The Baroque Oratorio Passion

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The Baroque Oratorio Passion:
A Conductor’s Guide to Compositional
Techniques and Their Foundations
by
Robert Paul David Duff
A Treatise presented to the

FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
(Choral Music)
December, 2000
UMI Number: 3041447
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FIN A L T R E A T ISE APPROVAL
This tre a tis e , written by
---------- R Q b ^ t . - £ a t t I _ D a y i d . . m £ f ,
under the supervision of Guidance Committee, and approved by all
its members, has been presented to and accepted by the Executive Com*
mittee of the School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirement
tor the degree of
DOCTOR O F MUSICAL ARTS
with m ajor in„..C.U.QEsil . . C o n d u c t i n g ^
///* //* >

i, Sikaalf/f Mmie D tU
GLIDANi MMITTEE:
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Mu* Mi
Robert Paul David Duff Dr. William Dehning
ABSTRACT
THE BAROQUE ORATORIO PASSION: A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO

COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES AND THEIR FOUNDATIONS
The proclamation of the Passion has been core to the faith of Christians for nearly two
millennia. From earliest times, cultures have kept sacred this proclamation through rituals
both liturgical and dramatic. This sacred observance is the basis of this treatise that, in
broad terms, explores how music intersects with these ritualized commemorations. This
treatise specifically examines one era of Passion proclamation: the oratorio passion in
Lutheran Germany between 1643 and 1700.
The treatise surveys four settings of the Passion, beginning with the first documented
oratorio passion (Selle, 1643), and continuing with settings by Sebastiani (1665), Theile
(1673) and Meder (1700). Comparative analyses illustrate significant differences between
these settings and show how these differences are reflected in the extant Passion settings
of J.S. Bach.
The treatise is organized into eight chapters. Chapter one outlines the structure of the
treatise. Chapter two provides an abbreviated history of the Passion from early
Christendom through the Baroque. Chapter three surveys Thomas Seile’s Passion nach
dem Evangelisten Johannes, one of the first oratorio passion settings. Chapter four
investigates the compositional process exemplified by Selle in 1643 and how it matured in
Johann Sebastiani’s most successful composition, Das Leyden und Sterben unsers Henm
und Heylandes Jesu Christi nach dem heiligen Matthaeo (1665). Chapter five examines
Johann Theile’s Passion nach dem Heiligen Evangelisten Matthdo (1673) and its
progressive use of non-biblical texts in its four strophic arias, in Chapter six, Johann
Valentin Mederis Oratorische Passion nach Matthaus (1700) is featured, demonstrating the
development of interpolated chorales, the more extensive settings in arioso, and Meder’s
connection to Buxtehude. Chapter seven summarizes the findings of Chapters two
through six, highlights the differences between the settings, and provides insight into
Bach’s setting of the Matthdus-Passion. Chapter eight summarizes the various items
presented throughout the treatise and gives suggestions for score preparation.
ii
A CK N O W LED G M EN TS
I am thankful to the follow ing individuals for their assistance in the
preparation o f this treatise: Drs. W illiam Dehning, D avid W ilson and
Bruce Brown, o f the USC School o f M usic, for their participation on
my G uidance Committee. I also w ish to express my deepest thanks and
gratitude to the following people w ho so generously supported m e w ith
their love, prayers and enthusiasm during my studies at U SC: my parents
and family, Dr. Lynn B ielefelt o f the U SC School o f M usic, and above all
my partner, David Pierce, for his unfailing encouragem ent and love.
TA B L E O F CONTENTS
ACKNOW LEDGM ENTS.........................................................................................ii
MUSICAL EXAMPLES ........................................................................................... v
LIST OF T A B L E S................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION...............................................................................1
Purpose o f the Study .....................................................................................2
Organization o f the T reatise..........................................................................2
CHAPTER II: THE HISTORY OF THE PA SSIO N .............................................. 4

Early C hristendom ......................................................................................... 4
The Middle A g e s ........................................................................................... 5
The Renaissance............................................................................................. 7
The B aroque..................................................................................................15
CHAPTER HI: THOMAS SE L L E .......................................................................... 21

Biographical Information on Thomas S e lle .............................................. 21
Analysis o f the Selle P a ssio n ......................................................................24
CHAPTER IV: JOHANN SEBASTIANI ............................................................. 35

Biographical Information on Johann Sebastiani ...................................... 35
Analysis o f the Sebastiani P assio n ............................................................. 43
CHAPTER V: JOHANN THEILE ........................................................................ 52

Biographical Information on Johann Theile ............................................ 52
Analysis o f the Theile P a ssio n ....................................................................60
CHAPTER VI: JOHANN VALENTIN MEDER .................................................69

Biographical Information on Johann Valentin M e d e r..............................69
Analysis o f the Meder P assio n ....................................................................74
CHAPTER VII: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SETTINGS

AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO J.S. BACH’S MATTHAUS-PASSION . . . 93
Introduction..................................................................................................93
Structure and Form .....................................................................................94
Interpolations..............................................................................................102
Dramatic P ersonae..................................................................................... 110
The Use o f Instruments .............................................................................119
CHAPTER VDI: CONCLUSION 123
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................. 126
APPENDIX A: EXCERPT FROM MONOPHONIC PLAINSONG

PASSION SETTING FER1A SEXTA IN PASSIONE D O M IN I.......................... 130
APPENDIX B: ST. MATTHEW PASSION TEXT

AND TRANSLATION .......................................................................................... 131
APPENDK C: ST. JOHN PASSION TEXT AND TRANSLATION ............. 146
APPENDIX D: CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF

IMPORTANT PASSIONS ....................................................................................156
APPENDIX E: EXTANT PASSION SETTINGS............................................... 160
v
MUSICAL EXAMPLES
Figure Page
1. Elongation o f Notational Value (S e lle ) ............................................................. 28
2. Selle Turba Chorus “Kreuzige ihn" ........................................................ 29
3. Selle’s Use o f Instrumental Text P ain tin g ........................................................30
4. Selle’s Trio representing Trinity ................................................................31
5. Sebastiani’s Passion: Title p a g e ..........................................................................38
6. Sebastiani’s Passion: D edication........................................................................40
7. Sebastiani’s Passion: Forward to M u sician s......................................................42
8. Sebastiani’s Turba Chorus “Weifiage uns, C h ris te " ........................................46
9. Sebastiani’s Setting “Eli, Eli, Lama asabathani"............................................ 47
10. Sebastiani’s Interpolation “Gott sei g e lo b e t" ................................................ 48
11. Sebastiani’s Text Painting Techniques ........................................................... 49
12. Sebastiani’s Use o f Durational Techniques.....................................................51
13. Theile’s Passion: Title P a g e .............................................................................. 56
14. Theile’s Passion: D edication............................................................................ 58
15. Theile’s Passion: Foreward to M usicians....................................................... 59
16. Theile’s Use o f Instrumental Text P ainting.....................................................63
17. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Gegriifiet seist d u " ...................................................64
18. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Weifiage uns, Christe " ............................................ 65
19. Theile’s Aria “Du duldig Lamm, O Gottes Sohn ” ........................................ 67
20. M eder’s Arioso Setting o f Jesus Narrative ..................................................... 82
21. Meder’s Use o f Text Painting .......................................................................... 83
22. M eder’s Turba Chorus: "Wozu dienet dieser U n r a t? " .................................. 84
23. Meder’s Turba Chorus: “Der du den Tempel” ...............................................86
24. Meder’s Aria “HerrJesu Christ, w ahr’ Mensch u n d G o tt" ..........................89
25. J.S. Bach’s String Accompaniment to Jesus Arioso .................................... 112
26. Sebastiani’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen” ...........................................115
27. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen ” ................................................. 116
28. Meder’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen ” ................................................. 116
29. Bach’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen"................................................... 117
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Tenth century Holy Week Readings ........................................................... 5
2. Comparison o f Plainsong and Recitative Settings.....................................13
3. Selle’s Interpretation o f Romanian Letters ...............................................27
4. Sebastiani’s Structural Division o f St. Matthew Passion.......................... 43
5. Structural Analysis o f Theile Passion ..................................................... 61
6. Structural Analysis o f Meder Passion ....................................................... 75
7. Meder’s Interpolations in Original and Revised V ersions........................ 77
8. Meder’s Placement o f C h o rales.................................................................. 87
9. Meder’s Orchestration o f “O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid” .......................... 91
10. St. Matthew Passion Text D iv isio n ............................................................95
11. Comparative Settings o f the St. Matthew Passion T e x t............................ 96
12. Divisions o f the St. John Passion Text ..................................................... 99
13. Scope o f Drama in the Ss. Matthew and John A ccounts...................... 100
14. Interpolations in the St. Matthew Passion S e ttin g s.................................102
15. Interpolations in Selle’s S t John S e ttin g ................................................. 107
16. Interpolations in J.S. Bach’s Matthaus-Passion ..................................... 108
17. Turba Choruses in the St. Matthew S e ttin g s........................................... 113
18. Bach’s Turba Choruses ............................................................................. 117
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The proclamation of the Passion has been core to the faith of Christians for
nearly two millennia. From earliest times, cultures have kept sacred this
proclamation through rituals both liturgical and dramatic. This sacred observance is
the basis of this treatise that, in broad terms, explores how music intersects with these
ritualized commemorations. This treatise specifically examines one era of Passion
proclamation: the oratorio passion in Lutheran Germany between 1643 and 1700.
Given the centrality of the Passion story to both the Christian faith and the
choral repertoire, it is surprising how little scholarship has been devoted to this
subject in English. Volumes abound from scholars in Germany but it was not until
1937 that a book was written in English on the subject. This book today remains the
sole source for information in that language, and while it received cridcal acclaim in
its day, it does not provide detailed analysis, given its broad coverage.
Through a more careful analysis of the four Passion settings included in this
treatise, the conductor preparing a Passion performance should be able to gain insight
into compositional technique, performance practice and methodology. This
information will allow for more informed decisions by the conductor while preparing
for a Passion performance.
2
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of this treatise is to provide the conductor wishing to
perform a Baroque Passion, particularly one by J.S. Bach, with a resource of
information about the development of the oratorio passion. Through a fuller
understanding of the traditions from which Bach drew, the conductor in his score
preparation will more fully realize the significance of existing musical elements.
The treatise will survey four settings of the Passion, beginning with the first
documented oratorio passion (Selle, 1643), and continuing with settings by
Sebastiani (1665), Theile (1673) and Meder (1700). Comparative analyses will be
provided to point out significant differences between the settings, as these differences
are reflected in the extant Passion settings of J.S. Bach.
In order to place the oratorio passion in context, this treatise will include a
brief history of the Passion from the fourth century through the settings of Bach.
Chapters will also be devoted to the aforementioned Passion settings, providing
detailed analysis of (1) text and form; (2) delineation of dramatic personae; (3)
orchestration; (4) harmony; and (5) other compositional techniques.
Organization of the Treatise
This treatise is organized into eight chapters. Chapter two briefly details the
history of the Passion from early Christendom through the Baroque. Chapter three is
a survey of Thomas Selle’s Passion nach dem Evangelisten Johannes, one of the first
oratorio passion settings. Chapter four investigates the compositional process
Reproduced with permission o f the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
3
exemplified by Selle in 1643 and how it matured in Johann Sebastiani’s most
successful composition, Das Leyden und Sterben unsers Herm und Heylandes Jesu
Christi nach dem heiligen Matthaeo (1665). Chapter five examines Johann Theile’s
Passion nach dem Heiligen Evangelisten Matthao (1673) and its progressive use of
non-biblical texts in its four strophic arias. In Chapter six, Johann Valentin Meder’s
Oratorische Passion nach Matthaus (1700) shows the development of interpolated
chorales, the more extensive settings in arioso, and his connection to Buxtehude.
Chapter seven summarizes the findings of Chapters two through six, highlights the
differences between the settings, and provides insight into Bach’s setting of the
Matthaus-Passion. Chapter eight will be a summary and conclusion of the various
items presented throughout the treatise along with suggestions for score preparation.
4
CHAPTER H
THE HISTORY OF THE PASSION
Early Christendom
In the early Christian Church, the events detailed in the Gospels of
Passiontide were commemorated in two separate ways, one primarily dramatic and
the other primarily musical. Beginning in the fourth century, there is tangible
evidence that this commemoration took place in a dramatic form. The origins can
be traced back to this time through the diary of Egeria, a pilgrim of the early church.1
It is reported that the readings were commemorative in nature.
A schedule for the proclamation of the Passions during Holy Week was
created by Pope Leo the Great c. 450 A.D. Within this schedule the Passion
according to St. Matthew was assigned to be read during the Masses for Palm Sunday
and Wednesday of Holy Week, and the Passion according to St. John on Good
Friday. These texts were to be chanted by a single singer, the diakon, and there is no
definitive evidence that they were sung by more than one person until the thirteenth
century. In the seventh century, the Passion according to St. Luke replaced that of
Matthew on Wednesday, as decreed two centuries earlier. In the tenth century, the
Gospel of St. Mark was assigned to be read at Mass on the Tuesday of Holy Week,
allowing for all four gospel accounts of Christ’s Passion during Holy Week (Table 1).
‘Kurt von Fischer, “Passion,” New Grove Dictionary o f Music and Musicians 14
(1980): 277.
5
Table 1: Tenth century Holy Week Readings.
Day in Holy Week Gospel Reading
Sunday Matthew 26: 1 -27:66
Tuesday Mark 14: 1 -15:47
Wednesday Luke 22:1 - 23:56
Friday John 18:1 - 19:42
The Middle Ages
Early Passion plays, dramatic presentations of the Passion story, were
presented in churches during the Middle Ages with elaborate music, costumes and
stage properties. These dramas served as religious instruction and grew out of the
improvisatory nature of tropes within the Roman Catholic liturgy. Between the tenth
and thirteenth centuries a large number of liturgical dramas were written. These
dramas, including the Passion plays, were of great importance as they marked the
reintroduction of theatrical performances in western Europe after their demise in the
Dark Ages.
The music of these early Passion plays consisted most probably of
unaccompanied chant. These plays were acted out solemnly before the altar in the
church’s Latin tongue. Marchand reports that there are few surviving examples of
6
these early dramas but their modem descendants are still regularly given at
Oberammergau, and at Thiersee in the Austrian Tyrol.2
Manuscripts of monophonic plainsong passions survive from as early as the
ninth century. These manuscripts include tempo, pitch and dynamic markings as
indicated by the literae significativae, or Romanian letters.3 The Romanian letters
were placed beside the various sections of text4 within the passion account to show
how the separate characters were to be sung. These Romanian letters are attributed to
the legendary singer Romanus, who supposedly introduced Gregorian chant at St.
Gall at the end of the eighth century. When, around the beginning of the fifteenth
century, it became customary for three persons to present the various roles of the
Passion, the three Romanian letters were retained but with new interpretation:3
Romanian Original Meaning Fifteenth century

Letter Interpretation
c Celeriter (quickly) Cantor or chronista
s Sursum (in a raised voice) Synogoga or succentor
t Trahere (drag) or tenere (to Interpreted as a cross

hold) not as a “t”, which
became Christus
2Terry Marchand, “Musical Settings of the Evangelist in the Passion” (D.M.A.

diss.. University of Kansas, 1982), 5.
3Basil Smallman, The Background o f Passion Music (New York: Dover, 1970),
121.
4Bertram Schofield, “A Newly Discovered Fifteenth Century Manuscript of the

English Chapel Royal” Musical Quarterly 32 (July 1946), 509.
sSmallman, 123.
It should be noted that in addition to the three Romanian letters listed above,
other letter-symbols are found in various printed missals of the Sarum rite, also
indicating voice pitches of the various participants: these include A for alta vox (all
turba and individual characters except Christ), M for media vox (the evangelist), and
B for bassa vox (Christ). *
The change in practice from the Passion being intoned by one person to being
intoned by three persons was recognized and permitted by the church. In the
Rationale divinorum officiorum, the Church addressed the issue of intonation by
multiple persons, stadng that the words of Christ were “to be spoken softly and
sweetly," and the words of the “most impious Jews with loud cries and course
voices.”
In connection with the Romanian letters, specific tones or plainsong formulae
for proclaiming the text were used in musical settings of the Passion. In France,
Christus’s plainsong was centered around f and d, the Chronista’s around a and c, and
the Synagoga or Turba’s around c and f.6
The Renaissance
As the roles of the Passion characters became more delineated, a tendency
towards dramatic realism or compassio grew, causing the presentation of the turba to
expand in style and length. Previously a third person had been relegated to chanting
the turba parts. Now this role was now given to a choir to sing in a homophonic
6An excerpt of a monophonic passion, Feria Sexta in Passione Domini,

illustrating passion tones can be found in Appendix A.
falsobordone style. The first account of such a setting can be found as early as the
fourteenth century. In Walther’s St. Matthew Passion, this new falsobordone style is
exhibited and clearly illustrates how the choral response is set off from the traditional
plainsong setting of the Evangelist and Christi. This Passion setting had great
influence on composers of later Lutheran Passion settings in Germany, as it was used
as a prototype for future Passion settings.
The Influence o f Martin Luther and the Reformation
Many of the musical developments that took place in Europe during the
Baroque may not have occurred if Martin Luther himself had not been a musician -
albeit an amateur- and had not himself created such an indispensable role for music
within the Lutheran church. If Luther had been more closely aligned to Calvin in
restricting most forms of music in the church sanctuary, the Lutheran church music
of the Baroque might never have existed.
Luther’s personal experiences with music undoubtedly informed his liturgical
reforms. He favored retaining the Latin language in those churches where it would be
understood (mainly urban centers), and even suggested that some music by Catholic
composers be introduced into the service (in German translation), so that his
congregation would not be deprived of hearing these fine compositions.7 Many of
7John Haberien, “A Critical Survey of the Oratorio Passion in North Germany to

