Johann Sebastian Bach, according to sources, wrote five ‘Passions’, orchestral chorales based the final days of the life of Christ, but only two have come down to us: Saint John’s and Saint Matthew’s, both profound, musically rich and complex, whose depths can never really be fully plumbed, but always appreciated. They are two of my favorite works during this Lententide – more Lenten than most, as we are discovering – but the hope embedded in this music may provide peace and serenity your souls, that beauty transcends all time, all epochs, all crises and calamities.
So here are Bach’s Passions:
The first composed is Saint John’s, it premiere performance on April 7, 1724, at Good Friday Vespers. Two centuries on, April 7, 1933 also marks the day that beer was legalized again in the United States after the silliness of Prohibition, something Bach would likely have appreciated. But, for now, we are in Lent, the beer will have to wait, and the Passion – in more ways than one – is upon us: