréments. German music of the eighteenth-century was heavily influenced by both the Italian and the French styles. 91 The musicologists Arno Forchert and Bernd Sponheuer termed this, “cosmopolitan-universalist”, meaning taking the best of the Italian and French styles and creating a mixture. 92 Italian musical compositional styles and forms had infiltrated Germany, while the German nobility modeled themselves after the French nobility and thus doing so

90

McClary, “The blasphemy of talking politics during Bach Year,” in Music and society, 41. Ibid, 42-43. 92 Celia Applegate, Bach in Berlin (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005), 76. 91

By

Porter, Use of National Styles acquiring some of their ideas concerning the courtly dances in the French courts.93 Some key specifically German characteristics include the use of chorale melodies as the basis for their compositions and the use of counterpoint. The use of chorale melodies represented the ties to the Lutheran church. By using the chorale melodies as the basis for many of their compositions, it forced the German composers to choose whether to follow the ways of the pre-tonal conventions, to use the more tonal conventions of the day, or to combine the two ways together.94 The usage of counterpoint prevalent in German eighteenth-century music gives the music a fuller quality than the unison lines found in Italian music, as well as giving the music a sense of direction. The usage of counterpoint was also popular because it remained attractive to the intellectuals of the German society.95 For the German composers at that time, it became commonplace to borrow from both the Italian and French styles. In this manner, Bach was no different. Overall, the style of German eighteenth-century music drew upon style conventions from both Italy and France, however the German usage of Lutheran chorale tunes and counterpoint sets the German music apart. In looking at the St Matthew Passion, there are many instances where Bach is clearly taking from the various national styles as well as instances in which Bach melds the national styles together. Perhaps one of the clearest instances in which Bach uses the French style is in the tenor aria,” Geduld, Geduld!”. The most striking French feature of the aria is the use of dotted rhythms. The dotted rhythms are seen throughout the movement in the continuo part, only departing for a short time every few measures. In the French court music of Lully, dotted rhythms were used more as a vehicle to push the music forward. Here, it seems as though Bach

93

McClary, “The blasphemy of talking politics during Bach year,” Music and society, 42-43. Ibid. 95 Ibid.
 94




61


Porter, Use of National Styles has used them to portray a sense of labor as the dotted sixteenth notes move up and down by steps and leaps, while the thirty-second notes remain on the same pitch for several repetitions before they venture upwards. The dotted rhythms also sound even more laborious due to the slow nature of the tempo used in most recordings and performances of the piece. There is a clear direction as seen in the dotted sixteenth notes, however the use of the thirty-second notes conveys a feeling of struggle as they often go back to the same pitch for several repetitions while the dotted sixteenth notes move on:

When observing the text, the use of the dotted rhythms and the reaching nature of the dotted sixteenth notes becomes clear. The solo tenor enters at measure five singing, “Geduld, Geduld!”, meaning, “Patience, Patience!”.96 Bach seems to be delivering the message of patience through the music as well as the text here. The French style here is effective because especially at this slow tempo, the dotted sixteenth notes and the toil of the thirty-second notes that are always reaching and are patiently waiting to reach a destination are really brought out. The combination

( B Bach

Cantatas Website, “St Matthew Passion BWV 244-English Translation,” http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV244-Eng3.htm. B:

Porter, Use of National Styles of the tenor voice singing, “Patience, Patience!” 97 and the rhythms patiently trying to reach a goal that they can never quite make it to, gives further meaning to the whole text of the aria than if just observing the music or the text separately. The influence of the Italian style on Bach may have begun due to his exposure to the Italian opera of the day and the innovations of Italian composers especially Antonio Vivaldi98. A clear example of Bach’s use of the Italian style occurs in the soprano aria, “Blute nur, du liebes Herz”. There are several eighteenth-century Italian influences in this movement. The form of this aria comes from Italian operatic convention as it is a da capo aria. By the beginning of the eighteenth-century in Italy, the da capo aria (ABA) was the dominant form for arias99. The accompaniment usually consists of continuo and just a few instruments as is seen here in “Blute nur” as the solo soprano is only accompanied by two flutes, two violins, and viola.

Da capo

arias also had the voice in octaves or unisons with one or more of the instrumental parts. While there is no instance of the voice being in octaves or unisons with any of the instrumental parts in this movement, there are several instances where the voice is in thirds with an instrumental part. For example, this can be seen in measure thirteen through twenty one where the flute is in thirds with the solo soprano:

97

Bach Cantatas Website, “St Matthew Passion BWV 244-English Translation”. Robert L. Marshall, The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach (New York: Schirmer Books, 1989), 7. 99 Oxford Music Online. Jack Westrup et al., s.v. ”Aria.” 
 98




63


Porter, Use of National Styles

The most obvious Italian characteristic that Bach uses here is the use of tension and release through suspensions in succession and delayed resolutions. The first example of suspensions in

Bt

Porter, Use of National Styles succession occurs in measure five of the aria. Here, flutes one and two as well as violins one and two create suspended tension with the continuo line. The entire measure consists of suspensions between the voices and is not resolved until the downbeat of measure six:

Another example of Italian tension and release occurs from measure seventeen to measure nineteen:

Bm

Porter, Use of National Styles

Here, flute one and the soprano hold an E through measure seventeen while the other voices take the entire measure to finally resolve on beat one of measure eighteen. Then, the roles are slightly reversed and the violins and viola sustain while the flute and soprano move through the measure to finally resolve on beat one of measure nineteen. The rest of the movement is filled with scenarios such as these as well as many other instances where strings of short dissonances in a row create long term tension and release moments, such as in measures thirty-three through thirty-five in the soprano line. These suspensions serve to create a dramatic atmosphere in the movement. When observing the text, it seems as though Bach very carefully chose to use the Italian style as opposed to French or German. Immediately preceding this aria, Judas had just accepted thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus. The soprano voice sings, “Bleed now, loving heart!/Ah! A child, whom you reared,/That sucked at your breast,/Is threatening to murder its BB

Porter, Use of National Styles guardian/For that child has become a serpent.”100 By using the sustained tensions and releases, Bach is able to convey the text’s message of turmoil and struggle through the music. The use of the suspensions adds a drama to the aria that neither the French or German styles would have been able to achieve in the same manner. Bach utilizes his own native German style often throughout the work. As the St Matthew Passion was written to be performed in a Lutheran service, it makes perfect sense that Bach uses Lutheran chorales often throughout the work, all in all thirteen chorales throughout the one hundred movements of the work. These chorales would have been pieces that the congregation would have been familiar with. All of the twenty-two choruses Bach uses employ extensive counterpoint a key stylistic element of the German style. Two chorus movements to note are “Lass ihn kreuzigen” at its first appearance as movement sixty-one, and then movement sixtyseven when “Lass ihn kreuzigen” appears a second time slightly altered. These choruses have both of the orchestras playing with each voice only being doubled by its mirror voice in the opposite orchestra. The spinning counterpoint that is created by the quick tempo and the ten voice counterpoint creates a state of chaos to the ear of the listener. The text of the movements is simply, “Lass ihn kreuzigen!” meaning, “Let him be crucified!”.101 These choruses occur at the part of the story where Jesus is awaiting his judgment. The Governor has the choice to release either Jesus or another prisoner, Barabbas. When the Governor asks the crowd who he should release, they all answer together,”Barabbas!”. When the Governor then asks the crowd what should be done with Jesus, they all answer together that he should be crucified. Looking back at how the music relates to the text, the spinning counterpoint makes perfect sense to represent the frenzied crowd. The use of the Italian style to create drama or even the dotted rhythms of the 100 101




Bach Cantatas Website, “St Matthew Passion BWV 244-English Translation. Ibid.
 67


Porter, Use of National Styles French style would not have been able to convey the same meaning as the German counterpoint. Finally, Bach was also a master of combining national styles. A good example of his fusing of national styles occurs in the alto aria, “Erbarme dich, mein Gott.” This aria contains both French and Italian characteristics. The constant eight notes in the continuo line give the movement a dance feel, as well as a feeling of always moving forward, characteristics of the French court music of the time. The solo violin begins with a melody filled with ornamentation and dissonances that give it a sorrowful tone, characteristic to both the Italian and French conventions of the time:

The Italian influence in this movement comes in the form of the drama that is created from the long suspensions. The first example of this occurs in measure one beginning on beat four and finishing on the downbeat of measure two:

The solo violin sustains a B while violin one, violin two, and viola all move to D sharp, A, and G respectfully, finally resolving on the downbeat of measure two. Many of the other examples of

B”

Porter, Use of National Styles long suspensions in this movement are created in this manner where one voice sustains and the others slowly move to resolution. The combination of the French and Italian styles further the meaning of the text. The text of this aria reads,”Have mercy,/My God, for the sake of my tears!/Look here,/My heart and eyes weep before you/Bitterly.”102 The suspensions heighten the drama of the movement, while the sorrowful succession of ornamental notes in the solo violin resemble weeping, and more specifically, tears being shed. After thorough examination of the St Matthew Passion, it becomes quite clear that Bach deliberately used different national styles to further convey the meaning of the text. The three national styles that can be identified throughout the work, French, Italian, and German, all have unique characteristics that lend to being able to convey certain moods. Bach was a master at being able to swiftly move between these three national styles as well as being able to combine them all together. While Bach was clever throughout the work in his use of the various national styles, it cannot be forgotten that the usage of the various national methods of composition was not unique to Bach. In fact, it was a common German compositional technique to imitate the French and Italian styles of music. As Bach was a devout Lutheran, it could also be said that he was adding his own commentary on the story of Christ’s crucifixion through the usage of text painting and switching between Italian and French modes of composition. Bach’s clever use of different styles at specific points of the text serves to further its meaning in a manner that could not have been accomplished otherwise. The sheer musical genius Bach displays in this work has allowed for it to make a lasting impact and continue being one of the greatest works ever composed even today.