1700” (D.M.A. diss., University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 1973), 147.
9
the tunes for Lutheran chorales are contrafacta of old Catholic melodies, such as
“Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,” which is taken almost literally from the Latin
hymn “Veni redemptor gentium.”
Chorale hymns borrowed text and melodies not only from Catholic sources
but also from secular songs of the day and from stile andco motets. Additionally,
new melodies were also written. The early chorales were sung in unison by all
voices, many of which had a madrigal-like rhythmic freedom due to the borrowing
from the secular realm.
One example of such a piece is the tune Mein Gemtith ist mir Verwirret
(1623), by Lassus, which ultimately became O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden (J.S.
Bach's passion chorale). The evolution of the rhythm of this chorale, as well as
many others, can be traced, as it was first published in the Hamburg Gesangbuch in
1604. The Hamburg Gesangbuch, as well as published songbooks by Shein and
Scheidt, influenced choral rhythm, shaping chorale tunes from unbarred meter into
music that set each syllable of text to one beat.
Luther believed that the services of Holy Week should be consistent with
other services of the church calendar in terms of order, ceremonial action, and ritual.8
He warned against excesses, such as prolonged preaching and covering the statues.
He considered word and sacrament to be the focal points of the Holy Week
observance. Within this framework, he was against “die vier Passion singen,”9 and
8Stanley Anthony Malinowski, Jr., “The Baroque Oratorio Passion” (Ph.D. diss.,
Cornell University, 1978), 67.
^ id ., 69.
10
cautioned against any Passion setting that would detract from the reverent nature of
the Passion. He therefore opposed elaborate through-composed or motet Passion
settings, in which the text became obscured in polyphony, favoring responsorial
Passions, which were monophonic. His desire to possess a suitable German Passion
allowed for the commission of Johann Walther to compose polyphonic settings of the
turbae that would be sung by the choir. Hence the German responsorial Passion came
into existence.
The Responsorial Passion
The numerous sources for the German responsorial Passion attest to the
popularity that it had attained in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The
responsorial Passion (also called choral Passion and dramatic Passion) had actually
begun during the fifteenth century and was a result of theological trends that reached
beyond compassio to an imitatio Christi, or tangible first-hand experience of the
Passion. Passion plays became longer, and for the first time polyphony was
introduced in the settings of the turba.10 Composers spanning both the Renaissance
and the Baroque who wrote in this style include G.M. Asola (c. 1532-1609), Samuel
Besler (1574-1625), William Byrd (1543-1623), Leonhard Lechner (1553-1606),
Jakob Meiland (1542-1577), Heinrich Schiitz (1585-1672) and Tomds Vittoria
(1548-1611). The polyphonic settings of the turba that were established by these
composers continued through the Reformation and Counter-Reformation periods.
10Alec Harman and Anthony Milner, Man and His Music: The Story o f Musical
Experience in the West, vol. 2 (New York: Schocken Books, 1962), 285.
11
In these settings, the monophonic narrative sections chanted by the
Evangelist are distinguished from the turba and other characters in one of four ways:
1. The turbae that are speeches of groups of people are set

polyphonically.
2. All turbae are set polyphonically.
3. All direct speech of individual characters apart from that of Christ is

set polyphonically.
4. The words of Christ are also set polyphonically.
Within each of these settings, Stanley Malinowski writes, “the old Latin
Passion tone, which continued to be used in only some localities, staged a comeback
midway through the sixteenth century in Germany and the sources reflect this
resurgence of the medieval formulas (within the responsorial Passion).”11
In addition to the four types listed above, the sections entitled exordium and
conclusio within each responsorial passion were set polyphonically. These sections
of the passion respectively introduced and concluded the passion narrative and were
based on non-biblical texts. The exordium served as an invitation to the congregation
to listen to the passion according to the particular Evangelist. The conclusio served as
a statement of belief and thanksgiving for the salvation gained through the Passion
and death of Christ.
"Malinowski, 7.
12
Most important perhaps within the settings of responsorial Passions was the
influence of the seconda prattica that had begun in Italy.12The monodic style of
singing began to find its way into the long narrative portions of the Passion, as it was
believed that music complemented the poetry and that art illuminated the emotional
power of the verse. Stile rappresentivo was based in these theories, out of which
came recitative.
The replacement of plainsong by recitadve in these settings was viewed only
as a new means of dramatic expression, not as an improved means. To understand
the merits of both means, a comparison might prove helpful.
Within plainsong settings, special cadential formulae were employed for the
Evangelist so as to distinguish his utterances from those of the crowd. Four notes
ascending to the final consistently signify a question mark within the text. Early
recitative paralleled plainsong closely. The end of a sentence was marked by a
perfect fourth down, with a perfect cadence answering to resolve the phrase. Further
comparison of the two types of settings shows these differences (Table 2).
Parallel to this line of Passion writing was another that began with the three
Passions of Jakob Meiland (1567-70). For the first time, the turbae was altogether
removed from any trace of the original Latin cantus flrmus, and dramatic elements
gradually came to the forefront.
12Edward Dickinson, Music in the History o f the Western Church. (New York:
Charles Scribner’s Son’s, 1927), 274.
13
Table 2: Comparison of Plainsong and Recitative settings.
Plainsong Recitative
Originated in liturgy and was Originated from secular, theatrical

ritualistic in style compositions
Phrases set to rigidly constructed Phrases set to music that attempts

music formulae word and phrase paindng
Narrow range Wide and flexible range
Breaks at end of musical phrases Breaks and rhetorical pauses

throughout
Free rhythm of recitatation tone Imitated spoken word and thus

rhythm and notation more precise.
Unaccompanied melody Use of dissonance in continuo to

stress emotional impact of
particular words (i.e., Bach's use of
dim. 7th for pain, fear, sorrow and
death)
Duets for the two false witnesses, the close succession of repeated phrases for
the apostles’ “Herr bin ich’s,” and the increase in the number of choral voices beyond
the traditional four represent changes that began to be made in the responsorial
Passion as represented by Vulpius (1613), and Schultze (1653). These developments
would have a long-term impact that would affect Passion development culminating,
in the Matthaus-Passion by J.S. Bach.
14
The Motet Passion
In the motet Passion, the complete text of the Passion account is sung in
motet style by an unaccompanied choir.13 Instead of solo voices for individual
characters a reduced number of voices was used to contrast with a four- or five-part
choir singing the words of narration and turba. From the beginning of the
seventeenth century, three kinds of settings may be identified in the motet Passion:
1. Settings of the complete text according to one of the Gospels;
2. The Summas Passionis, consisting of sections from all four Gospel

accounts, including the seven last words of Christ and an exordium
and conclusio;
3. Settings of the shortened text of one Gospel.
The motet Passion provided a sensitive medium for musical expression, but
lost the vividness and realism created in the plainsong and responsorial Passion
settings. This loss was due to the change in contrast within the performing forces.
While the responsorial Passions could be used liturgically, the extensive choral
writing found in the motet Passions caused them to become too lengthy to be used in
the context of Mass.
While the forces differed and their performance venue changed, the motet
Passion still incorporated the older plainsong Passion tones in the choral texture.
l3Malcolm Boyd, Oxford Composer Companions: J.S. Bach (Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 1999), 360.
15
The tones were placed in each appropriate voice part: in the bass for Jesus, in the
tenor for the Evangelist, and in the alto for the synogoga.14
Many motet Passions were set either Latin or German texts during the
sixteenth century. One of the first German motet Passions was composed by Joachim
a Burck (1545-1610). Burck’s Passion according to St. John became the standard for
many later German settings. The motet Passion style died due to its incompatibility
with the new monodic style. The conservative harmonic language of the homophonic
settings of the turba was found to be less effective when composed polyphonically.
The Baroque
Oratorio Passions
Before the turn of the sixteenth century in Florence, the Florentine Camarata
developed new ideas that would greatly influence music history. This group
preferred a texture in which a solo voice was supported by simple chords from an
accompanying instrument, rather than the thick polyphonic style previously used.
The application of this monodic style ultimately resulted in the creation of a new
genre, opera.
In the wake of opera, there followed the development of oratorio. Opera and
oratorio developed along similar lines, using similar musical techniques but differing
in both subject matter and method of dramatic presentation. In opera, the drama was
presented on stage as a play with sung dialog. In oratorio, the action was propelled
l4This practice can be found in Christoph Demantius’ Passion Nach dem

Evangelisten Joannem of 1643.
R eproduced with permission o f the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
16
forward by the historicus, a narrator who linked scenes together through narrative.15
The function of the historicus paralleled that of the Evangelist in the older Passion
settings.
These new musical concepts from Italy led to three important changes in the
composition of Passion settings for liturgical use:
1. Instruments were used to accompany the voices of soloists and chorus

alike, and the whole was supported by the basso continuo;
2. Music based on a non-bibiical Passion text was introduced;
3. Freely-composed recitative was substituted for the traditional Passion

tones.
Instrumental Accompaniment
From what we have learned about performance practice in the late
Renaissance, it is logical to hypothesize that instruments may have doubled the vocal
parts in Passions long before there was any written indication of this practice. The
exact manner of performance is open to speculation, but the possibility does exist.
The earliest surviving Passion manuscript to include a written continuo part is
by Thomas Selle of Hamburg (1643).16 In his setting of Passion nach dem
Evangelisten Johannes, Selle writes idiomatically for positiv organ, three or more
“pandoras o violones" to support the Evangelist, a bassoon and two violins for the
part of Jesus.
I3Marchand, 14.
l6Malinowski, 104.
17
Selle’s incorporation of instrumental forces in his Passion of 1643 extends
past basic continuo support. Through the concerted use of instruments, Selle is able
to clearly identify characters. The role of Jesus can be distinguished by its
accompaniment of two violins, and Pilate is always accompanied by two cometti and
trombone. The practice of incorporating instruments in this style of Passion writing
can be seen in many other settings, beginning in northern Germany c. 1650. This
practice ultimately served as the basis for a new tradition; a tradition that would be
observed by Bach in his two Passion settings.
The importance of allowing opportunity for meditation by the worshipers
during the Passion proclamation had always been stressed by the Catholic Church.
Early in the history of the plainsong Passion, one finds the rubric “Hie genuflecritur
et pausatim aliquantulum” (“here genuflect for a while”), after the death of Jesus. In
the Passion settings of the Catholic composer Johann Walther there is an indication
in the same spot in the narrative for a pause to permit silent recitation of the prayer
Voter unser)1 Within the Lutheran settings, this point of meditation is not observed
to the same extent as in the Catholic settings. The appearance of the Intermedium
occurs for the first time with Selle; its function was to provide time for reflection in
each of the three scenes of the Passion. In oratorical Passion settings, these
Intermedia are found as motets,18 arias, sinfonias, but rarely duets or trios.
17Smallman, 25.
18In the 1643 Passion of Selle, the three Intermedia are written in Venetian
polychoral style.
18
The Addition o f Non-Biblical Texts
By 1600, composers of polyphonic settings of the Passion incorporated a pair
of non-biblical texts. These texts, labeled exordium and conclusio, were found
respectively at the beginning and end of the settings. The exordium functioned as a
pseudo-fanfare, heralding the proclamation of the Passion that was to be read. The
conclusio served as a vehicle for affirming communal belief in the Passion of the
Lord. The exordium and conclusio developed in length and complexity in the motet
passion, and their purpose was reaffirmed as Lutheran theology developed and was
incorporated into the new liturgy.
The same impetus to enhance the Passion text with die exordium and
conclusio allowed for additional texts to be set. At the same time, the Baroque gave
rise to new forms of sacred music that featured the use of accompanying instruments,
solos, duets, trios and choruses. These forms certainly influenced the composers of
the Passions, who sought opportunities to create such movements. Since biblical
accounts of the Passion did not lend themselves to musical embellishment,
composers turned to non-biblical texts to supplement the narrative.
At first chorales were added, either for the whole congregation to sing or for
soloists.19 It was natural within the Lutheran church for German composers to turn to
chorales to allow for congregational participation in the unfolding of the Passion
narrative.
19Selle’s Passion of 1643 is the first documented setting in which a chorale is

included. It is placed after the conclusio, however.
19
Once operatic style found its way into the minds of Passion composers at the
beginning of the eighteenth century, it was not long before poetic accounts of the
Passion story began to replace those in the Bible, resulting in the genre often termed
Oratorio Passion. This practice had many advantages, among them the idea that
improved poetic texts could improve the Gospel story, and that non-liturgical texts
would allow the production of Passions to occur in theaters during Lent, when the
theaters were normally closed.20 Basil Smallman points out, however, that it was “an
age of Great German musicians - not poets.”21 Though the music of these Passion
settings was of high quality, the Pietist-inspired texts on which these settings were
based fell out of fashion after the eighteenth century.
The Incorporation o f Recitative
The cold and impersonal nature of the Passion tones was found lacking by the
generation of Schiitz, who looked for new means of dramatic expression. Schiitz and
his colleagues moved away from the formulaic conventions. Chromaticism,
rhetorical figures and complex harmonies created a narration that was extensively
filled with drama, when compared to the tonic-dominant-tonic feeling of the Passion
tone. In addition to presenting all the events in a more dramatic manner, the recitative
began to function as the foundation that held the additional music in the Passion
setting together.
■“Smallman, 96.
21Ibid., 97.
20
Since the early Baroque was a time devoted to seconda prattica style,
composers found that when trying to fit words to previously written music, problems
arose. The solution to one of these problems was to replace the traditional Passion
tone with newly composed recitative. As Smallman states, “while plainsong was
designed for the musical presentation of a ritual language, recitative was fashioned
for the infinitely more difficult task of presenting the inflections of a living tongue.”22
"Ibid., 47.
21
CHAPTER IK
THOMAS SELLE:
Passion nach dem Evangelisten Johannes (1643 Edition)
Biographical Information on Thomas Selle
Thomas Selle is an influential figure in the history of the Passion in that his
Passion nach dem Evangelisten Johannes mit Intermedien of 1643 is probably the
first composition to belong to the genre of oratorio Passion. Selle’s passion is
remarkable as it is the only documented instance of this type of writing before that of
Sebastiani in 1663. Although clearly based on the former motet passions, this work
employs concerted forces and provides reflective interpolations. These interpolations
served as the basis for future insertions of non-biblical texts, and therefore greatly
affected the development of the Baroque Passion.
Selle was bom on March 2 3 ,1S99, in Zorbig, a town near Bitterfeld, Saxony.
Due to the lack of extant records, little is known about Selle’s family or his youth;
one of the first pieces of information available on the composer is taken from the title
page of Selle’s first work, printed in Rostock in 1623. The publication of this work,
as well as the remainder of his oeuvre during his own lifetime, attests to the high
esteem in which he was held by his colleagues.
Selle began four years of study in composition with Johann Schein in 1622 at
the University of Leipzig. Leipzig, with its long tradition of education, afforded Selle
the opportunity to encounter many composers who would ultimately influence his
own writing. It was there that Selle was exposed to Schein’s use of the concertato
22
style and its application to the chorale, the use o f basso continuo and the new
monodic song. It was also in Leipzig that Selle learned of Calvisius and his
polyphonic-linear phrases of the Renaissance a cappella style. Finally, it was in
Leipzig that Selle witnessed the rising religious sentiment that was prompted by the
Thirty-Years’ War. In addition to its effect on subject matter of texts (and the
prevailing Pietism), the war had a significant and devastating effect on performing
forces.1
After a short-lived teaching position at the Heide School in 1624, Selle
assumed the post of headmaster at a large parish church in Wesselburen in 1625.
It is in Wesselburen that many of his important accomplishments, both personal and
professional, were achieved. In 1627 and 1628 Selle published his
Hadiodecamelydrion and Monomachia II, respectively. In the prefaces to these
volumes, Selle recorded his views and sadness over the famine and devastation
incurred by the war. In the midst of this hardship, Selle met and married his wife,
Anna Weihe.
Selle’s works of this period, intended for use in both church and school,
show a turning to the small Konzert form and a fostering of cantus firmus principles.
Within this form Selle sets in long values the cantus firm i in the tenor, frames them
in the upper voices with animated discant and in the lower voice with basso continuo.
’The reduction in forces caused Schiitz for instance to compose and publish
Kleine geistliche Konzerte, small sacred concerti for one or a few voices with basso
continuo. The publication of these concerti reflects the affect of the war on the musical
personnel of Dresden.
23
The publication of Concertuum binis vocibus (1632) fully illustrates this technique.
In 1634, after nine years in residence at Wesselburen, Selle was invited by the
City Council of Itzhoe to take the examination for cantorship. Itzehoe proved to be a
fertile ground for Selle; as the choral director for both the school and church, Selle
obtained a vast administrative experience that would later serve him in his position
at Hamburg. In Itzehoe, Selle wrote solely sacred works, including Concertuum
latino sacrorum, Concertuum tirvocalium, and the motet Ecco quomodo, composed
for the funeral of Albert Fabricius, organist in Itzehoe in 1641.
In 1641, Selle accepted the position of Music Directorship of Hamburg. This
position as music administrator, which he would hold for twenty-two years, included
the responsibilities of Cantorship at St. John’s Church, and the position of
Administrator of the Church music programs for the four principal churches of Ss.
Peter, Nicolas, Catherine and Jacob within the city. As a music educator and trained
vocalist, Selle brought a high standard of professionalism to both the music education
system and the music program in Hamburg.2 During his tenure, Selle created a music
program that allowed performances of sacred music to blossom; figural music
occurred thrice weekly. His 1643 performance of Passion nach dem Evangelisten
Johannes brought favorable reviews from all the city’s chronicles, and subsequently,
the music program in Hamburg flourished tremendously under Selle.
2As part of Selle’s reform and education plan, he published in 1642 Anleitung
zur Singekunst, a treatise on vocal pedagogy. Outlined in this treatise are the
foundadons for proper singing and Selle’s beliefs in the necessity of teaching
intervals, uniformity of dicdon and solmizadon within the schools.
24
By 1648 Selle’s goals for music in Hamburg were realized and he had
become overwhelmed by the amount of work involved in administering such a large
program. In a letter to the city council of Hamburg, Selle requested additional
assistance in providing services to the population.3 The council was somewhat
responsive to Selle’s request, although records clearly indicate that his job duties
continued to be taxing. In 1660, when the city of Hamburg established its collegium
musicum, they assigned Matthias Weckmann to the post. It is unclear whether this
assignment was made with Selle’s prior knowledge or approval. By this time,
however, Selle was in his last years of his life. He died in 1663, the same year that he
prepared his Opera Omnia, which he willed along with his entire library to the City
of Hamburg.
Analysis of the Selle Passion
The Gospel Narrative
As mentioned above, Selle’s Passion nach dem Evangelisten Johannes of
1643 is a work that foreshadowed many of the later passion settings through its
introduction of many new elements that had not been used previously by other
composers. In fact, the 1643 edition of the Passion is a revision of an earlier
published version of the same name. In this revision, Selle adds three interpolations
that he names intermedia, two that are injected within the story and one that follows
3Selle also stated in this letter a desire to present both music written in stile
antico and stile modemo styles.
25
the conclusio* The first two intermedia are, for all intents and purposes, polychoral
motets in the Venetian style, based on parallel biblical passages that reflect the drama
that has unfolded. The third intermedia is different from the first two in that it is
based on the chorale “O Lamm Gottes unschiildig,” taken directly from the Lutheran
liturgy.
The work is scored for SAATTB choir (with alto, tenor and bass soloists),
ornamental instruments (2 flutes, 2 cometti, 1 trombone, 1 solo violin, 3 ensemble
violins, 2 bassoons) and fundamental instruments (two continuo groups consisting of
organ, harpsichord, violoncello, and contrabass). Selle’s orchestration clearly reflects
the Venetian influence to which he was exposed by Schein at Leipzig. The writing in
stile concertato and the designation of fundamental versus ornamental instruments is
typical of mid-seventeenth century composition.3
This type of writing must have startled the congregation in Hamburg.
The long-held tradition that the music of Holy Week be austere and without
accompaniments was observed even by Schiitz in Dresden.6 Selle must have been
aware of this, as he indicated in the forward for the piece options for performance
that included reduced instrumentation and omission of the intermedia.
4Smallman argues the choral intermedia in this work are really interludes
between the three main parts of the Passion and not direct interpolations into the middle
of the narrative. Smailman, 71.
5Marchand, 18.
6Only in Schiitz’ Christmas Oratorio, Seven Last Words, and Psalms o f David is
this type of instrumentally accompanied music found.
26
The text of the work is taken from the Gospel of St. John (John 18:1 - 19:42).
Selle is quite faithful to the text, although he chose to set the text in a tripartite form
rather than the traditional bipartite form. This decision, perhaps influenced by the
stage works in Hamburg, creates the following division of the story:
Part I: The Arrest and Arraignment John 18: 1-23
Part 0: The Trial of Christ John 18: 28 -19: 15
Part HI: The Crucifixion John 19:16-37
To balance the sections in this tripartite form, Selle omitted two scenes from
the first part, namely the striking of the high priest’s servant’s ear and the denial of
discipleship by Simon Peter. This decision to omit this text seems very odd, given the
progressive nature of the work and its apparent dramatic intent. If Selle truly wished
to exploit all dramatic potential, surely he would have chosen to set these scenes of
doubt and misguided acts. One plausible reason for their omission could be Selle's
sensitivity to the balance of traditional and progressive elements, a balance with
which he struggled all his life.
This balance can be seen in the wedding of monodic elements and varying
types of recitative, including arioso, to a traditional system of recitation tones derived
from the Romanian letters (Table 3). The recitation tones, in particular for the
Evangelist, remain to a great extent on the single pitch of c ’ and follow traditional
formulae for the incipit and cadences. In addition, the dramatic personae of the story,
27
namely Jesus, Pilate, the Maid, the Soldier, and the Evangelist, all follow the ancient
rules o f range.
Table 3. Selle’s Interpretation of Romanian Letters.
Romanian Original Fifteenth Century Selle’s Characters

Letter Meaning Interpretation
c Celeriter Cantor or Evangelist (tenor)

(quickly) chronista
s Sursum (in a Synogoga or Pilate, the Maid

raised voice) succentor and the Soldier (all
sung by an alto)
t Trahere (drag) Interpreted as a Jesus (bass)

or tenere (to cross not as a “t”,
hold) which became
Christus
Furthermore, to enhance the characterization of each dramatic persona, Selle
uses certain instrumental combinations: two bassoons always accompany the
Evangelist, two flutes and bassoon accompany Peter and the servant, two cometd and
trombone accompany Pilate, and two violins accompany Jesus. Particularly effective
in Selle’s Passion is the accompaniment for Pilate, which suggests a sense of pomp
and regalness whenever Pilate speaks. This practice of instrumental characterization
can be seen in other compositions of the period,7 and ultimately leads to the St.
Matthew Passion of Bach, where Jesus is accompanied by a “halo” of strings.
7Schiitz’s Christmas History (1664) allots to Herod two clarini, the chief priests
two trombones, and the angels two violette.
28
This characterization is also incorporated into the style of writing for a
particular character. The pan of the Evangelist, for example, is set primarily in a
style that is half-way between plainsong and monodic recitative. This writing is
fairly conservative and inexpressive due to the encumbered complexity of the
accompanying continuo pan. However, there are instances where the Evangelist
speaks of Christ, and during these instances the quality of the recitative is
transformed to that of Christ’s (Figure 1).
IM Fl>U>lMickfMd«a OtamMftiai 4tr
■w
Figure 1.
In this example, the first three measures illustrate the predominate recitation
tone on c ’ and show clearly the forward movement of the evangelist’s setting. The
texts translates as “And Pilate wrote an inscription for his Cross.” When the story
describes the inscription as “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” the style in which
the recitative is written changes in both the vocal and instrumental parts to arioso. Its
longer note values immediately are highlighted, compared to the preceding content.
Additionally, the long note values have been reserved for the role of Jesus, again
calling on the trahere tradition employed since the ninth century.
29
The turba settings in Selle’s passion are, without exception, homophonic
chordal responses that are mostly tonally static. The level of expression is minimal,
and is only set apart by the full instrumental ensemble accompanying colla parte.
The natural textual accents are achieved through quasi-speech rhythms. Selle
reserves the use of chromaticism for highly dramatic points, and uses it sparingly to
build excitement. One spot where this occurs is on the text “Kreuzige ihn” (Figure 2).
i t
v .o L a m
r
.
|
j OBJ au ■ i
1H I ■ ■
» * •' r — **
r * * - - t - 1 ' - J ------------ f - A n — iM \ 1
a * ^ at
* f
ta t— £ _ _ * —
Kraa - si - ga,
»u a
Kraa - at - ga,
T««or0
K n i - li • ga, kraa - it - fa, k m - «i * fa
I «F" • 3 *»
Orgiln41—infal ^ i
^ »■ *-
Figure 2.
Selle did not reserve his tools of characterization only for his vocal forces.
His manuscript is very precise and detailed, more so than many comparable
manuscripts of his time. One example of the instrumental characterization of the
30
fanaticism displayed in Figure 2 is found in a later reprise of this material with the
markings for the performing forces forte, presto. This is the first use of tempo and
dynamic marks in the Gospel narrative, and clearly informs the performers of his
intent that the second time should be stronger, affecting a greater emotion.
A more direct attempt at characterization through pictorialism can be found
only occasionally in the Passion account. Two instances that illustrate most
succinctly Selle’s approach are described below. The first is found in Part I. The
Evangelist, who is accompanied by two bassoons and continuo, speaks of the Lord
going across the Kidron brook. As soon as the brook is mentioned, the second
bassoon line deviates (Figure 3). The rhythm of this deviation mimics the
murmuring of a brook and is unlike any writing thus far in the work.
F ag o tti
A f f- r f f i f P
Pagott II
Evangelist
3 = t= ±
I Je-aus
r i r r u p r i
ging ii-b e r den Bach Kidron, da wareinGar • ten
H ‘ 1 iff I
Cembalo mit Violoaccllo
m
JL_A_
-i— 0 ' 0
j r a s m
A
i
h
Figure 3.
The second example is more subtle, but is one that is found in numerous
compositions of the Baroque that refer to Christ’s death. Upon the final words
31
uttered by Jesus, “Es ist vollbracht,’’ the two violins move in contrary motion, one
ascending upward, the other following to meet at the octave (Figure 4). This
movement is echoed by the two bassoons accompanying the Evangelist’s text “Und
neiget das Haupt und verschied” (And bowed His head and was gone). The
symbolism here is that of the spirit ascending and the body falling. The symbolism of
the two instruments, if seen in light of the writings on J.S. Bach’s symbolism, would
represent the unity of the Father and the Son.8
i'ji l - r — r r i
r1 f ~.*t r *=\m--r. m J. f . j
—
s c a z
3
- r r-r F t —1-
A fm n
rr r r ■* - r r 1■» » t r 1
T M m t e l i - i l i r i - ■ i w hat - «r: Is lit ti I . krackt.
1 ^ 1 k«
j-i— rf r w w 9 9 J " mm w* =—
A ..*
1 trrr t r
f r ..tm £ A
BvMfdiiK
DM H iapl
Figure 4.
‘Karl Geiringer, Symbolism in the Music o f Bach: A Lecture Delivered in the

Whittall Paviolin o f the Library o f Congress (Washington, DC: Library of Congress,
1956), 5.
32
The Intermedia
The three intermedia are the most interesting sections of this Passion setting, since
they illustrate the direct influence of Gabrieli, Praetorius and Schein, and how their
compositional styles were incorporated into the genre of the North German Passion.
The first two intermedia should be viewed as a set, given that they share the same
polychoral motet style and are based on biblical texts, while the third is based on a
chorale tune by Decius.
There has been much discussion of the validity of considering these
intermedia as direct interpolations. Friedrich Blume states that Selle’s three
Intermedium are “prophetical or contemplative paraphrases of the Passion story.”9
Smallman, however, argues that since the interpolations are not direct parallel
passages that reflect on the immediately preceding events, they should be viewed
more as intermezzi.10 Smallman’s argument is strengthened by the fact that Selle,
knowing the radical nature of this composition, gave an option in his forward for
removal of the intermedia in accordance with customs.
While Smallman’s argument is sound, the very inclusion of this type of
composition for the first time in the context of Passion setting merits consideration.
The first two intermedia are based on Isaiah S3: 1-5 and Psalm 22: 1-22, respectively.
They are both composed in motet style, musically treating each textual phrase as
discrete units. The performing forces are divided into two groups throughout:
Friedrich Blume, Protestant Church Music: A History (New York: W.W.

Norton & Company, Inc., 1974).
10Smallman, 37.
33
(1) SAATB choir accompanied by three violins, two bassoons and the first continuo
group; and (2) STB soloists accompanied by solo violin and the second continuo
group.
These two forces are employed antiphonally throughout the first two
intermedia with little exception. The sole exception to this antiphonal treatment is
reserved for textual passages referring to the communal assembly,
where the two groups merge into homophony. For instance, in the first intermedium
the forces sing antiphonally until m. SO, where they come together on the text
“Aber er ist um unser Missetat willen verwundet und um unser Siind willen
zerschlagen” (Wounded on account of our misdeed and smitten down on account of our
sin). A second clear example of this treatment is in the second intermedium
beginning in m. 34 on the text “Aber du bist heilig, der du wohnest unter dem Lob
Israel” (But You are holy and live under the praise of Israel), which continues with
the text “Unsre Vater hoffeten auf dich, und da sie hoffeten, halfest du ihnen aus”
(Our fathers placed their hope in You, and in their hope, You helped them).
The tonality of the first two intermedia is more expressive than in Selle’s
setting of the Passion narrative. Selle holds fast to a conservative tonal style (both in
F major and neither modulating for any lengthy period) but employs chromaticism
for text-painting. An example of this type of chromaticism is found in the second
intermedium in measures 38-43, where the chord progression modulates from
A major to D major (though incorporating E major and F major triads) that ultimately
resolves to G major. The pace at which Selle advances through this progression
34
gives the implied characteristic of chromaticism, although he’s basically written a
progression built on the circle of fifths.
The second intermedium contains one other interesting compositional
technique that bears mentioning. Beginning in m. 92, and until the end of the
intermedium, there is a step-wise progression in the bass line. This ascending bass
progression for the twelfth and thirteenth verses of Psalm 22 has been mentioned in
writings as being a common practice of Baroque composers,11 although the author
could not verify the statement of this practice.
"Harold Alexander Daugherty, Jr., “The Two Passions According to S t John by

Thomas Selle” (M.M. diss., Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California, 1967),
41
35
CHAPTER IV
JOHANN SEBASTIANI:
Das Leyden und Sterben unsers Herm und
Heilandes Jesu Christi nach dem heiligen Mattaeo
Biographical Information on Johann Sebastiani
The Passion according to St. Matthew by Johann Sebastiani is considered to
be the next important composition in the genre of Passion oratorio after Thomas
Selle’s setting.1 It deserves this consideration as it is the earliest surviving Passion
that includes chorales printed in the score. This Passion serves as the culmination of
Sebastiani’s career in Konigsberg, where he served as Kantor.2
Bom on September 30,1622, Sebastiani was raised in the vicinity of
Weimar.3 Little is known of his youth until around 1650, when he traveled to
Konigsberg and established himself as a composer within the city. A composition
entitled Geisdiches Madrigal oder zusammen getragener aussen hohen leid
‘Smallman, 32.
bounded in 1255, Konigsberg received civic privileges in 1286 and entered

the Hanseatic League in 1340. A political and military center, it was the residence of
the grand master of the Teutonic Knights from 1457, and from 1525 until 1618 the
residence of the dukes of Prussia. Konigsberg’s economy during the seventeenth
century was focused on trade. Due to the constant shifting of the water levels
leading to its harbor, its economy during this period was badly stymied. In addition,
the First Northern War and the Second Northern War caused severe damage to the
city. By the end of the 17th century, however, it had experienced a great recovery.
From this period arose a strong Lutheran musical tradition. This tradition was
developed by many musicians including Johann Eccard (1553-1611) and Johann
Stobaeus (1580-1646).
3John D. Amn. “Johann Sebastiani,” New Grove Dictionary o f Music and

Musicians 16 (1980): 96-97.
36
Salomonis, published in Konigsberg in 1653, exemplifies his popularity and the
established life he held there by that time.4
On August 11, 1661, Sebastiani was appointed to the positions of
Kapellmeister to the Prince of Brandenburg and Kantor at the cathedral. His musical
responsibilities to both court and church produced a treasury of sacred music as well
as occasional music commissioned for public festivities. His duties at court were all-
inclusive; he was solely responsible for the musical establishment of the court chapel.
During his first three years, Sebastiani had at his disposal a court organist, a
Precantor, and several choirboys. In 1664, he was granted six court instrumentalists
to supplement the extant performing forces. It was during this period of expansion
that Das Leyden und Sterben unsers Herm und Heilandes Jesu Christi nach dem
heiligen Mattaeo was composed, as evidenced by the instrumentation of this setting.
From 1658 to 1672 Sebastiani was involved in several academic festivities in
the municipal church. During this time, he composed numerous occasional pieces for
weddings, funerals, and other commemorative events. The majority of his works are
influenced by five-voiced models of Stobaeus and Albert, founders of the Konigsberg
lied school.
In 1672 Sebastiani was married and from that point until the end of his life he
was concerned primarily with the publication of his works. In 1672, he published a
collection entitled Erster Theil der Pamass-Blumen, oder Geist- und Weltlich
Mosepb Muller-Blattau, Die musikalischen Schdtze der Koniglichen- und

Universitats-Bibliothek zu Konigsberg in Preussen (Bonn: Adolph Marcus, 1890.
Reprint: Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1971), 33.
37
Lieder..., which was comprised of sixty ensemble songs in three to five parts. In
1675, another publication was produced, Ander Theil Der Pamass-Blumen, a
collection of seventy-seven compositions for solo voice and basso continuo. This
publication shows the direct influence of the early Baroque in its emphasis on textual
clarity through solo singing, and thus was a breaking point from the Konigsberg
tradition and earlier studies in Germany.
Much of the historical importance attributed to Sebastiani is due to his
Passion setting Das Leyden und Sterben unsers H eim und Heilandes Jesu Christi
nach dem heiligen Mattaeo.5 Two extant manuscripts of the Passion dating from
1663 and 1664 have led authorities to place its composition in 1663 or earlier.6 The
work remained in manuscript form until it was first published in 1672 by Friedrich
Reusnem in Konigsberg.
The title page of the work (Figure 5) clearly states the new features of the
work. These features include the interpolation of eight chorales and scriptural texts,
the free use of concerted instruments and their respective roles in delineating each
dramatic persona, and the replacement of traditional recitation tones with newly-
composed recitative. The title o f the work reads as follows in translation:
The Suffering and Death of our LORD and Savior JESUS CHRIST
according to St. Matthew. Set in a reciting harmony of five voices and
six instrumental parts together with a Basso Continuo; in which
various verses from the usual church songs have been introduced and
sJohann Sebastiani and Johann Theile, “Passions-musiken,” Denkmdler

deutscher Tonkunst, vol. 17 ed. Hans J. Moser (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Hartel, 1958),
7-103. This edition, which contains two passions, will hereafter be abbreviated as DDT.
6Ibid., 1.
38
added to the text in order to arouse greater devotion. By the Prussian

Kapellmeister, in the service of the Prince of Brandenburg, Johannes
Sebastiani from Thuringia.7
WErtJtfia.'
ta jr-
cfuCirtlft/
not)
5 n cfttCrecidrmt(Har>
moniooa 5.HngmMnuiib 6 (pMttftoi
Qrimam/ nrtft Nm BmGjCoeKeuo
f ^ i i f D o r f t m j u f f l N d M S a ^ n r Dero*
cien oMMm a**
■&rinarftyrttf
anftfcntqmMCMMdimiKifcB.
•OB
0fc Q « |lfeM d lL |R 2 lM M h «
Jo lu —< S rttflw M , V m n lT fc a n g g o ^
2 U n 4 rta ^
( M
Figure 5.
7Haberlen, 72.
39
The dedication message attached to the work (Figure 6) conveys the typical
subservient rhetoric employed by the Baroque composer of the seventeenth century.
Sebastiani’s dedication, however, goes beyond the typical rhetoric, and one can sense
his desire for promotion of the work in other countries under the influence of the
Prince.
My most honorable and mighty Prince / Gracious Lord
At your princely feet do I lay now my musical Passion which has

been dedicated to God and to the glory of his church in the Dukedom
of Prussia. I beg your majesty to accept this work with gracious eyes
and hands into your mighty protection as a sign of my humble
devotion to you. Although my humble work has had success with
many high and lower class people in this place I should have started
printing this work a long time ago were it not for my lack of financial
means. This poor work would, however, be much more successful in
other countries if your Majesty would begin to make this print a
favorite of his. I remain your humble servant and wish the best
blessings and protection of the God of the heavens for you and your
princely house. May God give you and your lofty electoral family
(dynasty) health and many more years to live so that our country will
have a mighty protector and I, myself a fatherly benefactor. May the
lands and houses of the Dukedom bestow great presents unto You,
and may I wish you many years of great growth and constant health.
Your unworthy servant

Johann Sebastiani.8
In addition to these two specific inscriptions, Sebasdani writes one more
message (Figure 7) to the musicians who would be performing his Passion. The letter
contains important guidelines for its performance and oudines several alternatives to
make the work more accessible to the local community in which it would be
performed. It translates as follows:
8Ibid.,4.
40
£>ur$tiu$tigfier @rofimcidsttg|tet
ffbutgiiift/
IKngndbigfln $«ni
g © U (Eroer £$ur gurfiL <Dur$L 0Afcn (toe i$ m tm tttigit mdne
©On uni fcina Xirtitn |u ©frm in Sure Jprtogtfnift $ra#ca Mifafti
Muficalifty Passions-Zririt is ricfffiir D«natf i b tn / iM R ttiilgjl U ttnbtl
fdltt o!< tin ftultigtf 3 ri4 « atciacr aamtfdnlgflai Devotion a ft ©sAbtota
Zugcn uab (inbtB {a ©etc ©rc£md$rigfh Protection oaf aab aajaaffaMa. ©taa
06 jtcet tlcfe m int gcringt Zr6<it eitl $of< aab Rbbtigt C u a M ^ M ^ M
bitfte Oitfe ftfr eagaftgtt fat/ baf baftr fotyc |aai Dead Mag# Wort« / m na
to mit aiift aa SJlimla fohftf iaO SBtrtf p fcflrt gnaoagtft f itio ; 6 e a M
btnaeg bitfdbt aagtr oSta gtDtifd axit fifin gtfotaa/ aa4 la aabtn t ta ta a
aagcatfntr Ktrbta / nxuia ©». SfurfL ©u«blaii$t ©foncfebigfto Diafaw baO ftyMfti
SBttd tdcvtfttn a rt briitbtt ma^ta »irb; SBtty* fuapt Dm CfatfL foftai £aafi
bun ZOajabtabta 0 âgc bto ®tf«rf<$«rt ^fauado aab b«r C rtta oapftffe/
jQtrg>iaai0ti<$ta ariafttabc/baf bttftOt £ » . ©fcurfl. Danfl. p fcratm
OUgicraag/ oUtr ©m taabt aab Uattctfoata p ad^rigtt Qkftfeauag/ aiiv aW
p r ©adbigfka fOctfotgc noQ aid 3 a fn la grtftaa Flor aab>NMablgnt 0tfaabW*
tD totlif a f t t a mtHk.
9m. CfacfL SatifL
UatMflalgjhr ibaft
Johan Sebaftiani.
Figure 6. Dedication.
To the music loving friend and the director!
Dear Sir and friend: I have not published or printed this minor music
Passion of mine in order to show off great art and skillfulness but
because this Passion has already been in use here and in other places
for the reason that it has been so popular here in the Royal Prussian
province that demands were made to have the Passion printed. This is
the reason I have at many places corrected my work and then
published it to the honor of God and the church. I hope that my good
intention will not be interpreted the wrong way. In performing the
Passion one should be careful that it is performed with a choir and a
covered organ, positiv; or a Qave-Cimbal [harpsichord] together with
41
other subtle instruments such as lutes, theorba, viola da gamba or

braccio and also with two “bound” violins. If there are no deep viols
one can leave out the third and fourth parts as long as the bass line is
well set. The choral parts, especially the ones of Jesus and the
evangelist, should be sung by good singers. It is to be noted that at
two places (according to the preference of each town) a passion text
is to be read from the altar, namely after the verse; “Erbarm dich
mein Herrlich Gott’ and after the third verse of “O Lamm Gottes
unschuldig.” From the interpolated chorales one may sing one verse
of one’s choice except in “Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott,”
where one can choose two verses to be sung. From the chorale “O
Traurigkeit” one may sing either one verse or the entire song and if a
director from a different town does not like the melody of the song
“In dich hab ich gehoffet Herr” from which I have taken the verse
“Herr meinen Geist befehlich dir,” then he may use the melody which
is customarily sung in his town. Besides this it is to be noted that the
puncta which are found on the lines should stand in space just beside
the following note. In the same way the b flats which are found in the
General and Bass viol spaces above the first line and the ones
underneath in the bass clef belong actually to the other lower lines,
second line bass clef and the following notes. Furthermore one must
know that the Discant part has l'/i bifolios (4 pp.) the Alto 1; the
Evangelist: as the first tenor, 4; the other tenor, 1; the Bass: JESUS:
2; the first violin I ; the second 1. The first Viol di Gambe 2, the
second 2, the third 1, the fourth 1 1/4. The General Bass 2lA.
In the same style as this composition which is in the reciting style and also
decorated with church songs according to the newest fashion I have set the
Evangelist scriptures in German for Sundays as well as holidays throughout
the whole year. If a music lover could be found to publish it, I would be glad
to do this for the honor of God and the church. It is also possible that other
works would follow eventually. I remain faithfully honoring you the music
lover.
Your undeserving servant,
Johann Sebastiani.9
nbid., 5.
42
2fn ten jjiitiffigen Mufic-liebenben ftreunt unb Directorem.
© unfitaer £ e n r u n t $ r c u n t/ ta § tiefe m eine geringc M uficaliftye

PaffJons-lrbcit gcbrutft fceroug gefce / tguc i$ ni^t barumb / ale rooltc itg
tarinnen greffe £unfi unb ©cfigicfligfcit crwcifen eber fcgcn laffcn/ fcnbern rotit
ticfelbe gier unb anfctrtno ftgen vet btm gcftgricbcn gebrauigt / nab von victcn
aOgier im ©gurfl. $crgegtgumb ^rcuftn ifl bclicbcr unb |um ©rutf begegret roerbcn/
babe i«b fie in eielcn Orten corrigiret unb © ett jn ©bren unb bcr jfrrigcn jum
beflcn publicircn roollcn; Olitgt iroeiffclnbc/ meinc roolgcmcinte Intention roetbe
niibt ubel auggclcgct roerbcn. Sabev iff in a<bt ju nebnten / bag fie fcin begfammen
auff cinctn Cb*t mit ecrbctfrrr Orgcl/ Pofitiv/ Instrument eber Clave-Cimbal nebfl
anbern vetbonbenen fubtilen3nflrum enten/ale?auten/Teorben/Violen daG am ba/
eber da Braccio / roic autg 2. eerbunbenen Violinen fan m ulidret wcrben: 3 "
mangel bcr tieffen Violen fan bit brine unb vicrbte auib wot aulblciben / wann
nur ba« Fundament gut beftget if!; © ic Vocal-@timmen infenbergeir bie $crfogn
JESU S unb Evangelifta mugcn au<b mit guncn 0 in g ern befegt rocrben. ©ann
iff autb }u mcrtfcn / bag }u jmeben mablcn (bo<b naib belieben eineO jeben Orteo)
nentblicb na<b bem ©crfe: ©rbarm bi<b mein 0 $© rre © ett: Unb naib bem britten
© erg: 0 Somb ©One# unfaulbig/ ein Paflions-Sejt vfleget tor bene llt o r ob»
getefen roerbcn. © on benen cingcfAgrtcn Siebern fan nur ein ©erg v ie |u ffnben
na$ belieben gefungen rocrben/ auger bem/ J^fErr 3© fu ©griff wabr SRcnftg unb
© ett/ ba jroep © erf |u finben fcgn; 0 Irarorigftit/ 0 .Qcrgelcib: fan naib belieben
gang eber nur ein © erf gefungen rocrben; Unb we bem gAuffigcn D irected frcmb*
bee Ortef bit SRclobcv vom Siebe: 3 * bi<g bob i<b gebefet .$©OtfX: weraue bcr
©erg Jg)<Err mcinen ©eifl befegl i(b bir/ gcnemmcn/ nie^t gefaOcn mbtgte/ fan cr
bit gebrduiglicbe Elelobev fcince Ortee bcvbcgaltcn. 0enf)cn iff |u notiren, bag
bie $uncta ft auff benen finien gefnnben rocrben/ (often im Spatio beg bcr na<g«
felgcnben Oleten jtcgen; imgtei<bcn au<g bie b mollin fe im General unb Violen
BaB in ben Spatiis Abcr ber erficn unb anbern Cinicn van unten ffegen/ gegiren
auff bie anbert Sinien van unten |ur nacgfelgcnbcn Sfletcn. l u $ bicnet |ur 0fa<g»
r i$ t/ bag bcr Difcant I f. ber l i t I. ber ©vangclift: ate I Tenor. 4 . ber anber
T enor. I. © er BaB: JE S U S : 2. © ie crfbe Violin 1. bie anbere 1. © ic erffe V iol di
Gamba 2. bie anbere 2. bie brifte 1. bie vicrbte H . © er General BaB 2g ©egcn
in fifg befr.
lu ff biefe reddrenbe unb bcrglciifccn na<g gcutigcr HRanicr cingcrugtett autg mit
jlingen ticbcrn augge|icgtte Concert l e t gabc itg burtge gange 3 a g t / fe negt auff
0enn< ale $efitagc in ©cutftgcr ©pratge bie E vangelia ocfegct: 3Bann fty nun
tin Sicbgabcr |um ©ertegen finben w ette/ mitgte idg fie © O tt |u ©gren unb bcr
Jtingcn jum befien gem geraug gcbca/ benen bann autg roogt mcgrcre erfelgen fintc.
SBemit mi(g in bee gAnffigen Mufic-Iiebenben ^reunbei gegc ©eroegengcit cinftyticffc.
Figure 7.
43
Analysis of the Sebastiani Passion
Sebastiani's setting is based on the Passion according to St. Matthew, and is
scored for two violins, three viola da gamba or da braccio, viola bassa, soloists, five-
voice SATTB choir, and continuo (organ). The Passion follows the normative
structural model for Renaissance and early Baroque Passion settings. This division
creates a two-part story, the first beginning with the conspiracy against Jesus
(Matthew 26: 1) through the denials of Peter (Matthew 26:77), and the second
beginning with Jesus taken before Pilate (Matthew 27: 1) through the guard at the
tomb (Matthew 27:66). The two parts are separated by a reading o f the Passion text
by the priest at the altar.10
The subdivisions within this broad division exemplify the tendency towards
symmetry in the Baroque period. Focus on symmetrical form can be seen in both
instrumental and vocal music, including the later Passion settings through the time of
Bach. In Sebastiani’s setting, this focus is demonstrated by the five subdivisions
within each part and their similar opening and closing segments (Table 4).
Table 4. Sebastiani’s Structural Division of St. Mathew Passion
P art I P art 11
Opening Symphonia (and Exordium) Symphonia h. 4
Scene I The conspiracy against Jesus Jesus is taken before Pilate

The anointing at Bethany The death of Judas
Chorale 0 Welt, ich muB dich lassen Vater unser in Himmelreich

(v. 7)
l0DDT, 58. The text includes “Hie gehet der Priester vors Altar zum erstenmal
und lieset einen Passionstext ab."
Table 4 (continued) 44
P a r ti P a rtn
Scene II Judas betrays Jesus Jesus before Pilate

Preparations for the Passover
supper
The treachery of Judas
foretold
The institution of the
Eucharist
Chorale Gott Sei Gelobet und 0 Lamm Gottes Unschuldig

Gebenedeit (v. 2 & 3)
Scene m Peter’s denial foretold Jesus is crowned with thorns

Gethsemane The Crucifixion
The crucified Jesus is
mocked
Chorale Vater Unser in Himmebeich Herr Jesu Christ, Wahr’

Symphonia Mensch und Gott
Vater Unser in Himmelreich
(v. 4)
Scene IV The arrest The death of Jesus

Judas before the Sanhedrin
Chorale 0 Lamm Gottes Unschuldig Herr, meinen Geist befehl

ichdir
Mit Fried Und Freud
Scene V Peter’s denials The burial

The guard at the tomb
Chorale Erbarm dich mein 0 Herre Conclusio

Gott
Sebastiani’s inclusion of simple chorales within the printed score is the
earliest instance of this practice.11 Within the work, Sebastiani includes eight
different chorale melodies and introduces thirteen chorale verses. Each chorale is
1‘Smallman, 81 .
45
set for solo voice, accompanied by viols and basso continuo. This type of setting
would imply that the chorales were intended as solo meditations. However,
Smallman writes “the existence of a booklet on the performance of Passion music,
which was published at Konigsberg in 1682... was expressly designed for the
guidance of congregations, [and] indicates clearly that at certain points a solo voice is
to sing and at others the whole congregation.”12
Sebastiani’s strategic placement of the chorales is used as a form of
punctuation to the dramatic unfolding of the Passion story.13 The majority of the
chorales are inserted between scenes and their texts either summarize or give
reflection on the drama that has just occurred. Interestingly though, Sebastiani also
inserts the same chorale tune in various places throughout the story, providing
melodic unity. The most poignant example of this practice is found in the setting the
chorale tune O Lamm Gottes unschuldig, a translation of the Agnus Dei by Nicholas
Decius, which occurs twice throughout the story, first after the scene “Jesus before
the Sanhedrin” in part one, and later in part two during the scene of “Jesus before
Pilate.” This tune would have been most familiar to the congregations in
Konigsberg, as it was an element of the Lutheran liturgy since its inception.
Another method for unification was Sebastiani’s joining of specific dramatic
personae to both range and fixed instrumentation. Sebastiani respected the
12Ibid., 81.
13Although the traditional chorale tune was used as structural punctuation, it

should be noted that its use also allowed for the involvement of the Lutheran
congregation in the performance of the Passion.
46
underlying principles of the Romanian letters in terms of pitch. Although he
abandoned use of the traditional recitation tones that were so prominent in the
responsorial passion settings of his time, he developed a pitch class for each dramatic
persona to allow for clear discernment by the listeners. To this end, the Evangelist
remained pitched as a tenor, Jesus as a bass (with a range descending to F), Judas as
an alto, and the other minor characters with higher pitched inteijecdons.
Ail the minor characters, as well as the Evangelist, are accompanied
throughout by three viols and basso continuo, while Jesus is accompanied by two
violins and continuo. The tonal contrast of the reedy viols and the sweet violins
distinctly set Jesus off from all other characters in this Passion setting. The use of
three voices implies the presence of the Trinity. The manner in which the three
voices are intertwined differs throughout, creating a sense of a living, discrete
presence separated from the worldly action surrounding the divine Christ. This
practice has also been referred to as the “halo” effect, the strings symbolizing the
divinity of Christ while on earth. Sebastiani clearly understood this theology, as there
is only one point where the strings fall silent. This point is the proclamation of Jesus
“Eli, Eli Lama asabthani” (My God, why have you abandoned me?) (Figure 8).
ffr.tif t t i f f TTk
Figure 8.
47
The turba choruses in Sebastiani’s setting are fairly conservative and are reminiscent
of those by Johann Walther and the composers of the previous century. The majority
of the turba utterances are homophonic, except where Sebastiani wishes to convey a
sense of the crowd (Figure 9). To create this sense, Sebastiani either sets portions of
the turba response polyphonically or staggers the entrances of the performing forces.
In each of the turba choruses though, one gets a sense in the turba choruses of a keen
awareness by Sebastiani for natural textual stress and the turba’s realism via direct
inteijections into the ongoing drama.
TattL ♦
r -:ts f If i
*
a—
1
rr-r- t ■f
M— Wais J |O kii . . . ja la , Mh,dar diak
i
. f—
p I----- — r-f— w—
» l-P - p ^
If*
Waia J as . f a u a , . 1 . I**! dar diak aakiagf
TatuJ fS>
W F -j tfa . y If - *—
Wato J <• - *» IM*.J__ O krl. . I W im diak aaUac?
0
r-f __ | ■f —
Wafa | as . g* aaa, Ohii . UU,dar diak
**
= b =
—a * —i-------- T
W«ia . •s.gsaaa, Okri . . . dar
1
to*, diak
I
aaktoff
Figure 9.
Harmonically, Sebastiani’s setting is very conservative, using diatonic
progressions throughout. To differentiate between scenes, Sebastiani fluctuates
between the tonalities of F major and d minor, and remains faithful to whichever he
has chosen until the scene draws to its conclusion. To this end, when a scene closes
in a key that is different from the key of the chorale to follow, Sebastiani inserts a
transitional interlude that serves both as a vehicle for modulation and also as an
48
interpolation (Figure 10). This happens though only three times within the work and
each occurrence coincides with a dramatic point in the drama. The sole exception to
the conservative tonal writing is the inclusion of a major triad built on the flat second
scale degree contained in a segment of recitative. This non-diatonic chord is reserved
for text-painting on the word “Silberlinge” (meaning “silverpieces”), occurs on the
weak portion of the measure, and does not recur.14
n t . Ai a it iiak la H l.W V» .
viouni.
Oo« ■! | i . lo .M ■ad go.ba.aa . dM.ai, te w n l . W hat p

Mil aMaai PlalMk* B la.te, dM fik m aÎan OoU, ■ jpi.to.
Figure 10.
l4DDT, 63.
49
Other examples of text-painting occur throughout the work. Since the effects
are reserved for special texts, they are clearly in contrast to the stepwise motion of
the recitatives and responses and are easily discemable. These madrigalisms can be
categorized into five groups, as follows: instrumental, rhythmic, pitch and range,
melismas and use of imitation. Examples of each are as follows:
Figure 11. Sebastiani’s Text-Painting Techniques.
Instrumental (Fig. 1la): The first violin leaps on the word “krdhet" (to
crow).
V io l 1.
VloLlL
Rhythmic (Fig. 1lb): The word “schlafend"(sleeping) is set o ff

rhythmically.
At
Pitch (Fig. 1lc): The word “laut" (loud) is set using the extreme range
o f the Evangelist.
U a k iii ■taa.feaMJI.ai
50
Melismas (Fig. 1Id): The word “flohen " (to flee away) is represented by
the fleeing o f the notes through melisma.
6»«KlkJ«nua il.U
Imitation (Fig. 1le)
A more subtle type of madrigalism found in Sebastiani’s Passion is pacing
and tempo. The precept of “music as the servant of text”as exemplified in the
seconda prattica style- and this practice within the Baroque- places a strong
influence on all vocally oriented compositions and affects even the recitatives of the
Evangelist. From the earliest times, the role of the Evangelist was to deliver the
narrative portion of the Passion account in an uninvolved, objective manner. This
51
practice was continued through the responsorial passions into the seventeenth
century. Sebastiani deviates from this practice twice in his setting by purposefully
elongating the duration of pitch in the recitatives. This is done to emphasize the
solemnity of the texts being set, and in one of the two instances the only tempo
marking in the whole piece is given (Figure 12).
j Adagio
Diaa 1st JI-M S, darJudon KB.
A fa g io
Figure 12.
52
CHAPTER V
JOHANN THEILE:
Das Leiden und Sterben unsers Herm Jesu Christes
nach dem Evangelisten Matthao
Biographical Information on Johann Theile
Johann Theile was bom on July 29,1646 in Naumburg, a small town in the
region of Saxony.1 Little is known of his childhood, but it is believed that Theile
received his basic education in Magdeburg, a town located approximately eighty
kilometers north of his birthplace. It was in Magdeburg that Theile received his first
music lessons from Johann Scheffler in voice, composition and viola da gamba.2
After completing his ad hoc education in Magdeburg, Theile attended the
Gymnasium at Halle, where he continued his education. In 1666 he began his studies
in law at the University of Leipzig.3 Well educated German musicians frequently
studied subject matters other than music, such as theology, rhetoric or law, as they
were often required to teach subjects other than music in the church Gymnasium.
Theile was no exception. In addition to his studies at the University, Theile certainly
was exposed to music at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. During his time there,
Sebastian Kniipfer (1633-1676) served as cantor. It is not known whether Theile took
■Jocelyn Mackey, “Johann Theile,” New Grove Dictionary o f Music and

Musicians 17 (1980): 730-731.
Nicolas Slonimsky, The Concise Edition o f Baker’s Dictionary o f Musicians,

eighth edition (New York: Schirmer Books, 1994), 1027.
3Smallman, 8.
53
pan in certain services, but it is presumed that Theile “enjoyed the benefit of
Knupfer’s teaching, whose leaning toward strong contrapuntal work he shared.”4
Between the time that he began studies at Leipzig and 1672, it is theorized by
many music historians that Theile studied with Heinrich Schiitz, although the pupil-
teacher relationship remains mere speculation, given the lack of evidence to support
this claim. Between 1670 and 1673 Theile may have been active in Liibeck, which
would have afforded him the opportunity to attend the Abendmusiken, which Dietrich
Buxtehude managed and with whom Theile enjoyed a cordial relationship.1 At these
evening concerts Theile was probably most exposed to the expansive form of
Buxtehude’s cantatas.
While in Liibeck, Theile published two major compositions, the Passion
Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Evangelistem: Matthaeum and Pars prima
Missarum. The publication of these works in LUbeck would seem to imply that
Theile had developed working relationships in the city of Liibeck and had become
involved in its musical life by 1673.
In 1673, Theile assumed the position of Kapellmeister in Gottorf, succeeding
Augustine Pfleger (c. 1636-1685).6 Before his departure from Liibeck, Theile
dedicated the Passio to his new patrons, Duke Christian Albrecht and his wife,
4Haberlen, 91.
5See introductory passages to Passion.
6Ibid., 92.
54
Friedrica Amalia. Theile’s stay in Gottorf abruptly ended due to ensuing political
events that forced the entire court to flee.
Theile escaped to Hamburg, where he performed and produced several operas
that may have been composed while in Gottorf.7 It was here in Hamburg that Theile
secured a place in music history with the production of his biblical singspiel, Adam
und Eva, oder der erschaffene, gefallene, und wieder auffgerichtete Mensch. This
singspiel was selected as the fust opera to premiere at the new Hamburg Opera
House on January 2, 1678. Theile’s opera was met with great success, and he was
requested to produce two other operas, Orontes, oder der verlohme und wieder
gefundene Konigliche Prinz aus Candia, and Die Geburt Christi. Unfortunately, the
music to each of these operas has been lost and only the libretti survive.
From 1686 to 1691, Theile served as Kapellmeister in WolfenbUttel under
Duke Anton Ulrich (1633-1714). During his time in WolfenbUttel, Theile published
two collections of music, Noviter inventum opus musicalis compositions, and Opus
secundum, movae Sonatae rarissimae artis et suavitatis musicae, both of which are
now lost.
In 1691, Theile left WolfenbUttel and entered into service at the court of
Duke Christian II (1653-1694) in Merseburg. Theile’s length of service here is
unknown. According to Haberlen, “none of Theile’s biographers have been able to
account with certainty his activities from this point until he joined his son, Benedikt
7Smailman, 25.
55
Friedrich, in Naumburg in 1718.”6 The only documentation of this period is a
catalogue printed in Merseburg (1708) of Theile’s most select sacred works. From
1718 until 1724, Theile lived in Naumburg with his son. He died at the age of 77 in
June 1724.
According to Mackey, Theile’s extant music is as follows:
Three sets of his published works have survived: The Weltliche Arien
und Consonetten, the Pars prima Missarum, and the Passio. Two
Masses, 24 sacred compositions for voices and instruments, ten solo
motets, duets and trios, all with instruments are preserved in
manuscript. A humorous madrigal and two suites are also extant. In
seven extant treatises, Theile provides a systematic demonstration of
the contrapuntal principles and skill.7
Theile’s Passio was not written for any particular church but was rather
designed as a gift to the general public. Though the Passion was created “to the most
high God in praise and thankfulness for gracious salvation from death,”8 Theile
chose through-composed arias rather than the chorale interpolations that had become
popular by this time. The five arias included in Theile’s Passio are based on freely
composed poetic texts and reflect gready Theile’s involvement with the lied and
opera forms of North Germany. The texts are deeply reflective, and each conveys a
sense of Pietism.
The title page and opening dedications give evidence of the instrumentation
and performing forces for which Theile conceived the work (Figure 13).
‘Haberlen, 94.
7Mackey, 57.
8Johannes Theile. “Forward to his Gracious friends of music” in the Passio.

Reprinted in DDT.
56
PASSIO,
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m it 3. Violdig. over B nts: Peribnn Evangefift m it 3. Bratz:
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gebiudt biwb CeeT: gottfneb 3faert gtben.
ANNO M. D C LXXIIL
F ig u re 13.
57
The title is translated as follows:
The Passion, of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Gospel

of St. Matthew with or without instruments Or: The Suffering and
Death of our Lord Jesus Christ, set according to the holy evangelist
Matthew; (with five instruments in the ritomelli, five voices in the
choruses. Characters: Christ with 2 violas da gamba or braccio,
Evangelist with two braccio, and the remaining characters solo, etc.,
or to be sung musically without instruments) by the Capellmeister to
the illustrious ruling Prince of Schleswig-Holstein Johann Theile of
Naumburg. Liibeck, in the publishing house of Michael Volck,
printed by the heirs of the late Gottfried JSger. In the year 1673.9
Theile’s listing of the instrumentation and its specific designation to solo
characters clearly defines the work as being set in a new style. Theile was shrewd in
understanding his potential market for this composition, as within this title page he
gives various options for performance.
Following the dedication of the Passion to his new patrons, Theile adds a
special message to his new employers (Figure 14) that translates as follows:
Most worthy and most illustrious Prince,

Most gracious Lord.
Most illustrious Princess,
Most gracious Lady.
Ever since the hour when your most illustrious Royal

Highnesses honoured me by accepting me into your service, I
immediately have taken it upon myself to serve you through some
modest gifts which God and Nature granted me.
Although I could have created a cheerful secular work for this

purpose I have nevertheless decided to begin with the sacred
composition of the tragic Passion of the suffering and death of our
Lord Jesus Christ I do not doubt that your most excellent and
illustrious Royal Highnesses with your world-renowned, highly
praiseworthy piety and fear of God will hear the passion with
’Johann Theile, Passions-musiken, 105.
58
gracious ears, will accept and receive it as a sign of my deepest

gratitude and will further keep me in your royal grace.
Your illustrious Royal Highnesses, I submissively offer to you
my humble services and all my efforts for the future and wish you and
your entire royal household long-lasting health and a peaceful, happy,
and blessed reign, loyally and humbly recommending you thus to
almighty God, under your command, remaining
Your royal Illustrious Highnesses’

Most humble and obedient servant
Johann Theile.10
2hir$tin$tiafte gfirfHn/
©nSb^jte gran.
Oftaa *<t Qtaabc oa ba Cm. £a4ftefH. âgfftrfH. m<4 Orta
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e a rn .
06 » • fetyta tan | (Im Mttrfigr aab lafigr Imrcatioo |4ttt orMtbta fiaara/
fa bobc baft ba«b Mr# fltifMftt ®»4*aag‘Mr nawigai M a in M t i t t l
nab ©trriraa aaftro JftCita 3Cfa CW fi bra lafaag augra aaira akbf
im ifilai/ Ca. Cm. $«bfMK. êibfbcfH. Van#. SatCL arrtta C m adrto>
foam btyggrtifliftta Pietti aab OamofarCc aab tUfOk air gaAMgfta Oftra
aa|ina/ ola ria Brkbta «<■* Pfkbr-toMtiggra ‘Soaftorfrir oaf* aab aaaiba m/
aab ftrarr ia Cota Aabfitfliftta Oaibt aig MUaMg# ofoiMa.
fflit Cm. Cm. £o4firff. JMftttf. SatÎ. Sat*!. |* fttatra ragiaiba m
aatmbiakflta Birafra ao* aQa SMofkbfrit a kb btaibrig# aafagfer/ aifa
atebflbt Strsftttra aab B r» gaagta wbffafL $aeft Uage brfUabigr Crfaab.
fcie/ aab SHtMglMlifotfrgaitt fXiginaag/ boirg bra Xltrbbbfta (Sott |a «0ra
aabna fitt# atbbabta 4e<bfbifH. (Mb# Crgrfra gtmali^# aab aatntbiaig# rag-
frflrab taOrtiMbaag
Ca. Ca.«a<bfML«a4f*cff.
C iig t Sargi*
aatntflaialhr gc|affiai#K
Strata
30)01 Tfrtfw.
Figure 14.
10Ibid., 107.
59
In addition to the dedication, Theile offers a general guide to musicians outlining the
alternative performance methods of his Passion (Figure 15).
©unfWgcr Mufic*gmmb.
icr ubergtbe tor autf rocf)lmcinent)en Jpergcn/ toe von m ir gefefite
Pasfion/ rct($( afcrrmafcl eer gndbigc 3cb<«>(Err<rrung bem £ m i c u ® O tt
|u ?cfe unb © a n d / mittftcilc. 9BcrI<i(ct ® ott ferucr 0tfunb&t it unb fic&cu/
foOcn uiucrf$i<bli$c Opera crfelgcn. XflbicreoWn abtr an cttttycn Ortcn bie fallen*
icit bit Inftnimental-Mufic ni<$f gcbr4u$ti<b/ a ll fabc $icbf9 fflgcn neO tn/ w it
bicfce SSBtrtft^cn c$n< Inftrumcnta fan gcfcrau$ct wtrbcn/wic fafget: bcr EvangeliAa
fan choraliter fcincm gangcu T ext alfe aflcin fe n ffngcn
___________ <n ^
Il'Tl' a n a * I -a a n ■ - ♦ +-
(El fogabfty, ba 3*-fu» al*Ie bit*fc Otcbc veOcnbn (am. 3(foau43<f**:
’* » t ♦ f t ' ■* I t j , 1
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ubrigtn teirb tin verfMnbiger Director biebev feint Partitur ebtr Tabulatur jur
Direction am &efJen van nifttn fcafcen; ©it babev befinbliên Alien finb cinfilrig
von mir baiu gefegr worbeu/ cfcne Inftrum: ftnncn beffrn ©tele tcutftc £ir$cn«
S falmcn vtrtrctcn. SEBcgcn mtintr cilfcnigtn Xbreifc bung ®etttl ©ebirfung na$
enorf/ babe bit Composition nity wieber bur^feben/ viefmtniget ben Bnuf
fcftflcn abwartcn fftnncn/ teirb teal vtrftftn fetjn/ teeOt btr gftnftigc Mufic-ftreunb
bcftbcibcntlty vcrbcffctn/ unb gcteegtn Mcibcn
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3o$an Itoilen.
Figure 15.
The translation is as follows:
Gracious friend of Music.
Here I give to you from a benevolent heart the Passion set by

me, which I impart again to the most high God in praise and
thankfulness for gracious salvation from death. If God lends further
health and life, various works shall follow. Since instrumental music
is not customary during Lent in several places I have decided to add
here how this small work can be performed without instruments: the
60
Evangelist can sing his entire text alone, as a chant. Jesus may also
sing his part likewise.
The choruses, which are set contrapuntally, require a
somewhat rapid tempo. As to other details, a knowledgeable director
will best use his score or tablature for conducting. The arias found in
the work are set by me in a simple manner and without instruments;
German church songs can replace these sections. Because of my hasty
departure for Gottorf according to God’s will, I have not had time to
look through the composition, nor to wait for it to be printed. Should
there be anything incorrect, the gracious friend of music is asked to
take the liberty to correct it and remain well-disposed towards
his faithful
Johann Theile.11
It is interesting that although the arias are Theile’s chief contribution to the
Passion form, he gives the performer an alternative of not using them. This may be
seen as a manifestation of his desire to see this work promulgated. Many churches of
the time might find the inclusion of secular arias as being too radical to be
accommodated by their liturgical traditions.
Analysis of the Theile Passion
Theile’s Passion according to St. Matthew is scored for two viole da braccio,
two viole da gamba, five-part chorus (SSATB), continuo and organ. The Passion is
divided into the traditional bipartite form. This would be expected by the mid
seventeenth century, but what is extraordinary about the work is the secular
influence, both in terms of the freely composed arias as mentioned above, and the use
"Ibid., 110.
61
of the term “Actus” to denote the two parts. Theile’s terminology for structuring the
work reflects his knowledge and love for the operatic forms of the day as well as the
cantatas of Buxtehude. The setting is otherwise faithful to the gospel narrative and
does not abbreviate or omit any of St. Matthew’s account of the passion.
Theile’s setting of the passion is punctuated by interpolations. These
interpolations either reflect on the action that has just occurred or serve as points of
meditation that help control the pacing of the story. A structural analysis can be
derived through an critique of these interpolations. (Table 5).
Table 5. Structural Analysis of Theile Passion.
(Part) Actus I Actus n

Sinfonia & Exordium
One The Conspiracy against Jesus Jesus is taken before Pilate

The anointing at Bethany The death of Judas
Judas betrays Jesus Jesus before Pilate
Preparations for Passover Jesus is crowned with thorns
supper Aria
The treachery of Judas foretold
The institution of the Eucharist
Aria
Two Peter’s denial foretold The crucifixion
Gethsemane The crucified Jesus is mocked
The arrest The death of Jesus
Jesus before the Sanhedrin The burial
Aria The guard at the tomb
Aria
Three Peter’s denials
Aria
Within this established framework are many dramatic elements that move the
work forward. The greatest of these elements is the recitative writing for the
62
Evangelist, Jesus and the minor characters. The fairly simple, freely-composed
recitatives throughout are comprised of repeated eighth notes or broken chords.
Unlike the responsorial passion settings, Theile’s setting is characterized by elaborate
accompaniment for the recitative. Throughout the work, the recitative of the
Evangelist is accompanied by two viole da gamba and basso continuo and the
recitative of Christ is accompanied by two viole da braccio and basso continuo.
This creates a definite contrast in tonal quality, giving the words of Jesus a sweeter
quality.
There are however two flaws in Theile’s recitative writing. The first is that
the accompaniments composed for the recitatives throughout are highly elaborate and
imitative, which constricts any flexibility that the vocal line might need for proper
declamation. This is due primarily to Theile’s skill as a contrapuntalist. These
accompaniments, given their independent and constant motion, do not allow for clear
declamation of the text, which is a main purpose for writing in the recitative style.
The second flaw relates specifically to the recitatives of Jesus. Theile was unable to
divorce the vocal line from the basso continuo part and therefore the lines of Jesus
are often obscured by the instrumental parts and lack individuality.
Madrigalisms are used only rarely to underscore important text Theile does
this in two ways: first through an expanded harmonic vocabulary (seventh chords and
Neapolitan chords, etc.), and second through the instrumental portraying of text, as
illustrated by the violas on the word “krahet” meaning “to crow.” (Figure 16).
uvhrli'^/'** - gfl diii in diajwty*fhl, ».hadtfHitokil hit) wini dnnkhdwiwil
* ~
Figure 16.
The turba choruses included are much more fully developed and lengthier
than those found in earlier responsorial passions, and reflect Theile’s love and skill
for counterpoint. Of Theile’s nineteen turba choruses, all but three contain strict
imitative writing. The majority of these utterances begin imitatively, the entrance of
each voice overlapping the previous voice, giving the effect of the crowd through
textual repetition. Once all the voices have entered, most of the choruses continue to
develop the musical motif through repetition of the phrase until all the voices come
together homophonically to conclude the phrase. An excellent example of this style
of writing can be found in Actus II, when the guards of the High Priests mock Jesus,
saying “GegriiBet seist du, Judenkonig!” (Figure 17).
The use of solo voices in place of a full tutti turba occurs twice in the piece,
the first time in Act I, where the false witnesses state “Er hat gesagt: ich kann den
Tempel Gotten abbrechen, und in dreien Tagen den selben bauen.”12 This statement
was set regularly for solo voices, as in the setting by Sebastiani. The second instance
I2Ibid., 155.
64
f j^ •
i—=„f.-=fecg=gefci
A
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Figure 17.
65
where solo voices are used instead of the full tutd turba occurs again n Actus I, after
the crowning of thorns, where the guards state “WeiBage uns, Christe, wer ist’s, der
dich schlug?”13This setting for solo voices is atypical but persuasive, due to the
realistic parallelism created between the numbers involved in the turba and the
numbers involved in the legion of guards (Figure 18).
Figure 18.
Theile diverges from the imitative style of writing for three turba choruses,
all of which are consecutive in the unfolding of the drama in Actus II. Each of the
three turbae are short inteijections by the crowd, first for the release of Barabbas, and
then to condemn Christ to death.14All three begin in G minor and conclude in G
major, sharing the same tonal scheme as the majority of the interpolated arias.
t3Ibid., 149.
,4See DDT,168-170.
66
The arias, as seen above, are placed at established points in the narration:
after the Institution of the Eucharist, after the turba “WeiBage uns, Christe, wer ists,
der dich schlug?”, after Peter’s remorse and at the conclusion of the passion text.
“Du duldig Lamm, O Gottes Sohn” (Figure 19), which was placed after the striking
of Christ, exemplifies the style of writing Theile used for his arias in this Passion.
The harmonic structure is tightly constructed and well-balanced, and exhibits
Theile’s sensitive use of an advanced harmonic style.
The ritomello that follows “Du duldig Lamm, O Gottes Sohn” is a
contrapuntal variation of the aria and hints both at the aria’s melody and its harmonic
progression. These ritomelli are tied specifically to the arias through their harmonic
relationship and are intended as interludes between the different stanzas.
67
At is.
j Caataaalat..
1. Du dul. dig Laoffl, o Gol.loa Bohn, oeh, vu Wr- . . . . ___
2. Acfc, m geht mai. Mr 8m. Ira rah, rail pat ■» kns 'hr - Mo . an da, rai
N k 1 k ~ 1----- '
, J. . J J ' I I l J J '■! t-H I I
t *r :1 11 1 ~ T ' T ' T ^
^ L _ _ , ,y
“ da ora tol . Ira Beha.rra dal. •drat a_ Jaraaar, aokldida Aa . araiidd, n
mu dioh oa or . Urm.Udk oahU 0— Ira wadMm,wia wild ariadaod, aid,
--------
\A j j 4~»- k U a- ff a !■t kJ a £■-— f) ITi i )f M
ial Ub . tig adkra 1m. oukal . dra.

iol kai.aar, hr Mb.hi . dra M . piT
■JJTi 'u
Figure 19.
68
Of the five arias, Theile scores three for solo soprano, one for solo
tenor and one for tutti chorus. The performing forces for which he writes underscore
Theile’s desire for greater realism in the drama. The only aria set for tenor is placed
after the scene of Peter’s denial and remorse. It must have been composed for tenor
voice in order to align it for the same soloist who portrays the role of Peter. This
aria, “Ach, wo soil ich mich hinwenden,” meditates on Peter’s begging forgiveness
for his deed and is very personal:
1. Ach, wo soil ich mich hinwenden,

meine Not zu Ubersehn?
Wird Gott keine Gnade senden,
ach, so ist’s mit mir geschehn,
mein bds Gewissen plaget mich,
daB ich geflucht so ffeventlich,
und dreimal meinen Got verleugnet
2. Weint, ihr Augen, Trine nquellen,

zu bereuen meine Schuld,
mich hat troffen Angst der Hollen,
daB verloren Gottes Huld,
o ach und Not! Das Herz pofft mir,
o Jesu, ach, ich liege hier
und bitte tr&nend um Gnade.13
15Ibid., ISS. 1. Ah, where should I turn to consider my misery? If God does not
send any favor, I’ll be lost My wicked conscience tortures me because I have cursed so
wickedly, and once more my God I deny. 2. Weep, o eyes, flow tears to regret my
guilt I have suffered the fear of Hell thinking that I lost God’s mercy. O woe and
sorrow! My heart beats hard, O Jesus, alas, I lie here, and weeping, beg for your grace.
69
CHAPTER VI
JOHANN VALENTIN MEDER.

Passionsoratorium nach dem Evangelischen Matthaus
Biographical Information on Johann Valentin Meder
Johann Valentin Meder was bom in 1649 in the little town of Wasungen,
which is located near Meiningen in the province of Franconia. According to local
church records, Meder was baptized on the third day of May in 1649.16 He was bom
into a musical family, the youngest of five brothers. His father, Johann Erhard, was
the town cantor and educated his sons in the skills of music.
Like Selle and Sebastiani, little is known about Meder’s youth. It is thought
that Meder moved to Leipzig in 1666 where he later began studies at the University
in 1669.17 There is no evidence to indicate whether Meder was acdve in the
collegium musicum, of which Theile was a member, at this dme. It is most probable
that Meder, if he were not a member, certainly was exposed to the collegium, given
his musical training and accomplishments.
In 1670, Meder left Leipzig to pursue continued studies at the University of
Jena. Unable to secure a position there at the University, Meder resorted to taking a
post as a professional singer in the Hofkappele of Duke Ernst der Fromme (d. 167S),
in Eisenach, near his hometown. It was here that Meder was possibly exposed to the
16Johann Bolte, “Johann Valentin Meder,” Vierteljahrsschriftfu r

Musikwissenschafi 7 (1891), 43-44.
"Ibid., 44.
70
music of Carissimi and Cesti, as many Italian musicians were employed at the court
of Duke Emst.1®
Again unable to secure a position for any length of time, Meder continued
working as a professional singer at Gotha (1671), Bremen (1672-3), and Copenhagen
(1674). On the advice of a friend, Meder set out toward East Prussia to seek
employment.19 On his journey east, Meder stopped in Liibeck (1674) where he met
Buxtehude and developed a relationship.20
After wandering from position to position for the better part of five years,
Meder secured employment in 1674 as cantor at the gymnasium at Reval (now
Tallinn). He would hold this position until 1680, and it seems that during his tenure
here Meder composed his first works.
Meder remained in Reval until 1684, when he made his next move
southwesterly to Riga (now capital of Latvia), a city located on both banks of the
Western Dvnia River. Riga was one of the most important trade centers on the Baltic,
having joined the Hanseatic League in 1282. It was granted autonomy of government
by the Swedes in 1621, and remained independent until the Russians conquered
Sweden in 1710.21
lgHaberlen, 103.
19Ibid., 105.
Ûolte mentions an entry in Meder’s autograph book suggesting that his

acquaintance with Buxtehude was not of a superficial nature.
21“Riga,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15* ed. (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica,

1975).
71
Records in Riga show that Meder, while living there, composed a Passion
secundum Lucam in a new style, incorporating interpolations.22 Meder’s Passion
secundum Lucam was deemed worthy by the town council for printing and
distribution. The council, however, did not permit its performance, due in
part to the length of the work, caused by the polyphonic setting.23
In 1687 Meder accepted the position of Kapellmeister at St. Marie in Danzig,
succeeding Balthasar Erbem. The Church of St. Marie was at the time one of the
largest Christian churches in the world and reflected the affluence and opulence of
Danzig during the seventeenth century. The musical traditions at St. Marie were
firmly established earlier in the century by Thomas Strutius and Balthasar Erben, but
had fallen into disrepair due to Danzig’s fluctuating economy in the 1680s.
Meder’s first act as Kapellmeister was to create a new cappella from the
remnants that he inherited. In a report to the council on the state of music within the
Church, Meder stated that he had under his charge “a cantor, an organist, one discant
singer, one alto, one tenor, one tenor-bass, one bass, and two student singers,” and
that he required an additional eight singers. As for instrumentalists, Meder had at his
disposal on a regular basis “a first violinist, a second violinist, a comettist, and a
viola da gambist.” In addition to these instrumentalists, Meder requested two more
violinists, a bassoonist, and a player for the Bombara. Ideally, Meder would have
liked eighteen singers and thirteen instrumentalists for the chapel. Meder’s request
^ o lte , 455-458.
a Ibid., 455-456.
72
seems to have been denied by the Church officials, for later records indicate a further
decline in the state of musical affairs.24
During his stay in Danzig, Meder suffered from health and financial
problems, both of which would plague him until his death. By 1692, Meder was
experiencing failing eyesight and loss of hearing. In a letter to the town council,
Meder attributes his health problems to his poor living conditions:
I have drained my strength and my health not so much

through my daily labors, which I have been accustomed to since my
early youth, but rather through the very unhealthy, small, wet and
dark apartment... Thus, the doctors have said repeatedly that medicine
will not cure me unless I seek more comfortable housing.23
In addition to his pleas for appropriate housing, Meder petitioned the council
in 1693 for the sum of the money left by Balthasar Erbem for destitute musicians.
Records indicate that the council responded by raising his salary 200 florins a year.26
Meder, influenced by the early operatic activities in Hamburg and Leipzig,
composed several works for the stage while in Danzig, including, Nero, Die
bestdndige Argenia and Die wiederverehligte Coelia. In 1698 Meder unsuccessfully
petitioned the town council for support of a performance of his opera Die
wiederverehligte Coelia. With the council flatly refusing his request, Meder decided
to produce Coelia in the nearby town of Schottland with hope of financial success.
24Haberlen, 108.
“ Hermann Rauschning, “Geschichte der Musik und Musikpflege in Danzig,”

