My Thoughts on St. John’s Passion

St. John’s Passion was a nice classic oratorio. It’s writer, Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote this during his first year as director of church music in Leipzig. The first ever performance of this piece was performed on April 7, 1724. Two hundred and ninety years ago at Good Friday Vespers at the St. Nicholas Church. It is built around two main halves or movements intended to illustrate a sermon. There was issues about the similarities of the St. Matthew’s Passion and this of Bach’s that still stir up controversy today about dates for the pieces of music. When listening one hears many voices whom range from basso profondo to coloratura soprano. These vast ranges help to make up great tone color from the voices alone. Bach uses aria’s, recitative, ensembles, and beautiful chorus work to portray what he wants to the audience with such elegance and defined tuning. The big orchestra with it’s vast musicians make up a great tone color. They had all the instruments in a traditional orchestra alongside an harpsichord wielded by the composer himself.

My Emotions

This oratorio was very insightful and prolonging. In this time music was a focal point of entertainment and a lot of what could be read in minutes is stretched out into a longer process that may or may not be easier for you to remember or comprehend depending on whether or not this is something compatible to your style of learning. The musical has altering tempos throughout that rise suspense and keep the audience engaged, and at certain parts grow loud together as instruments and end of on key. This is the vocal interpretation of a great experience and is a great sound to be able to make.

The execution of this piece was 8 out of 10 being that at times a performer was off. Being that whom may have been to fast or slow at any point. And the fact that subtitles where very spotty, so one fully understood parts and was just blindly listening to music in others not knowing what is going on exactly but beauty was being made from the vast instruments coming together. The recorded performance took place in the year 2000 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The event seemed to be an formal event taking place in a theater . It is the older sibling to the St. Matthew’s Passion and a great piece to get the chance to be a part of. A lot of aspirations went into the making and maintaining of this piece and it will continue to grow popularity in the future. Bach, before the end of his life, remastered this piece many times but this version (1724) seems to be the most world renowned. The work a musician puts into their piece determines the value of it overtime. With the time and effort put into this piece many successful oratorio’s have been made possible.