102




Ibid.
 69



 CHAPTER SEVEN

Violone and Double Bass in the St. Matthew Passion Evan Sarver It is known that in vocal-instrumental works of the Baroque period, whether on a massive scale such as the St. Matthew passion, first performed on Good Friday, or just a single cantata from a year long cycle, the basso continuo was the body of instruments that acted as the core of the rest of the ensemble. Falling in with the ripieno for boisterous choruses, or standing alone in the accompaniment of an aria, the continuo group was a defining characteristic of Baroque performance. However for such an indispensable piece of the Baroque sound, the makeup of the basso continuo group was hardly ever concrete. Basso continuo groups by the 1720’s typically always had cello and a keyboard instrument, be it harpsichord or organ, however, often times the continuo group included a bass instrument which could be a variety of instruments including viola da gamba, bassoon or violone. The violone is a bass string instrument whose time of prominence precedes that of the modern double bass. For modern performances of works like the St. Matthew Passion, a double bass would be used in place of the violone. So for us modern day double bass players who want to play Baroque period music, we must start by looking back to see how extensively the violone was implemented in the musical forces. This paper will concentrate on the use of the violone as a commonplace participant in Bach’s continuo group for the St. Matthew Passion. For ensembles today that are up for the challenge of performing the St. Matthew Passion and other works with intact violone parts from the Baroque era such as cantatas 71 and 208, and each of the six Brandenburg concertos, staffing the continuo group presents a unique challenge. Most of Bach’s scores, particularly from the Leipzig phase do not give a specific

Sarver, Violone and Double Bass instrumentation for the continuo. It just reads “continuo”. Even if it was discovered exactly what instruments Bach would have used, without exorbitant funding, a typical small orchestra will have to make do with substituting the authentic baroque instruments with modern instruments that evolved from or are closely related to Bach’s instruments. The modern string bass, or double bass, or contrabasse, or bass violin, or upright bass makes a perfectly suitable alternative to the Baroque violone. The violone and the string bass share many similarities. The two instruments play identical roles in the orchestra and both transpose their part an octave down. Research on one of Anna Magdalena’s scores of Cantata 62 shows the Violone part written a perfect octave above the cello.103 The only sensible explanation for this is that the two lines are intended to be in unison but violones are transposing. Although the size of the violone was not consistent, the larger violones, usually tuned in D were of very similar size and shape to the modern double bass. A bass and violone look similar because the double bass is a descendent of the viol family as opposed to the violin family. Violones usually had six strings, whereas a bass has four, but the bulk of the playing was done on the top five. One of the characteristics that the modern double bass dropped is the use of frets. Violones and other viol family instruments make use of strings of gut tied around the neck to serve as frets. The strings themselves represent a major difference between a modern double bass and a Baroque violone.104 My own bass, an instrument built in the 1940’s by John Juzek, is outfitted with typical modern strings and they are flatwound steel strings with stranded steel cores. The addition of steel wrapped strings to the double bass gives it much more response when striving for well articulated low bass notes. Metal wrapped strings were introduced in the 1660’s but the

103

Laurence Dreyfus. Bach’s Continuo Group: Players and Practices in His Vocal Works. (Cambridge,
Massachusetts:

Harvard
University
Press,
1987).

162‐164
 104 Richard Partridge, “The Brandenburg Bassist,” Double Bassist issue 41 (2007): 48 


71


Sarver, Violone and Double Bass core was gut. Even with the introduction of metal wrapped gut strings, many players still used all gut strings in Bach’s time. When gut strings break, tying another piece of gut to the broken string can repair them. If they become unusable as strings then they can be tied around the neck and used as frets.105 Violone and string bass lie in the middle of the spectrum of bass continuo instruments.106 On one end is the Viola da Gamba whose mystical appearances are somewhat symbolic. By the time Bach moved to Leipzig in the early 1720’s, the viola da gamba was already considered an instrument of the past and a mere instance of its participation in a group was noteworthy. For example, in the bass aria Komm, süßes Kreuz, the viola da gamba is given a solo role that rivals the singer’s part in terms of importance. The light, dotted figures in the gamba part make use of French note inégale which symbolizes royalty due to its resemblance to a French overture. However, the viola da gamba was not as well suited to play continuo bass lines compared to the other low string instruments of Leipzig, such as violoncello and violone. The underhand bow technique used to play the viola da gamba is not advantageous when attempting to articulate robust bass notes in the bottom of the gambas range. Traditionally, parts for the viola da gamba have made use of the instruments wispy alto and tenor registers.107 On the other end is the cello, a work horse of the continuo. It doubles every sustained fundamental of the keyboard in support of the singer. By the 1720’s the violoncello had become a constant in Baroque continuo groups.108 In the middle are the double bass instruments whose deep sonorities highlight the colors of a given passage and direct the impact of a performance. 105 
Partridge,
48.
 106

Dreyfus,176.