Quellen und Darstellungen zur Geschichte Westpreussens 15 (1931), 283.
“ Ibid., 283-284.
73
The Danzig council, upon learning of this “illegal” performance, forbade the
performance of Meder’s opera and dismissed Meder from his post. Unable to
overcome his financial problems, Meder fled secretly to Konigsberg in 1699,
escaping both his creditors and debtor’s prison.
Meder briefly held the position of Kan tor at the Cathedral at Konigsberg until
his return to Riga in 1700. The town council appointed Meder to the position of
Director of Choir Music at the cathedral, a position that he held for nine years until
the return of the cathedral’s choir director, Johann Georg Andrei, in 1709. Upon
Andrea’s return, Meder was appointed to the post of organist at the cathedral, a
position he retained until his death in 1719.
Meder’s career and compositional output flourished during his time in Riga,
as he was able to produce occasional works for the Church and town. This is quite
extraordinary, given that “the war had caused the arts and sciences to come to a
standstill [in Riga] for eight years during which time the musical situation was
deteriorating,” according to a letter by Meder. Mattheson points out that, had the
Swedish king not been involved in wars for so long, Meder would probably has been
appointed director of music at the Swedish court in Stockholm.
Meder’s life, however, did not end with such glory. Meder, while living his
last years in Riga with his sons, not only contended with the effects of war, but also
contracted the plague, which ravaged Riga. Meder died at the age of seventy in
1719.
74
Meder’s works, inventoried by his son Erhard Nikolaus upon his death,
include thirty-seven choral scores and ninety-two sets of parts for choral
compositions. The majority of these works were composed for sacred occasions.
The music of the twenty extant compositions reflects Meder’s prowess to incorporate
essential characteristics of the Italian style.
According to Mattheson, Meder had held an outstanding reputation as a
singer. His music incorporates a sensitivity to the needs of the singer, made possible
only through his own experience. Meder’s melodies are quite lyrical, as he
predominantly sets them diatonically with frequent sequential passages.
Harmonically, his compositions are conservative and rather unimaginative. Meder’s
varied instrumentation in his sacred works, however, shows to some extent the
influence of Buxtehude.
Analysis of the Meder Passion
Passionsoratorium nach dem Evangelischen Matthaus by Johann Meder in
its published version is scored for two recorders, two oboes, two violins, continuo
(organ), five-part SSATB choir, and soloists.25 The work is structured traditionally in
two parts, and Meder has divided the work into seventy-three movements that are
comprised of scriptural narrative, sinfoniae, and interpolated chorales, set as solos,
duets and choruses. Although Meder did not subdivide the work further, a textual
^Basil Smailman suggests that since the oboes and recorders never play
together, perhaps Meder expected the same musicians to perform on both instruments.
75
analysis of the work based on the division of the biblical narrative produces a
schematic plan (Table 6).
T a b le 6. Structural Analysis of Meder Passion.
Part Scene Movements Chapter
1 Introduction 1,2 Sinfonia & Exordium
I 3,4 Matthew 26: 1-5

The conspiracy against Jesus
2 5,6 Matthew 26: 6-13

The anointing at Bethany
3 7,8 Matthew 26: 14-19

Judas betrays Jesus
Preparations for the Passover
supper
4 9,10 Matthew 26: 20-25

The treachery of Judas foretold
5 11-16 Matthew 26: 26-29

The institution of the Eucharist
6 17-22 Matthew 26: 30-46

Peter’s denial foretold
Gethsemane
7 23-24 Matthew 26:47-56

The arrest
8 25-31 Matthew 26:57-68

Jesus before the Sanhedrin
9 32-35 Matthew 26:69-76

Peter’s denials
2 1 36-39 Matthew 27:1-10

Jesus is taken before Pilate
The death o f Judas
2 40-49 Matthew 27:11-26

Jesus before Pilate
Part Scene Movements Chapter
2 3 50-53 Matthew 27: 27-31

Jesus is crowned with thorns
4 54,55 Matthew 27:32-38

The crucifixion
5 56-61 Matthew 27: 39-44

The crucified Jesus is mocked
6 62-70 Matthew 27:45-56

The death of Jesus
7 71,72 Matthew 27:57-61

The burial
8 73,74 Matthew 27:62-66

The guard at the tomb
This schematic is based on Meder’s placement of the scenes of the narrative.
The biblical scenes that are clearly placed at the beginning of a movement have been
designated in this chart as a scene. Those biblical scenes that Meder subverts via
elision are not given their own scene but rather inserted within (i.e., part one, scenes
three and six, and part two, scene one).
The published edition is based on the autograph manuscript, which consists
of fifty-two folios, consecutively numbered; it is presently located in the
Staatsbibliothek, PreuBischer Kulturbesitz, Musikabteilung, in Berlin. The
manuscript, in score form, contains the complete passion story.
The manuscript bears certain features that have led musicologists to ascertain
that Meder constructed his passion and then later revised it, adding a set of new
77
interpolations.26 To corroborate this theory, physical characteristics of the score have
been identified, including (1) pencil marks eliminating certain arias; (2) inserted
chorales to replace these arias, copied on separate half-sheets of manuscript paper,
(3) identical script in the original and later manuscripts; and finally, (4) differing ink
and watermarks on both versions.27 An outline of Meder’s structure for the
interpolations and turbae movements illuminates the differences between the original
and revised versions (Table 7). Movements that are listed in boldface print were
added to replace the earlier interpolation marked with the same number.
Table 7. Meder’s Interpolations in Original and Revised Versions of the Passion.
No. Type Text
1. Sinfonia
2. Introitus Horet das Leiden...
3. Chorus Ja nicht auf das Fest
4. Chorus Wozu dienet dieser Unrat...
5. Chorus Wo willst du...
6. Chorus Herr, bin ich’s?
7. Canto or Tenor Herr Jesu Christe

solo
8. Canto or Tenor Herr Jesu Christe

solo
9. Two cantos Das Blut Jesu...

9. Canto solo Das Blut Jesu...
“ Smallman states that this revision was based directly on the Riga Gesangbuch
of 169S. With only minor exception, the interpolations are exacdy the same in both
passions.
27Haberlen, 116-119.
Table 7 (continued)
No. Type Text
10. Sinfonia
11. Sinfonia
12. Sinfonia
13. Sinfonia
14. Alto and Tenor Er hat gesagt...
15. Chorus Er ist des Todes schuldig
16. Sinfonia
17. Canto solo 0 Lamm Gottes unschuldig (verse 1)

17. Canto solo Herzliebster Jesu and Ritornello
18. Chorus WeiBage uns...
19. Canto solo Was ist doch...
20. Chorus Wahrlich, du bist auch einer...
21. Sinfonia
21. Sinfonia and Mein Siind
Tenor solo
22. Chorus Was gehet uns das an...
23. Chorus Es taugt nicht
24. Chorus Barrabam
25. Chorus LaB ihn kreuzigen
26. Chorus LaB ihn kreuzigen
27. Chorus Sein Blut..
28. Canto solo 0 Lamm Gottes unschuldig (verse 2)

28. Sinfonia and Ach mein Jesu...
Canto solo
29. Chorus Gegriifiet
30. Aria Aria in Common meter (instruction only)
31. Canto solo Wie wunderbariich...
No. Type Text
32. Canto solo Christe du Lamm (verse 1)

32. Canto solo Dein Trost...
33. Chorus Der du den Tempel
34. Canto solo Christe du Lamm Gottes (verse 2)
35. Chorus Andem hat er...
36. Chorus 0 Lamm Gottes unschuldig (verse 3)

36. Canto solo ... muB mein
37. Chorus Er rufet...
38. Chorus H alt lass sehen...
39. Chorus Christ du Lamm Gottes (verse 3)
40. Chorus In dieser nicht...

40. Canto solo H err Jesu C hrist
41. Chorus Wahrlich..
42. Aria Aria Number 2 (instruction only)

42. Ritornello and Elemente selbst..
Canto solo
43. Chorus 0 Trauigkeit...

43. Canto solo O selig ist..
44. Chorus Herr, wir haben gedacht...
45. Conclusio Dank sei unserm Herren
As one can see, Meder revised his passion setting substantially to make room
for new innovations that he had discovered by his time at Riga. The influence of the
Riga Gesangbuch was only partially responsible for the modifications. Meder’s
knowledge and interest in the Germanic opera tradition, his experience as a
professional singer and his exposure to the music of Buxtehude, Cesti and Carissimi,
among others, influenced his setting of the S t Matthew Passion.
80
The Passion begins with a separate movement marked “sinfonia” rather than
the traditional exordium. This sinfonia has overture-like qualities and firmly
establishes the tonality of F major, which by the late sixteenth century was the
traditional key for oratorio passions. This sinfonia also serves to set the mood for the
opening chorus, the exordium, set for five-part choir accompanied colla parte. The
exordium is rather conservative, set in a homophonic style for the half of the text and
then in imitation leading to homophony for the conclusion of the text.
Meder included a total of eight sinfoniae in his Passion. These sinfoniae serve
one of three functions: (1) to emphasize a specific sentence or phrase within a
speech; (2) to establish a mood for an upcoming scene; or (3) to introduce a sung
interpolation (aria or chorale-paraphrase).
Two of the most interesting sinfoniae found in the setting are in the first part
of the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane. The first, no. 18 emphasizes the text of
Jesus, “Setzet euch hie, bis daB ich dort hingehe und bete” (Stay here while I go over
there and pray). In Sinfonia no. 18, Meder graphically depicts the scene of the
garden, setting a pastoral sinfonia for two recorders and continuo. This movement in
C minor is marked Adagio and, although simple in its harmonic language, is very
beautiful in its suspensions and serves to punctuate the scene depicting the departure
of Jesus from his disciples to a place of prayer.
The second sinfonia of note is No. 20, which is titled “Sinfonia Sommus
discipulorum” (Sleep of the disciples), a title written in by Meder at the top of the
movement The title of this movement clearly indicates that the sinfonia is directly
81
linked to the upcoming scene (Matthew 26:40), “Und er kam zu seinen Jiingem, und
fand sie schlafend,” (And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping). This
sinfonia is recapitulated in abbreviated form after verse 42 to symbolize the sleeping
disciples yet again.
In addition to its extraordinary title, the sinfonia employs solo obbligato
recorder, two violins (tremolo) and continuo. This is interesting since the vocal line
of Jesus throughout much of this Passion is accompanied by two violins and
continuo. When Meder wishes to exploit the dramatic potential of the vocal line of
Jesus (most often underscoring important text), he adds the marking “tremolo” to the
accompanying violins.28 This first occurs in no. 18 when Jesus states “Meine Seele
ist betriibet bis in den Tod” (My Soul is troubled even unto death) (Figure 20). In
“Sinfonia Somnus discipulorum” the obbligato recorder represents the sleeping of the
disciples while the tremolo violins represent Jesus.
The recitatives in the Passion show a great advance in the technique of
recitative composition. Because of his knowledge of opera, Meder wrote recitatives
that contained much more dramatic potential and excitement He accomplished this
by writing lines with a greater variety of note values, fewer repeated notes, wider
leaps, dotted rhythms, and sequential motives. In addition, as a professional singer,
he understood the vocal mechanism well and expanded the use of vocal melismas
and ornamentation throughout the work. This excitement coupled with a freeing of
28Thomas Strut!us is the only other Passion setting known to employ tremolo
violins to accompany Jesus.
Figure 20.
the recitative line from the continuo line, allowed for an unprecedented style in
Passion settings that foreshadows the recitatives of J.S. Bach. Many of Meder’s
recitatives close with an instrumental cadendal extension, most often a cadential 6/4
extension, mimicking the two- or three-bar ritomelli found at the ends of the
interpolated arias.
The recitatives of Jesus in particular are quite lyrical and are written in arioso
style. Meder pays close attention to the expressivity of the vocal line throughout,
setting textual rhythms carefully according to natural word stress. The majority of the
recitatives are set in common meter, with one notable exception. During the fifth
scene, The Institution of the Eucharist, the vocal line of Jesus is transformed from
duple to triple meter to underscore the sanctity of the text, “Nehmet, efiet, das ist
83
mein Leib’’ (Take, eat, this is my Body). This was doubtless a deliberate reference
to the holiness of the number three.29
Other rhetorical gestures occur throughout the work, predominantly in vocal
ornamentation or extended melismas. Meder reserved such techniques for poignant
moments in the dramatic narrative, such as the cutting off of the high priests’
servant’s ear30 and the events following the death of Jesus. In the latter example, the
vocal line of the Evangelist falls an octave to convey the meaning of the word
“zerriB” (ripped), referring to the veil of the Temple being ripped in two. Meder sets
this text, as well as another occurrence of the same text, with great rhythmic
syncopation (Figure 21). Also in Figure 21, the vocal ornament on the word
“erbebete” (quake) clearly infers the meaning of the text
Figure 21.
29This happens once again in No. 73 when Meder is depicting the Resurrection.
“ Meder, 28.
84
Meder extended his practice of writing melismas in recitatives to his turba
choruses, developing a much more vital energy for the choral interjections. Another
element that underpins this vitality is the duetting of ascending vocal lines and the
subsequent entrances of other vocal parts entering in imitation (Figure 22).
■ - ■ Ik -
-j ± L ~ \U = h j r-
*■—u
i • • •
fr* p p p ii
Otmt Vhaar h lr-aaA * ■a* -tM alaftaad d iB dr - a a a p - p - baa Us • 6 m
- . ====
r
Diaaat WkMB klt-iaaridi u a •
ep J 4=v= ir p P r
aialiafiB ailih a A t-a a a p -fi
r - j 11
• b n L ar •
r =
da.
-6 ------------- - . a-* - i k. m i t 1 ^r j l -i
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i =, —
y --j- J1 ^ *
kaa&,dh-aa M m m k k -u a rt* a * a a s -b a & a a d d a a Ar - aa a p - f a - baa laar- • dak
J h A a f- - if A-
f r ' - T - ft-
• ■
m « avhA
■
—
k k -ak k r
r mb
p p
*v
r
M - b d i aadda
J p r - r ..... K -
A r - a a a p - |a - haa w
1
-daa.
^ r- p g r F -ff-ffF , i, i =
it i r - f i—r
m
IP ? • i
Figure 22.
85
The dense turba choruses are all accompanied colla parte and employ a five-
part texture. When greater weight is needed, Meder writes the turba chorus in triple
meter, giving a broader space for the text to be pronounced. In the turba setting in
part two, scene five (no. 57: Matthew 27: 39b, 40), the crowd proclaims “Der du den
Tempel Gottes zerbrichst und bauest ihn in dreien Tagen, Hilf dir selber! Bist du
Gottes Sohn, so steig herab vom Kreuz!" (You who would destroy the Temple in
three days, help yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from that cross!). This
utterance is set in 3/2 and begins homophonically with great weight. Meder is not
satisfied with this weight however, and sets the forces in opposition with each other
(mm. 8-16). This treatment causes textual stress to occur more frequently through
contrasting forces and thereby achieves greater tension (Figure 23).
The sung interpolations throughout the passion are designated by the term
“Aria.” Some movements have combined tides such as “Sinfonia coll’ aria” (no. 35)
or “Ritomello e Aria” (no. 70), the only difference being there is an instrumental
introduction included in the movement. These thirteen interpolations can be
categorized in three families: (1) newly composed melodies with texts by anonymous
authors; (2) established chorale tunes printed more or less verbatim from the hymnal;
and (3) established chorale tunes paraphrased in a new musical structure with
instrumental interludes inserted between phrases. Of the thirteen arias, only three fall
into this third family (no. 16,53 and 72). A detailed examination o f the arias shows
that the placement of chorale tunes is more concentrated at the end, to coincide with
the persecution and death of Christ (Table 8).
86
Sr. 37
J A
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Dvr da da T ai • pd [Got - u i u r - 1ricko (aad baa - mt it mM -
1J n ,. . 1 .. r r "i
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Do da da Tob •Got • i n
pd av-Ericks aad boa • «ct fai kU -
lit 3 1 , - L = i a ... ■ . 1.1 1 1=
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Do da da T ai • pd Got-M t a o - briakaa aad k a a - mt L L Id -
v f p (t r f \p -4 |J- = * f ~
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------- .--------------- ,---------- — ,

r ! t . 7- , , — at ■■■.
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, J -------------- -------------------------- ----- .---- i, *t-i-.cas
r r i ^ r H - H - f * * —
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r- jab,11 lor
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7 a a i ka • U , L - ab, ' ^ rd L j- _ 7 jb a a sl
■"t ^ . 1 1 ^ 1 j .:
Figure 23.
87
Table 8. Meder’s Placement of Chorales.
Mvt. Type Performing Forces Librettist Tune