107 
Dreyfus,
166‐167.
 108

Karl Hochreither. Performance Practice of the Instrumental-Vocal Works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. 2002. 11
 


72


Sarver, Violone and Double Bass The performer must choose how to conceptualize the atmosphere of a piece of music by letting a contrabasse string instrument anchor the ensemble. In Bach’s time, the word violoncello always translated to what we think of as a Baroque period cello. However, the word violone did not refer to a standardized instrument. Some were slightly bigger than a cello and tuned just like a cello but a whole step down, others were twice as big as a cello and could play an octave lower than the cello’s low C.109 In Johann Mattheson’s publication Das neu-eröffnete Orchestre of 1713, he describes contrasting roles of violoncello and violone. The excellent violoncello is a small Bass-Fiddle…with five or also six strings upon which one can play all types of fast pieces, variations, ornaments more easily than on the large instruments…The rumbling Violone, Basse de violone in French, large Bass fiddle in German, is fully twice as large or often larger that the aforementioned. Consequently the thickness and length of its strings are proportionally greater. It sounds in the 16-foot register and is an important and cohesive fundament to polyphonic pieces such as choruses and the like and is also very necessary for arias and recitatives in the theater because its heavy sound projects and is heard farther than the harpsichord and other bass instruments.110 There were also contrabass instruments more similar to the modern double bass being played in Italy around this time for dramatic operatic productions. However, the violone was more prevalent in Germany. The violone that Bach made use of in Leipzig was one of the larger violones that the church of Leipzig owned. It was considered a 16 foot instrument along with the Italian contrabasses.111 The first known instances of Bach using violone were in cantatas from Muhlhausen from around 1707. The instrument used in Cantata 71 was probably a smaller violone tuned in G. 109 
Dreyfus,
136.
 110 
Dreyfus,
139.
 111 
Dreyfus,
158.

The
designation
“16
ft”
refers
to
the
register
in
which
the
instrument


sounds.

It
corresponds
to
the
length
of
the
pipe
on
an
organ.

The
longest,
lowest
sounding
 pipe
on
an
organ
is
16
feet
which
is
in
the
contrabasse
range,
therefore
a
16
foot
string
 instrument
sounds
in
the
same
range.
 


73


Sarver, Violone and Double Bass The score for Cantata 208 contains two bass staves. One is labeled Violons e Bassons and there is Cont. e Violono grosso. The importance is in the labeling because the fact that he differentiates between violons and violono grosso means there are two different bass string instruments. In this case violons indicates cellos and violono grosso can translate to a larger instrument, probably a violone. The part for the larger instrument contains a low C, two octaves below middle C. This evidence points strongly in favor of a large violone.112 The most noteworthy surviving violone parts left from Bach’s time at Cöthen of the Brandenburg concertos. There are specific violone parts in each of the six concertos. What is particularly interesting is that the range in which Bach writes the part varies slightly in each piece. This suggests that different sized violones were used. Subsequently, because the ensemble was likely to change slightly over time, this supports the idea that the time in which Bach wrote the Brandenburg concertos spanned the eight years that he resided in Cöthen and not all at once.113 In Leipzig, Bach usually specified for one violone in his ensemble. However, it was probably seldom that he had the luxury of employing a violone player. His church was reluctant to give him enough funding to support an ensemble with a violone player. There are even documents in which he lists both the violone and violoncello slots vacant.114 Cantatas 78 and 137 have parts written out specifically for violone however they are written on the back of a horn part and a third trumpet part. The horn player and third trumpet player were actually the same person which means this person slid over to the continuo to play violone for a couple movements and then went back to the brass section. This was common practice at Leipzig

112 
Dreyfus,
153.


 113 
Dreyfus,
142.
 114 
Dreyfus,
156.





74


Sarver, Violone and Double Bass because the horn players had to audition on all of the brass instruments and also violone.115 It is impossible to imagine that the caliber of instrument specialists was very high in his ensemble, judging by the amount of doubling that was being done in relation to the amount of pay. Many of Bach’s works were performed without violone even if he had requested it. However, for large scale work such as the St. Matthew Passion a sixteen foot violone was absolutely necessary. The score to Cantata 195 contains a specific violone part for every movement. It is clear that Bach saw the need for the violone in his continuo. It was more of just a question of finding a body that was free to play the instrument.116 There are numerous movements in the St. Matthew Passion in which a 16 foot bass string instrument can be heard on recordings. The recording I am referencing is by John Eliot Gardiner with The English Baroque Soloists orchestra and The Monteverdi Choir. The English Baroque Soloists is a Baroque period ensemble that performs on period instruments. The liner notes list the instruments used but the violone part is listed as double bass. This refers to a Baroque period double bass and not a violone. The three movements that I shall focus on are the opening chorus, Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen, a soprano aria Blute nur, du liebes Herz, and one of the Evangelist’s recitatives, Und siehe da, der Vorhang. In the Chorus, the bass pedals on a low E in the second

115 
Dreyfus,
157.
 116 
Dreyfus,
165.
“Most
likely,
the
Leipzig
violone
was
a
welcome
member
of
the
continuo


group
to
the
extent
that
Bach
could
find
someone
to
play
it.”

The
sentiment
is
similar
 today.

When
I
show
up
to
a
church
gig
to
play
Handel’s
Messiah,
the
church
choir
members
 are
often
intrigued
by
the
foreign
sounding
double
bass
and
what
it
adds
to
their
ensemble.