12 Aria recorder, 2 vln,
tenor, b.c.

(=12) tenor, b.c.
16 Chorale 2 recorders, canto, J. Heermann Auf meinen

paraphrase b.c. (1630) lieben Gott
(siciliana)
28 Chorale 2 vln, canto solo, J. Heermann Herzliebster

b.c. (1630) Jesu, was hast
du verbrochen?
(v. 1)
31 Chorale 2 vln, canto solo, J. Heermann Herzliebster
(=28) b.c. (1630) Jesu, was hast
du verbrochen?
(v. 3)
35 Sinfonia recorder, 2 vln, J. Herrmann Wenn mein
coll’ aria canto, b.c. (1630) Stiindlein
vorhanden ist
(v. 2)
49 Sinfonia e recorder, 2 vln,

aria canto, b.c.
53 Chorale recorder, 2 vln, J. Rist (1641) 0 Traurigkeit, o

paraphrase canto, b.c. Herzeleid v. 5
55 Chorale recorder, 2 vln, M. Behm(1602) 0 Jesu Christ,

canto, b.c. meins Lebens
Licht (v. 6)

canto, b.c.
67 Chorale ob, 2 vln, canto, b.c. P. Eber(1563) Herr Jesu

Christ, wahr
Mensch und
Gott
(v. 1-2)
Mvt. Type Performing Forces Librettist Tune
70 Ritomello 2 ob., 2 vln, canto,

e Aria b.c.
72 Sinfonia e Tutti J. Rist (1641) 0 Traurigkeit,
aria. o Herzeleid
(w . 1-8)
The majority of Meder’s arias serve to represent the congregation and its
pietistic response to the unfolding of the drama. The text o f these arias borders on
realism, yet is objective in its viewing the actions from outside the perspective of the
characters in the drama. A good example of this can be found in part two, scene
nine, movement 67, immediately following the death of Jesus. The text of the aria is
as follows:
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott, Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God,
der du litt’st Matter, Angst und Spott, who suffered torture, fea r and mocking,
fur mich am Kreuz auch endlich starbst fo r me on the cross you ultimately died,
und mir deins Vaters Huid erbarst: and graced me with Your Father’s pity.
Ich bitt’ durch's bitter Leiden dein, / beg (of) you in your bitter passion,
du wollst mir SOnder gnddig sein, that you will be gracious to me, a sinner,
wenn ich nun komm in Sterbens Not when I come now in fear
und ringen werde mit dem Tod. and struggle with death.
The objectivity of the text is emphasized by the simple setting of the familiar
chorale tune by Paul Erber “Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mench und Gott” (Figure 24).
Set in a key very comfortable for congregational singing, this chorale as well as the
89
other chorales set in a straightforward manner (movements 28, 31, 35 and 55), may
have been intended for participation by the congregation.
S t. 61
Mi
liiM d i bU fck-
F" - r ff- . . r ,i r r
J?' : T- 1 * - * - 1 r f i ^ :
—>
— ■! L t ^ - 1 a- \
V i — r
•— i i
-^
r z i—
h ~...t - . «r j — tf=f
^
- 1
ft* f -■■■■■■— ■ —» 1 ■ ■■- - - » +■•»- - - -
8 ■4 ^ '» ' i"H» = a
m i mk
a
m •pa ait ima
1^- - y r
f f W T
U 9 r ; jl v - , *u j i" £■ ^ ■ip *
Figure 24.
90
Two arias break away specifically from the role of representing the
congregation and are directed towards character development. This was a relatively
new phenomenon in passion music and took its lead from the development of aria in
opera as a meditative piece sung by a character to reflect upon the drama. The two
arias that serve this function are movement 35, representing Peter after his triple
denial of Christ, and movement 55, representing the guard after he offered a sponge
filled with wine and gall to Jesus.
The arias also allowed an opportunity for Meder to experiment more freely,
both incorporating new compositional techniques and challenging the traditions of
passion writing, which he knew so well. These techniques were based on a keen
awareness of structure and the possibilities of unifying a work through repetition.
Meder repeated music both in sinfoniae (movements 20 and 22) and in the arias
(movements 12 and 14,28 and 31, and 53 and 72).
The structural placement of the chorale tune “O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid” by
Johann Rist in movement 53, served two purposes of which Meder must have been
aware. Meder chose the text from the fifth verse of the chorale, which translates as
follows:
O siifier Mund! O Glaubensgrund, O sweet mouth! O Basis o f my faith,

wie bist du doch zuschlagen? how are you shut?
Alles, was auf Erden lebt, Everything that lives on the earth
muB dich ja beklagen. must wail for you.
The choice of this particular text provides an opportunity for poignant
meditation on the beating, scouring and crucifixion of Christ It is a reflective text
91
looking backward for a moment and stopping the narrative to give time to reflect.
The second half of the text, however, “Alles, was auf Erden lebt, tnuB dich ja
beklagen,” foreshadows the wailing at the death of the Crucifixion and is, in a sense,
prophetic. This prophetic quality is secured by the reprise of “O Traurigkeit, o
Herzeleid” after Christ had been buried.
This reprise of “O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid” is the pinnacle of the whole work
in terms of its orchestration and structure. All eight verses of the chorale tune are set
in this movement, and with varying combinations of performing forces for each verse
(Table 9). The Sinfonia and Aria is easily the longest movement in the work.
Through it, Meder brings the Passion to its fulfilling completion.
Table 9. Meder’s Orchestration of O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid
Section Measure Numbers Performing Forces Comments
Sinfonia mm. 1-10 ob, 2 vln, be.
Verse 1 mm. 1-20 2 vln, canto, b.c.
Verse 2 mm. 21-30 2 ob, tenor, b.c.
Verse 3 mm. 31-40 2 ob, SATB choir,

b.c.
Verse 4 mm. 1-20 2 vln, canto, b.c.
Verse 5 mm. 21-30 2 ob, tenor, b.c.
Verse 6 mm. 31-40 2 ob, SATB choir,

b.c.
Verse 7 mm. 41-50 obbligato ob, STB siciliana style,

soli, b.c. ornate
accompaniment
Verse 8 mm. 51-69 ob, 2 vln, SATB Highly

chorus, b.c. virtuosic
violin parts
93
CHAPTER VH
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SETTINGS AND THEIR

RELATIONSHIP TO J.S. BACH’S MATTHAUS-PASSION
Introduction
The four settings of the Passion included in this study were carefully chosen
for inclusion based on the characteristics they each possess that illustrate the musical
idioms of their day. The previous chapters of this study have examined each setting
individually, drawing attention to the critical features of each setting.
While the sample presented is small, it is possible through comparison of
these settings to note important differences between them. These differences,
however, do not necessarily imply that one setting directly influenced any another
setting. Rather, the progression of compositional technique as demonstrated by the
composers of these settings reflects the musical language and idioms, as well as the
theology and culture, in which they were steeped.
This chapter is devoted to the examination of the similarities and differences
between the four settings. The differences in settings may simply be considered as
individualistic interpretations of the composer, while similarities may be viewed as
possible adherence to musical tradition. For instance, the revised version of the St.
Matthew Passion by Johann Valentin Meder, which was reviewed in the last chapter,
bears a striking resemblance to the Oratorio Passion found in the Riga Gesangbuch
of 1695. Meder’s familiarity with this songbook probably had an effect on the
rethinking of his own setting. In turn, if the setting of 1695 was based on settings by
94
Flor and Funcke, as some musicologists have postulated, the tradition of setting the
passion in a particular manner grows longer.
To this end, the Matthaus-Passion of J.S. Bach, unmistakably the most
important eighteenth century Passion, will be cited in the context of this comparative
study. It is the hope of the author that this reference will highlight the commonalities
it shares with the earlier settings through the examination of three areas: structure,
dramatic personae, and orchestration.
Structure and Form
The text setting of the Passion is the first and foremost influence on the
structure of each of the musical settings examined in this study. While Selle’s setting
of the Passion is the only setting in this study based on the Gospel of John, it is
included due to its historic significance as the first extant oratorio passion. This
inclusion allows for an examination of the origin of the passion oratorio and therefore
the setting will be cited throughout this chapter. Selle’s setting will not, however, be
included in the textual comparisons, as the scope of the narrative is different from
Sebastiani, Theile and Meder’s setting of the St. Matthew text.
The St. Matthew narrative is based on Matthew 26:1*11 through Matthew
2 7 :9.1The narrative can be separated into two balanced sections (Table 10).
'This numbering is based on the 1984 edition of the New Jerusalem Bible.
This numbering corresponds to Matthew 26:1-75 through Matthew 27:1-66 in
Luther’s bible.
95
Table 10. St. Matthew Passion Text Division
P a rt One: Chapter 26
1. The Conspiracy against Jesus Matthew 26:1-5
2. The anointing at Bethany Matthew 26:6-13
3. Judas betrays Jesus Matthew 26:14-16
4. Preparations for the Passover supper Matthew 26:17-19
5. The treachery of Judas foretold Matthew 26:20-25
6. The Institution of the Eucharist Matthew 26:26-29
7. Peter’s denial foretold Matthew 26: 30-35
8. Gethsemane Matthew 26:36-46
9. The arrest of Jesus Matthew 26:47-56
10. Jesus before the Sanhedrin Matthew 26:57-68
11. Peter’s denials Matthew 26:69-76
P art Two: Chapter 27
1. Jesus is taken before Pilate Matthew 27:1-2
2. The death of Judas Matthew 27: 3-10
3. Jesus before Pilate Matthew 27:11-26
4. Jesus is crowned with thorns Matthew 27:27-31
5. The crucifixion Matthew 27:32-38
6. The crucified Jesus is mocked Matthew 27:39-44
7. The death of Jesus Matthew 27:45-56
8. The burial Matthew 27:57-61
9. The guard at the tomb Matthew 27:62-66
The faithfulness of each composer to the S t Matthew narrative can be gauged
through a study of the musical divisions in each setting. The works in this study all
96
include interpolations that serve as markers for structural punctuation. Within each
setting, the composer has divided the text in the manner that he feels most
appropriate for the musical style of the culture in which he lived. This division of
text can be very sharp, as is the case when a chorale, turba or new movement is
placed at the end of an entire scene as listed above in Table 10.2 In other instances,
the division may be more subtle, being marked by an internal cadence or harmonic
shift. Finally, in other cases, the text may be through-composed, bearing no
divisions. Each composer gave attention to textual division in one o f the six
following ways: (1) by sectionalizing movements that provide clear breaks; (2) by
inserting interpolations between the biblical narrative; (3) by inserting turba choruses
that conclude the scene; (4) by creating harmonic shifts that signal a new tonal
center; (5) by providing weak cadences for less important breaks; and (6) by ignoring
the textual division through musical elision. Table 11 shows how each composer
dealt with the issue of textual division on a scene-by-scene basis.
Table 11. Comparative Settings of St. Matthew Text
Sebasdani Theile Meder
Part I: Chapter 26
1. The Conspiracy against Turba Turba Movement
Jesus
2. The anointing at Bethany Turba Elision Harmonic
2In Meder’s setting of the Passion, these interpolations are found in Part One
after scenes two, nine and eleven, and in Part Two after scenes four, seven and eight
Sebasdani Theile Meder
3. Judas betrays Jesus Elision Internal Elision

Cadence
4. Preparations for the Harmonic Elision Elision

Passover Supper shift
5. The treachery of Judas Elision Elision Elision

foretold
6. The Institution of the Chorale Aria Aria

Eucharist Ritomeilo
7. Peter’s denial foretold Elision Internal Elision

Cadence
8. Gethsemane Elision Elision Harmonic
9. The arrest of Jesus Elision Elision Elision
10. Jesus before the Sanhedrin Turba Aria Turba
11. Peter’s denials Chorale Aria Sinfonia

Ritomeilo coll’ aria
P art II: Chapter 27
1. Jesus is taken before Pilate Elision Elision Elision

2. The death of Judas Harmonic Elision Internal
cadence
3. Jesus before Pilate Harmonic Elision Sinfonia &

Aria
4. Jesus is crowned with Chorale Aria Aria

thorns Ritomeilo
5. The crucifixion Elision Elision Elision

6. The crucified Jesus is Elision Elision Movement
mocked
7. The death of Jesus Chorale Elision Elision
8. The burial Elision Elision Elision
9. The guard at the tomb Conclusio Aria Aria
98
From examining Table 11, several facts become apparent. The first is that all
three composers have included texts in their settings that are not directly from the
Passion scripture. In the case of Sebastiani these insertions took the form of chorales.
Theile and Meder, on the other hand, inserted not only chorales in their settings but
also arias and sinfonias. This facts may seem quite obvious, but when one looks at
the textual division as a filter for these interpolations, one discovers four critical
points of division. These four points are critical in that all three composers inserted
these interpolations containing secondary texts:
A. Between the Institution of the Eucharist (Mt 26:26-29) and

Peter’s denial foretold (Mt 26: 30-35)
B. Between Peter’s Denial, the End of Part I (26: 69-76) and Part
II (Mt 27)
C. Between the Crowing of Thoms (Mt 27: 27-31) and the

Crucifixion (Mt 27: 32-38)
D. After the guard at the tomb (the end of the work) (Mt 27:66)
These divisions created sets of scenes that were treated as musical units. This
fragmentation of the biblical narrative led the oratorio passion to become a vehicle
for the Pietism and sentimentality that is foreshadowed by the Meder setting.
The Passion narrative according to St. John is based on the eighteenth and
nineteenth chapters of the Gospel of John. This narrative account is very different
and its length is much shorter than the account found in the Gospel of Matthew and,
for the purposes of this study, will be discussed only in terms o f the scenes included
99
in the narration. The text of Chapter 18 divides into three scenes, while the that of
chapter 19 divides into nine scenes (Table 12).
Table 12. Divisions of the St. John Passion Text
Part One: Chapter 18:1*24
Scene Chapter Correlating

Verse in
Matthew
The Arrest of Jesus Jn 18:1-11 Mt 26: 30,

36,47-56
Jesus before the Sanhedrin Jn 18:12-27 M t2 6 :57-68
(Peter’s denials)3 (Jn 18:15-18) Mt 26:69-76
Part Two: Chapter 18:25 • C hapter 19:42
Jesus before Pilate Jn 18: 28-19:11 M t2 7 :11-26
(Jesus is crowned with (Jn 19:1-3) Mt 27:27-31

thorns)
Jesus is condemned Jn 19:12-16 Mt 26:17
The crucifixion Jn 19:17-22 M t2 7 :32-38
Jesus’ garments divided Jn 19:23-24 M t27: 35
Jesus and his mother Jn 19:25-27 M t2 7 :55-56
The death of Jesus Jn 19:28-30 Mt 27:48-50
The pierced Christ Jn 19: 31-37 Non-existent
The burial Jn 19: 38-42 M t2 7 :57-60,

62-66
The second column of Table 12 refers to the chapter and verse associated with
the scene in column one. The third column, gives a corollary passage in St. Matthew,
3Although “Peter’s denials” are not considered a separate scene in the

narrative, it is included here as composers have discreetly set this text
100
although the corollary passage may include varying details of the Passion. These
details are minute in comparison to the scope of the dramatic sequence of both
Passions (Table 13).
Table 13. Scope of Drama in Ss. Matthew and John Accounts of Passion
Scene St. Matthew St. John

The Conspiracy against Jesus X
The anointing at Bethany X
Judas betrays Jesus X
The Preparations for the Passover X
supper
The treachery of Judas foretold X
The Institution of the Eucharist X

Peter’s denail foretold X
Gethsemane X
The Arrest of Jesus X X
Jesus before the Sanhedrin X X
Peter’s denials X X (allusion)
Jesus is taken before Pilate X X
The death of Judas X
Jesus before Pilate X X

Jesus is condemned to death X (allusion) X
Jesus is crowned with thorns X
The crucifixion X X
The crucified Jesus is mocked X
Jesus’s garments are divided X
Scene St. Matthew S t John
Jesus and His Mother X
The death of Jesus X X
The pierced Christ X
The burial X X
The guard at the tomb X
Obviously the scope of the account by St. John is more limited than that of St.
Matthew. To Lutheran composers looking to set dramatic settings of the Passion, the
St. John Passion posed two obvious problems: (1) the textual imbalance between the
length of part one and part two, and (2) the lack of dramatic possibility presented by
the additional scenes in the St. Matthew account (i.e., the death of Judas and the
crowning of thorns).
Selle solved the first problem of imbalance by inserting three interpolations into
his Passion. These three interpolations effectively divide the work into three parts,
although the third interpolation technically comes after the conclusio, and therefore
falls outside of its scope. Selle’s Passion, therefore is divided as follows:
A. Prima Pars The Arrest of Jesus (Jn 18:1) and Jesus before
the Sanhedrin (Jn 18:27)
B. Secunda Pars Jesus before Pilate (Jn 18:28) through

Jesus is Condemned (19:16)
C. Tertia Pars The Crucifixion (Jn 19: 12) through the Burial (Jn 19:42)
102
Interpolations
Besides serving as the marker for major structural divisions, interpolations gave
the composer control over the pacing of the passion narrative. This pacing allowed
time for meditation on the events that had transpired in the story. This meditation
took one of three forms: (1) chorales that were sung either by the congregation or
soloist; (2) arias based on sacred or secular texts; and (3) instrumental interludes
referred to by terms including sinfonia, symphonia, and ritomeilo.
As the passion oratorio grew in popularity and spread, the inclusion of a greater
number of interpolations became common practice. The interpolations, which
continued to be non-scriptural in nature, also became more complex both in terms of
structure and instrumentation, and began to lean on the form of the aria, borrowing
from the operatic tradition. This development can be seen in the three settings of the
St. Matthew Passion discussed here (Table 14). This practice gave way to the Pietism
leading to G.F. Handel’s Brockes Passion, and ultimately was reconciled in both
number and balance by J.S. Bach.
Table 14. Interpolations in Three Settings of St. Matthew Passion
Chapter Composer Title and Setting Tonality Length

Part 1: Chapter 26
N/A Sebastiani Symphonia. 4 violas, b.c. rim 18
Theile Sinfonia. 4 violas, b.c. gm 10
Meder Sinfonia. 2 oboes, 2 violins, b.c. FM 11
26:12 Sebastiani 0 Welt, ich muss dich lafien. FM 25

Vs. 1, Canto solo, 4 viols,
b.c.

26:26 Meder Herr Jesu Christ, dein heiliger BbM-* gm 12
Leib
Canto or Tenor solo,
1 recorder, 2 violins, b.c.
26:28 Meder Herr Jesu Christ, dein heiliger BbM-* gm 12
Blut
Canto or Tenor solo,
1 recorder, 2 violins, b.c.
26:29 Sebastiani Goa sei gelobet und gebenedeiet D M -F M 13
vs. 1, canto solo, 4 viols, b.c.
Theile 0 Gottes Sohn, du Heil der

Sunder
Vss. 1-2, canto solo, b.c. gm GM 14
Ritomeilo, 4 violas, b.c. gm-* GM 14
Meder Aufmeinen lieben Gott

Vs. 9, Canto solo, 2 recorders, gm-* GM 14
b.c.
26:36 Sebastiani Voter unser im Himmelreich
Vs. 1, Canto solo, 4 viols, dm-* DM 30
b.c.
Meder Sinfonia cm 11
2 recorders, b.c.
26:37 Sebastiani Symphonia
3 viols, b.c. AM-* DM 7
26: 39 Meder Sinfonia somnus discipulorum
1 recorder, 2 violins, b.c. EbM 16
26:42 Sebastiani Voter Unser im Himmelreich
Vs. 4, Canto solo, 4 viols, dm-* DM 30
b.c.
Meder Sinfonia EbM 7

2 violins, b.c.
26:54 Meder Sinfonia
2 oboes, 2 violins, b.c. gm 8

26:66 Sebastiani 0 Lamm Gottes unschuldig
Vs. 1, Canto solo, 4 viols, FM 27
b.c.
Meder Sinfonia gm 9
2 oboes, 2 violins, b.c.
Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du gm 29
verbrochen?
Vs. 1, Canto solo, 2 violins,
b.c.
Ritomeilo bm 4
26:68 Theile Du duldig Lamm, o Gottes Sohn gm -* GM 15
Vs. 1-2, Canto solo, b.c.
Ritomeilo gm-* GM 7
4 violas, b.c.
Meder Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du gm 11

verbrochen?
Vs. 3, Canto solo, 2 violins,
b.c.
Ritomeilo gm 4
26:75 Sebastiani Erbarm dich mein, 0 Herre Gott EM 32
b.c.
Scripture Reading.
Theile Ach, VVo soil ich mich hinwenden gm-* GM 12

Vss. 1-2, Tenor solo, b.c.
Ritomeilo gm-* GM
4 violas, b.c. 10
Meder Sinfonia coll’Aria: gm 28

Wenn mein Stiindlein vorhanden
ist
Vs. 2, Tenor solo, 2 oboes,
2 violins, b.c.

Part 2: Chapter 27
N/A Sebastiani Symphonia a 4
4 viols, b.c. E M -D M 16
27:5 Sebastiani Voter unser im Himmelreich

Vs. 7, Canto solo, 4 viols, dm — DM 30
b.c.
b.c.
27:26 Meder Sinfonia: Ach! Mein Jesu
der mufi sterben cm 31
Canto solo, recorder,
2 violins, b.c.
b.c.
A scripture reading
Theile Ach der Marter, ach der Pein gm 12

Vss. 1-2, Canto solo, b.c.
Ritomeilo gm —GM 7
4 violas, b.c.
Meder 0 Traurigkeit, o siifier Mund gm —GM 17

Vs. 5, Canto solo, recorder,
2 violins, b.c.
27: 34 Meder 0 Jesu Christ, mein Lebens Ucht
Vs. 6, Canto solo, 1 recorder, BbM 19
2 violins, b.c.
27:44 Sebastiani Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch
und Gott
Vss. 1-2, Canto solo, FM 13
4 viols, b.c.
Meder Nakket mufi mein Jesus hangen cm 20

Canto solo, recorder,
2 violins, b.c.
27:46 Sebastiani Herr meinen Geist befehl ich dir
Vs. 1, Canto solo, 4 viols, AM 21
b.c.