 This
parallels
Dreyfus’s
description
of
Bach’s
circumstances
because
even
today,
the
double
 bass
is
not
a
weekly
participant
and
church
instrumental‐vocal
groups
because
either
it
is
 not
musically
appropriate
or
more
often
there
is
not
a
bassist
readily
available
ie.
not
one
 that
is
a
member
of
the
congregation.

So
when
churches
hire
one
out
for
a
major
event
in
 the
liturgical
year,
such
as
Easter
or
Christmas,
the
“local”
church
musicians
are
delighted
 to
have
the
extra
support
given
by
the
double
bass.

 


75


Sarver, Violone and Double Bass octave below middle C, the tonic of the minor key in a note inégale style for the first five twelveeight measures. This is a build of tension until it is released in an ascent of eighth notes up the scale.

The low register in which this part is played allows it to add much weight and gravity to the line. When the voices come in, the note inégale rhythm is continued but the bass line has more harmonic motion and the ascending line of eighth notes in groups of three recurs throughout the movement. This is one of the few movements in the passion that the violone part is heard all the way through.117 The violone makes its presence known once again in the soprano aria Blute nur, du liebes Herz. Although according to Mattheson, the violone is “very necessary for arias and recitatives in the theater,”118 the St. Matthew Passion has many aspects of opera even though it is a sacred work. The violone adds to this operatic aesthetic greatly during this movement. During the first verse, the violone is playing almost inaudibly under the singer but the ensemble sound smolders due to the depth given by the violone. For the second verse the violone lays out completely but during the instrumental interludes it returns and releases a deluge down to a low D below the bass clef staff just before the singer enters again.119 The Evangelist recitative, Und siehe da, der Vorhang is toward the end of the work

117

Dover Miniature Scores. Johann Sebastian Bach: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 in Full Score. From Bach-Gesellschaft Edition, ed. Julius Rietz. Mineola, New York: Dover 1999. 1-3. RR” 7 a 18cRp( l RR( . 0 7cpt epql qB

Sarver, Violone and Double Bass and opens with a very intense and difficult passage for the instrumentalists. The continuo group has thirty-second note runs followed by measured tremolos at the same speed. The bass strings have this too and while for the most part, their notes are very distinguishable, there is one particularly tricky run that skips from a low G to a C more than an octave higher and then descends all the way back down to the lowest C, an octave below the cello’s range, in just two beats of the 4/4 measure.120

It sounds like the lowest string players could not quite get their left hands moving that fast. However, immediately following that the tremolos are perfectly locked in time. Keeping in mind the limited talent available to Bach at Leipzig, whoever, if anyone, was playing violone on this movement most likely did not play at the same level as the bass players on the Gardiner R: y

. 0 7c: t ( l qq

Sarver, Violone and Double Bass recording. There are documents that state that violone players would drop out in lieu of sounding ragged on hard parts or would just play the first note in each grouping during a fast passage. Johann Quantz treatise on the violoncello touches upon this issue. If florid passages should occur in the bass so fast that the violone player would be unable to play them distinctly, he might play of each figure (whether sixteenth- or thirty-second notes) the first, third, or last note. But he must always seek to be guided by the principle notes, which constitute the bass melody……Except in florid passages like these (which some find too fast to play comfortably), the violonist must play everything. If he were to play only the first eighth-note of a four-note group and skip three (as some occasionally do-especially when accompanying a piece they did not compose), then I do not know how he could escape the charge of laziness or malice.121 This was probably a fairly common occurrence in Leipzig seeing as most of the violonist was actually a brass player of some sort. In the time period of the St. Matthew Passion no one only played bass, or violone for that matter. It was just another instrument that multi-instrumentalists took up to add to their skills.122 It is clear that Bach enjoyed making use of the violone whether he wrote explicitly for it or not. The fact is he was denied the choice of the violone more often than not by illness or lack of enough funds to permit hiring a violonist. One of the choices we must make as modern performers is whether or not to make use of an ample string bass section if Bach called for it but was not actually able to implement it. The solution lies in the sound of the ensemble. Evidence from scores and treatises do not have to be treated as absolute truths.

121

Hochreither, 12

122 
Partridge,
49





78



 CHAPTER EIGHT

Hearing the St. Matthew Passion Rebecca Springer Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion will never be heard again as it was originally intended, composed, and performed. Many scholars consider this straightforward statement in a negative light, condemning the modern performances. Helmuth Rilling once said, “…it was all very well that we have original instruments and original performance practices, but unfortunate that we have no original listeners.”123 On the other hand, many scholars regard this statement in a positive light, suggesting that we disregard worrying about the original performance altogether and, instead, mold the music to serve our present ears. Susan McClary, for example, proposes the “age-old strategy of rewriting the tradition in such a way as to appropriate Bach to our own…ends.”124 The purpose of this paper, however, is not to side with either viewpoint. The intention is to analyze Bach’s original purpose for his Passion, consider how it was received by his original audience, specifically in regards to its religious context, and compare it to the 21st-century performance intent and audience reception. Looking back to the 1720s when Bach composed this work, we can first observe Bach’s specific purpose for composing this passion. At this time, J.S. Bach was employed as church cantor at St. Thomas church in Leipzig, Germany. In this position, Bach was responsible for producing music for two large churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas, and completing minor duties at three other churches. The required composed music included a cantata every Sunday,

123 
Daniel
R.
Melamed,
“Bach’s
St.
John
Passion:
Can
We
Really
Still
Hear
the
Work—and


Which
One?”
in
The
World
of
Baroque
Music,
edited
by
George
B.
Stauffer
(Bloomington,
IN:
 Indiana
University
Press,
2006),
233.
 124 
Susan
McClary,
“The
blasphemy
of
talking
politics
during
Bach
Year,”
in
Music
and
 Society,
edited
by
Leppert
and
McClary
(1987),
61.


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion special music programs at Christmas and Easter, Passion music on Good Friday, funeral motets when needed, and music for special ceremonies.125 In 1727, Bach chose to compose his requisite passion from the Gospel of Matthew. Beyond a required undertaking, Bach's character and purpose for composing this passion was, most importantly, his intention for his personal worship of God. As evidenced in most of his works, the letters “SDG,” representing “Soli Deo Gloria” (To God alone the glory) are written at the end of each piece, signifying that the utmost reason for his composition was to bring God glory. As Stiller states: “There could be no clearer documentation to show that for Johann Sebastian Bach his entire creativity and activity…was in fact worship in the widest sense of the word.”126 This aspect of glorifying God through worship was instilled in Bach through adolescence as he received strict Lutheran orthodox education consisting of the close connection of liturgical training and worship- the center of Christian life.127 One may conclude that Bach directed every text and musical idea to the glory of God. Through observation of the text in the St. Matthew Passion, it becomes evident that a strong emphasis of his composition is on the proclamation of Jesus Christ to his congregation. Through direct quotations from the book of Matthew and poetic interpretations of Scripture passages, Bach gives a vivid and exalting view of Jesus, bringing his audience into a reverential state of worship. “These texts do not want to be inspected and judged in the first place, but they want to be heard together with the music and be taken seriously in their proclamation… ‘the person of

125 
Russell
H.
Miles,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
An
Introduction
to
His
Life
and
Works


(Englewood
Cliffs,
NJ:
Prentice‐Hall,
Inc,
1962),
page
88.

 126 
Gunther
Stiller,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
and
Liturgical
Life
in
Leipzig
(St.
Louis,
MO:
 Concordia
Publishing
House,
1984),
page
211.
 127 
Ibid,
211.
 


80


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion Christ… realistically comes to the fore, as if one saw the Savior Himself and spoke with Him,’ is basically true for all of Bach’s… texts that are engaged in the service of liturgical proclamation.”128 Bach aims to captivate the listener through solid Biblical text and dramatic musical images of Christ’s crucifixion. Bach also composed the St. Matthew Passion for the purpose of teaching Bible. As the music director in Leipzig, Bach was given the tremendous responsibility of teaching basic theology through music, specifically teaching Luther’s Small Catechism (the biblical doctrine as interpreted by Martin Luther).129 Bach’s usage of theological development within his music is comparable to the form of preaching. Being a devout Christian, Bach seemed to have enjoyed this responsibility of teaching Bible through his music. As demonstrated by his second copy of the St. Matthew Passion, written ten years later, after the first was damaged, Bach’s main interest seems to rest in the accuracy of the presentation of Scripture, as all biblical passages were neatly and boldly underlined in red ink.130 Bach therefore views the textual passages directly produced from the Bible as the most important, and he intentionally uses the neatly labeled score as a demonstration of his compositional intent for his successors. W. Herbst states: “Above all, he attached the greatest importance to making the music’s text also proclaim the Gospel as purely as possible. He would rather opt for an imperfect form, an infelicitous rhyme, or an uneven rhythm but retain instead the spiritual content that he wished for in the text

128 
Gunther
Stiller,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
and
Liturgical
Life
in
Leipzig
(St.
Louis,
MO:


Concordia
Publishing
House,
1984),
page
214.
 129 
Robin
A.
Leaver,
“The
mature
vocal
works
and
their
theological
and
liturgical
context,”
 in
The
Cambridge
Companion
to
Bach,
edited
by
John
Butt
(New
York:
Cambridge
University
 Press,
1997),
121.

 130 
Gunther
Stiller,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
and
Liturgical
Life
in
Leipzig
(St.
Louis,
MO:
 Concordia
Publishing
House,
1984),
page
216.

 


81


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion and that was not watered down by rhetorical superfluity… Measured by the standard of the aesthetics of the Enlightenment, his corrections can frequently only be rejected, but for him the theological proclamation outweighs the aesthetic element.” 131 The ultimate intention for the Passion was to vividly proclaim Jesus Christ to his audience by accurately portraying the gospel through the text. To emphasize the importance of Good Friday, Bach generated specific musical elements to create tension and to portray the agony of Jesus in preparation for the final and glorious resolution in an Easter Sunday cantata a few days later.132 Based on the purpose and goal of Bach’s composition, the personal context of his composition is evident, and one can next observe the reaction and interpretation of Bach’s original audience. As Melamed comments, there are many factors of performance practice that may be considered, but Bach’s listeners are the most important component of the piece. The most determinant factor of the purpose of the piece is the music’s liturgical context and significance, and the experience, knowledge, assumptions, and conventions that the listeners brought to a performance.133 Eighteenth- century Leipzig was a predominantly Lutheran town, consisting of less than one percent practicing Catholics, Calvinists, and Jews. Records show that by the 1710s, about 9,000 of the 30,000 Leipzig citizens attended church regularly on Sunday mornings. References

131 
Gunther
Stiller,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
and
Liturgical
Life
in
Leipzig
(St.
Louis,
MO:


Concordia
Publishing
House,
1984),
page
213.




132 
Christoph
Wolff,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
The
Learned
Musician
(New
York:
W.W.
Norton


&
Company,
2000),
page
302.
 133 
Daniel
R.
Melamed,
“Bach’s
St.
John
Passion:
Can
We
Really
Still
Hear
the
Work—and
 Which
One?”
in
The
World
of
Baroque
Music,
edited
by
George
B.
Stauffer
(Bloomington,
IN:
 Indiana
University
Press,
2006),
237.

 


82


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion demonstrate that the churches were often full and a demand for pews continually existed.134 Of course, not all congregants were devout Christians as many attended church for social or family reasons. However, even though the congregants segregated by social class and profession, they were all able to gain the full experience of the service each week and participate through worship music.135 A customary church service consisted of hymns, prayers, cantatas, scripture reading, and a sermon. Records show that the church-goers of Leipzig became familiar with the order of services and chants, as a guide for visitors was available each Sunday.136 Because a Passion presentation was performed annually, this became a familiar event to the vast majority of those in attendance. Based on the familiarity of the service, we can assume that most of the church attendees had a basic knowledge of the Bible, a belief in Jesus, were accustomed to hearing the gospel, and were anticipating the conviction and emotions associated with the Passion. In regards to Bach’s aspiration to invoke worship through this passion, the listener was “invited to identify himself with the sufferings of Jesus, to share His anguish and pain, to feel the impact of human cruelty, and to realize anew that it was for him that Jesus died upon the cross.”137 Bach uses the musical elements in support of the text to “draw the hearer into the story but also to make a broad theological point, namely, the central importance of the individual’s personal relationship to the Passion story in Lutheran theology.”138 Thus, Bach achieved his purpose in his audience by drawing them into emotional responses, personal reflections, and

134 
Tanya
Kevorkian,
Baroque
piety:
religion,
society,
and
music
in
Leipzig,
(Burlington,
VT:


Ashgate
Publishing,
Ltd.,
2007),
30.
 135 
Ibid.,
2.



136 
Ibid.,
31.

 137 
Russell
H.
Miles,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
An
Introduction
to
His
Life
and
Works


(Englewood
Cliffs,
NJ:
Prentice‐Hall,
Inc,
1962),
page
106.

 138 
Daniel
R.
Melamed,
“Bach’s
St.
John
Passion:
Can
We
Really
Still
Hear
the
Work—and
 Which
One?”
in
The
World
of
Baroque
Music,
edited
by
George
B.
Stauffer
(Bloomington,
IN:
 Indiana
University
Press,
2006),
240.

 


83


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion ultimately closer communion with God. An aspect in support of Bach's achieved purpose could be found in the context of the Lutheran church calendar. The Lutheran church observed a "closed period" throughout Lent during which the churches played no music from the beginning of Lent until Easter Sunday, with the exception of a Marian feast and the Good Friday service.139 Consequently, the 18th-century listeners entered a church service after a long musical “drought,” which could arguably have increased the strong emotional response among them as the first music they heard was a vivid description of the crucifixion of Jesus. Another interesting feature of the original composition of the passion is Bach’s intentional division of the piece into two separate parts with the intent that a sermon could be placed between the two.140 The sermon most likely remained on the topic of the story of Jesus and his death. Therefore, church-goers received reinforced teaching throughout the entire service through the various cantatas, the passion, and the sermon, further leading to their worship of God and learning of Scripture. From these factors, a conclusion may be made that Bach’s audience was somewhat accustomed to the church service and music of this time, and so began listening to the passion with a preconceived expectation of being led into further personal reflection. In contrast, the audience of 2010 brings drastically different expectations, assumptions, knowledge, conventions, and experience to the performances of the St. Matthew Passion. Continuing with observations noted by Daniel R. Melamed, several comparisons exist. First, many specific aspects of performing forces cause the music of today to be performed and heard differently from the original. Some of these forces include: size of the chorus(es), difference in 139 
Ibid.,
238.
 140 
Ibid.





84


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion the gender and age of the performers, vocal training and production, frequency and productivity of rehearsals, instrumentation, instrument types, instrumental techniques, pitch standards, number of written parts, and type of performance venue including acoustics, set-up, and focus of the audience.141 However, after considering all of these elements, the main and most obvious difference of the 21st-century listener is the lack of familiarity with Leipzig church services. Twenty-first-century listeners are not exposed to the Passion in the same setting and context as were the 18th-century Leipzig listeners. Today, we rarely, if ever, hear the St. Matthew Passion performed during a Good Friday service or any church service. If one wanted to attend a performance of the St. Matthew Passion, a simple online search may bring him to the website of the New York Philharmonic, for example. Here, the professional performers with respective biographies are listed, stating their years of experience and previous honorable performances, signifying that the emphasis of performance is the high level musicianship and accuracy of the specific musical elements. A separate link displays each available concert and the price of tickets per seat preference, a luxury the original Leipzig audience never had. The performance of the Passion then occurs in a recital hall, complete with comfortable seating, program notes and translations, and an intermission for audience members to stretch and rejuvenate rather than to continue sitting solemnly for the sermon. Today’s audience members may range from Bach scholar who has listened to every recording available of the St. Matthew Passion to one who has simply “heard of Bach,” from devout Christian who can follow the Passion word-for-word from scripture memory to atheist-- quite a contrast from that of the 1727 Leipzig experience. Overall, Bach’s ultimate goal of bringing the congregation into self-reflection and

141 
Daniel
R.
Melamed,
“Bach’s
St.
John
Passion:
Can
We
Really
Still
Hear
The
Work—and


Which
One?”
in
The
World
of
Baroque
Music:
New
Perspectives,
edited
by
George
B.
Stauffer
 (Bloomington,
IN:
Indiana
University
Press,
2006),
236‐237.

 


85


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion worship is rarely achieved with the 21st century audience, as worship is rarely the goal of the modern performances. Instead, the Passions have shifted from sacred to secular performances, and the performance goal has shifted from personal conviction and worship of each audience member to the personal enjoyment and entertainment of each audience member. To further contrast the original and present audience members, most modern listeners have not been raised with the theological ideas, based on the doctrine of Luther, which were used throughout church services and were incorporated in Bach’s Passion. Hans Blumenberg states: “… We also think about the listener many years later from whose horizon the images and analogies, the holy stories and sermons, the words and hymns of Bach’s parishioners have vanished, without being substituted by anything comparable.”142 Even devout church-goers of today have different theological viewpoints, much different from the Reformation era. Therefore, 21st-century listeners may not even be able to grasp Bach’s goal for them of learning more theology and coming into closer communion with God. They listen to the passion with much less devotion, and the approach of an audience member attending a St. Matthew Passion performance would no longer be to learn Scripture, but to be entertained. “…the later generations no longer even remotely possessed that knowledge of the Bible, and therefore the appreciative access to the numerous references and allusions to the stories, pictures, and wording of the Bible had to remain a closed book to them…”143 Therefore, the modern audience differs greatly from the 18th-century audience, explaining the differences in interpretation and purpose for attending the performance.

142 
Martin
Zenck,
“Bach
reception:
some
concepts
and
parameters,”
in
The
Cambridge


Companion
to
Bach,
edited
by
John
Butt
(New
York:
Cambridge
University
Press,
1997),
 223.
 143 
Gunther
Stiller,
Johann
Sebastian
Bach
and
Liturgical
Life
in
Leipzig
(St.
Louis,
MO:
 Concordia
Publishing
House,
1984),
page
214.

 


86


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion Because of the drastic shift in performance and religious practices, the Passion will never be heard the same as it was in 1727 Leipzig. However, some mysterious element still draws listeners out to hear it, and perhaps some mysterious element of Bach’s composition achieves a purpose in modern-day listeners that was not possible originally. So then, the lingering question may be: Would Bach really have cared if his Passion was performed and heard differently? This is an on-going debate with no definitive answer. So, we must consider this shift in performance over time and try to discern what still draws people to the St. Mathew Passion. Many of today’s listeners may feel an association with the performance of Bach’s passion because of its significance to their faith. Others may instead relate to the emotional aspects which are portrayed in the composition, namely, guilt, fear, peace, and joy. Perhaps the work is wellknown and audience members are curious; perhaps audience members want to just experience a small taste of the music of Bach; perhaps the musical elements and seemingly ingenious structure of the music captivates people; or perhaps there is something deeper than the music that still remains and still causes audience-members to be moved. Johann Sebastian Bach, composer and theologian, was an influence in his time and remains one today with his music and bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel. Bach believed the Gospel story and set it to music in his St. Matthew Passion. He had an audience of believers as well. Today the audience has changed; the setting has changed; the purpose may have changed. Yet, his music still transforms the listener in some manner. “This suggests, among other things, that Bach’s passion music, able to engage listeners in even radically different circumstances, is compelling at some level that transcends performance




87


Springer, Hearing the St. Matthew Passion practices and contexts.” 144

144 
Daniel
R.
Melamed,
Hearing
Bach’s
Passions
(Oxford
University
Press,
Incorporated,


2005)
page
131.





88


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