27:49 Meder Preludio FM-*BbM 7
1 oboe, 2 violins, b.c.
Christe, du Lamm Gottes B bM~*FM 9
Vs. 3, Canto solo, 1 oboe,
2 violas, b.c.
27:50 Sebastiani Mit Fried und Freud DM 26
b.c.
Ecce quomodo moritur (Gallus)
SATB (Crone edition)
Meder Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch FM 19

und Gott
Vss. 1-2, Canto solo, oboe,
2 violins, b.c.
27:54 Meder Ritomeilo and Aria: "Elemente
selbst erschrecken iiber Christi FM 18
Kreuz und Tod"
Canto solo, 2 oboes,
2 violins, b.c.
27:60 Sebastiani 0 Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid
Vss. 1-8, Canto solo, 4 viols, AM -* DM 19
b.c.
Meder Sinfonia gm 10
1 oboe, 2 violins, b.c.
0 Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid gm 69
Vss. 1-8
In addition to the mere proliferation of interpolations being set for dramatic
purposes, some of them serve as secondary structural points. Like the four main
dividing points outlined above, Table 14 shows some consensus regarding secondary
points for inclusion of interpolations. There are three of these points in the first part
(Mt 26:36,26:42, and 26:68) and this is balanced by three points in the second part
(Mt 27:44,27:50 and 27:54). These secondary divisions have some level of
107
importance as they each reflect upon important moments in the Passion narrative.
These same secondary divisions are also observed by J.S. Bach in his Matthdus-
Passion (movements 12,13,25,37, 59, 60,64 and 65).
In comparison, the Selle Passion of 1643 is very simple in structure (Table 15).
The narrative is through-composed, with only two interpolations interrupting the
recitative. Notable is the length of the intermedium, reminiscent of the concern of
Schiitz and of the motet passions that came before.
Table 15. Selle’s Interpolations.
Chapter Parallel Title and Setting Tonality Length

Passage
in
Matthew
18:23 c. 26:55 Intermedium I: Fuhrwahr er trug CM- 78
unsre Krankheit. FM
STB soli, SAATB chorus, solo
violin, 3 violins, 2 bassoons,
2 b.c. groups
19:21 c. 27: 26 Intermedium II: Mein Gott, mein Gott FM 130
warum hast du verlafien mich?
(Ps. 22 1-22)
STB soli, SAATB chorus, solo
violin, 3 violins, 2 bassoons,
2 b.c. groups
19: 35 After Intermedium III: 0 Lamm Gottes
death; unschuldig
before Vss. 1-3, STB soli, SAATB FM 50
burial chorus, 3 violins, 2 bassoons,
c. 27:56 2 b.c. groups
By the time Bach set the Matthdus-Passion for the Good Friday service of 1729
in Leipzig, the inclusion of expanded musical forms, including the da capo aria, had
108
become commonplace. Bach’s pairing of a recitative with an aria replaced in many
cases the chorale interpolations. These arias provided contrasting textures and texts
that allowed for a deeper personal meditation.
Bach’s division of the Matthew narrative did not conform to the traditions that
he inherited. Instead of the traditional split of the narradve into two parts (chapters
26 and 27 respectively), Bach’s Matthdus-Passion is skewed by its first half of the
narrative ending with the Arrest of Jesus (Mt 26:56). This creates a new balance,
comprised of a reverse golden proportion that is informed by the Fibonacci principle
of the golden section (0.618), and therefore creates new points of subdivision. Bach
does recognize the traditional points of reflection as noted above. The interpolations
included by Bach as they parallel the earlier settings in this study can be found in
Table 16.
Table 16. J.S. Bach: Matthdus-Passion Interpolations.
Mvt. Type Length Tonality

PART ONE
3 Choral: Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du 11 em-* BM
verbrochen?
5 Recitativo (Alto): Du lieber Heiland du 10 bm -* f#m
6 Aria (Alto): Bufi und Ruh 105 f#m
8 Aria (Soprano): Blute nur, du liebes Herz 45 bm
10 Choral: Ich bins, ich sollte biifien 12 At>M
12/13 Recitativo (Soprano): Wiewohl mein Herz in 13 (em) -* CM
Trdnen schwimmt
Aria (Soprano): Ich will dir mein Herze 48 GM
schenken
15 Choral (Chor I/H): Erkenne mich, mein Hitter 12 A M -E M

17 Choral: (Chor 1/D): Ich will hier bei dir stehen 12 AbM -EbM
19/20 Recitativo (Tenor, Chor I/II): 0 Schmerz! Hier 30 fm —GM
zittert das gequdlte Herz
Aria (Tenor, Chor I/II): Ich will bei meinem 91 cm
Jesu wachen
22/23 Recitativo (Bass): Der Heilandfallt vor seinem 10 dm—BbM
Voter nieder
Aria (Bass, Chor II): Geme will ich mich 102 gm
bequemen
25 Choral (Chor I/II): Was mein Gott will, 16 bm —BM
das gescheh allzeit
Recitativo (Soprano, Chor I/n altos): 63 em —bm
27
So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen
29 Choral (Soprano ripieno, Chor I/II): 99 EM
0 Mensch, bewein dein Siinde grofi
PART TWO
30 Aria (Alto, Chor I/II): Ach, nun ist mein Jesus 123 bm-* fWm
hin
32 Choral (Chor I/II): Mir hat die Welt truglich 11 BbM
gericht
34/35 Recitativo (Tenor): Mein Jesus schweigt zu 10 dm-* AM
falschen Liigen stille
Aria (Tenor): Geduld 47 am
37 Choral (Chor I/II): Wer hat dich so geschlagen 12 FM
39 Aria (Alto, Chor I): Erbarme dich 54 bm

40 Choral: Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen 16 f*m -* AM
44 Choral: Befiehl du deine wieder 16 D M -D M
46 Choral: Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese 11 em —BM
Strafe!
48/49 Recitativo (Soprano): Er hat un alien 12 em —CM
wohlgetan
Aria (Soprano, Chor I): Aus Liebe will mein 74 am
Heiland sterben

51/52 Recitativo (Alto): Erbarm es Gott 12 CM gm
Aria (Alto, Chor II): Konnen Trdnen meiner 91 gm
Wangen
54 Choral: 0 Haupt voll Blut und Wunden 16 FM
56/57 Recitativo (Bass): Jafreilich will in un das 6 FM -* dm
Fleisch und Blut
Aria (Bass, Chor I): Komm, stifles Kreuz 54 dm
Recitativo (Alto): Ach Golgotha 15 AbM
59/60 Aria (Alto, Chor I/D): Sehet, Jesus hat die 52 EbM
Hand
62 Choral: Wienn ich einmal soli scheiden 16 am-* EM
Recitativo (Bass): Am Abend, da es 18 gm
64/65 kiihle war
Aria (Bass): Mache dich, mein Herze, rein 81 BbM
Recitativo (Bass, Chor II): Nun ist der Herr 17 EbM -* cm
67
zur Ruh bebracht
Chorus (Chor I/II): Wirsetzen unsmit Trdnen 128 cm-*Eb-*cm
68
nieder
Dramatic Personae
The development of the characters of the Passion clearly can be traced through
these settings. From the earliest passion oratorio, the words of Jesus are uniquely
paired with two instruments, representing the three persons of the trinity. In the case
of Selle’s setting the instruments were two violins. Sebastiani followed this practice
some twenty years later, also employing two violins, and Theile used two viole da
braccio. Meder not only followed this practice by using two violins, but also set the
text of Jesus in arioso style, foreshadowing Bach’s setting.
Ill
The practice of omitting the violin accompaniment for the text of Matthew
27:46a “Eli, Eli lama sabathani” (My God, why have you foresaken me) represents a
breaking away from the divine nature of the trinity and the humanity of Christ on the
cross. This practice was observed by Selle and Sebastiani in their settings.
Sebastiani’s setting, in particular, is interesting in that the violins fall silent during
this utterance but reenter for the Evangelist’s translation (Mt 27:46b) “Das ist: mein
Gott, warum hast du mich verlaBen?” (That is: my God, why have you abandoned
me?). What makes this setting fascinating is that the violin accompaniment is
reserved solely for the divine Christ except for this particular spot. Bach did not
follow Sebastiani’s lead, but did employ the practice of the accompanying strings
(Figure 25). The only exception occurs in the accompaniment for the text “Eli, Eli
lama sabachthani,” (My God, why have you abandoned me?) when Bach also omits
the strings.
An examination of the sections of recitative found in each setting shows the
development from chant-based recitative to newly composed recitative with natural
text inflection. In Selle’s setting, the recitative is rather inexpressive, relying on
quarter notes as the primary note value and stepwise motion for all tex t Sebastiani
varies the duration of the notes, moving more frequently between the quarter and
eighth notes, to create a sense of long and short syllabic stresses. In addition,
Sebastiani uses some melodic skips and a greater range for the recitative. Theile’s
recitative settings, while incorporating the characteristics found in Sebastiani’s
recitatives, are less successful for two reasons: (1) Theile sets the accompanying
112
60 RECITATIVO. Coro I',

Violiiiu I. r — ~^r -----— ■■■
); —
Viol I no II.
VIola. ui' m - 1r =y -I » =
Evangelist.
Iraftw fct
Jesus. «itt I
Oc-kot kia la Motto* a 11- ooaâi •yrtak* ■
Orf mo •
Continuo.
mm
Ikaii DnMclaUrUM Ur m -m i Mot.aa %MjU kior, M U M l l r A i S -
Figure 25.
instruments in a highly animated, imitative style that does not allow freedom in the
vocal line; and (2) Theile is unable to divorce the basso continuo line from the
recitatives of Jesus and other bass characters. Meder’s handling of recitative shows
113
the greatest refinement in technique. There is a wide range of durational value,
range and intervallic leaps that produce exciting lines that resemble spoken speech.
The settings of the turba choruses are basically parallel in style to the settings
of recitatives discussed above. The repetition of text becomes a more prominent
characteristic with the former settings, due in part to the expanded use of
contrapuntal technique. This technique, which is most strongly seen in the setting by
Theile, allowed for a more realistic interpretation of the crowd due to its many
imitative entrances. Meder increased the dramatic tension of these arias by varying
concerted forces and extending melismatic writing from recitatives to turbae
choruses. Table 17 provides a comparison of the three pre-Bach settings of the St.
Matthew account.
Table 17. Turbae Choruses in the St. Matthew Settings
Tide Composer Length Meter Repeats Style* Tonality

Ja, nicht auf das Sebastiani 5 C none H FM —AM
Fest Theile 12 C a lot I gm —DM
Meder 4 C little H CM
Wozu dienet Sebastiani 8 C none H dm-* DM
Theile 9 C little I-H gm -* GM
Meder 8 C little H-I-H CM-* GM
Wo willst du Sebastiani 5 C little H dm - * am
Theile 7 C a lot I-H gm-* DM
Meder 4 C none H FM —CM
Herr, bin ichs? Sebastiani 4 C litde I CM
Theile 7 C a lot I gm —GM
Meder 5 3/2 a lot I-H gm
EristdesTodes Sebastiani 4 C none H dm —DM
Theile 7 C little I gm—BbM
Meder 5 c little H BbM
Title Composer Length Meter Repeats Style* Tonality
WeiBage uns Sebastiani 6 C none I-H F M -A M

Theile 6 C little I FM—BbM
Wahrlich, du bist Sebastiani 6 c none H dm —FM
Theile 9 c a lot I BbM - GM
Meder 8 c a lot H F M -C M
Was gehet uns Sebastiani 4 c none H dm —FM

Theile 8 c a lot H BbM
Meder 5 c a lot H FM
Es taug nicht Sebastiani 7 c none H F M -D M
Theile 11 c a lot I BbM—FM
Meder 6 c none H FM
Barrabam Sebastiani 4 3/1 none H FM
Theile 5 c a lot I gm —GM
Meder 2 c none H CM
LaB ihn kreuzigen Sebastiani 4 c little H AM
Theile 5 c little H gm —GM
Meder 5 c little H CM
Sein Blut Sebastiani 7 c none I-H dm —AM
Theile 8 c a lot I gm—BbM
Meder 8 3/2 none H F M -C M
GegriiBet seist du Sebastiani 6 3/1 none H F M -C M
Theile 15 3/2 a lot I-H FM
Meder 5 C a lot I-H FM
Der du den Tempel Sebastiani 16 3/1 none H C M -D M

Theile 10 C little H-I-H gm —GM
Meder 18 3/2 little H FM
Andem hat er Sebastiani 23 C little H F M -D M
Theile 19 C none H-I-H BbM—DM
Der rufet Sebastiani 2 c none H F M -C M
Theile 7 c a lot I BbM-EbM
Meder 3 c none H BbM
Halt, lafi sehen Sebastiani 5 c none H AM

Theile 5 c little I BbM
Title Composer Length Meter Repeats Style* Tonality

Wahrlich dieser ist Sebastiani 5 C none H dm-* DM
Theile 11 C a lot I dm—GM
Herr, wir haben Sebastiani 23 C** none H F M -D M
gedacht Theile 32 C** none I-H-I gm—BbM
Meder 36 c** a lot H-I-H FM —DM
-I-H
H =Homophonic, I = Imitative
Each composer sets the text of Matthew 27:63b, “Er sei auferstanden von den
Toten” (He has risen from the dead) in triple meter and then reverts back to
common meter.
Similarities can be found between the turba settings of each composer.
Theile’s use of imitation surpasses both Sebastiani’s and Meder’s and associates their
settings more closely to each other. The sole turba chorus that is set in similar
fashion in all three settings is “LaB ihn kreuzigen” (Let him be crucified). All three
composers set this turba succinctly and as a homophonic statement in common
meter, utilizing textual repetition for emphasis (Figures 26-28).
■ , f 1 1r . » r> r f - g i if f-l
ID Lal ika Ikjaa.iLpa, 1*1 _ iknb«D.ai. p a, lal ika k m . . ti . •»«
A
B f
1 Lai ika kna-lLpa, 1*1. _ frkknaoi. p a , lal ika k m . - ti .
1 Tnttt A --
ika kiaa.iLpa, lal. 1 iU k m .il. p a, lal ika f e r n . . ri . I-*
I , i "h - h - i-
■A. ,
^ J ^ kMA A*— u
Lal ika Ihaa.li p a, k l£ U k m -ii. P . Uika . . li . 1-1
_fi__
1 J 1 1f
U lik a kna.tL pa,lal. __ i b k n u i . p * la l ika k m . . ti .
igure 26. Sebastiani L
116
Tottl
Oa
L*A Ottkmci .jpa» 1*1 ika U l ika kiraai 1 gaal
Lal ihAkm ti. f ts , lal ika ika
Lal ika k**osi .j(Q« lal ika
ika kn aaifn , lal ika
Figure 27. Theile.
Figure 28. Meder.
Bach opted to set the turba “LaB ihn kreuzigen” in a very different manner.
Set in fugato style, this turba’s layered entries are based on the motive of a
diminished fourth that recurs many times. The restatement of this interval, interaction
of the voices, and an accompanying harmonic modulation from b minor to C# major
create a dramatic frenzy that mimics the fanatic crowd (Figure 29).
117
Atm
T«
1
Lm
K
T.
Figure 29. Bach.
Many of Bach’s turbae, however, do resemble those of Meder in style. The
major difference between the two settings is that Meder sets each turba as a separate
movement, often preceding the turba with a cadence to conclude the previous
recitative. A table of Bach’s turbae is given to illustrate the similarities (Table 18).
Table 18. Diagram of Bach’s Turbae in Matthaus-Passion
Title Length Meter Repeats Style* Tonality

Ja, nicht auf das Fest 6 C a lot polychoral C M -G M
Wozu dienet 11 C a lot H-I-H EM

Wo willst du 11 3/4 a lot H predominant GM-DM
Herr, bin ichs? 5 C a lot I-H ftn-CM
Er ist des Todes 5 C a lot I-H GM
WeiBage uns 8 c a lot polychoral dm-* FM
Wahrlich, du bist 4 c little H (animated) DM-* AM
Title Length Meter Repeats Style* Tonality

Was gehet uns 5 3/4 a lot polychoral BM
Es taug nicht 9 C little I-H CM —BM
Barrabam VS C none H BM
La£ ihn kreuzigen 8 c a lot I-H am-* BM
(first time)
LaB ihn kreuzigen 8 c a lot I-H bm—C#M
(second time)
Sein Blut 18 c a lot H-I-H bm —DM
GegriiBet seist du 4 c a lot polychoral dm-AM
Der du den Tempel 12 c a lot polychoral film
Andem hat er 20 c a lot polychoral - em
I-H
Der rufet 2 c none H cm
Halt IaB sehen 3 c none H gm —dm
Wahrlich dieser ist 2 c little polyphony AbM
Herr, wir haben 23 c little H-I-H EbM-DM
gedacht
* In addition to homophonic and imitative settings, Bach’s turbae are also set
in concerted polychoral style (antiphonal) and in polyphonic textures that are
not imitative in nature.
The length of Bach’s turba settings are comparable to those by Sebastiani,
Theile and Meder. The metrical scheme for the turbae follow the norms set by the
other Passion setdngs with the excepdon of the chorus D erdu den Tempel, which
Bach sets in common meter versus triple meter, and the last turba, Herr, wirhaben
gedacht, with its secdon in triple meter referring to the resurrection.
119
Striking similarities can be found in the compositional styles of Meder and
Bach. Meder’s tonal schemes are more modulatory than those of Bach within each
turba, but the use of homophonic and polyphonic devices is comparable. A good
example of this similarity is the turba chorus “Andem hat er” ; Meder sets this chorus
in an imitative style that closes with a homophonic statement, “Ich bin Gottes Sohn.”
Bach, with two choirs at his disposal, sets “Andem hat er” in a polychoral fashion
also employing imitadve entrances and concluding with a similar homophonic
statement.
The Use of Instruments
The addition of instrumental accompaniment first occurred within the context
of the oratorio passion. Traditionally, the passions had been sung unaccompanied,
given their performance during Lent.4This may explain why early oratorio passions,
with the exception of Selle’s unusual setting, were conservatively scored for strings
only. Meder was the first to break decisively away from the tradition of an all-string
accompaniment, by adding recorders and oboes to his Passion score. The function of
the instruments within the passion was to perform instrumental interpolations
(sinfoniae, ritomelli, interludes) and to support the vocal lines.
Sebastiani clearly designates the instrumentation for his setting in the
published foreward to musicians: two violins, four viole da gamba, organ and
4Many churches banned the use of musical instruments during Lent due to
the penitential nature of the liturgical season.
120
continuo.5 He does go on to state that the “third and fourth viola da gamba parts may
be eliminated if the bass line is set well.”6 Sebastiani may have included this
statement to make his work more accessible to a church with a smaller music
establishment. The effect of leaving out the latter gambas results in little loss of
sonority since they are only active during the interpolations and choruses.
Theile’s setting is scored for two viole da braccio, two viole da gamba and
basso continuo. The viole da braccio serve two purposes: to accompany the words of
Jesus throughout, and to double the two canto parts in the turba choruses and
interpolations. The two viole da gamba, with their more strident quality, accompany
the recitatives of the Evangelist and also double the alto and tenor parts throughout
The basso continuo accompanies throughout the entire setting and logically doubles
the choral bass pan in the turba choruses and interpolations.
Johann Meder’s St. Matthew Passion is scored for the following instruments:
two recorders, two oboes, two violins, two violas, one violetta and organ.7 The only
composer to add instruments other than strings, Meder employed the oboes in five
sinfoniae, one ritomello and one aria and recorder in four sinfoniae and four arias as
follows:
5Sebastiani, 6.
6Ibid., 6.
7The terms “viola” and “violetta” were used in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries to refer to violas of different sizes with the same tuning..
121
Sinfonia Ritomello Aria
Oboe #1, #24, #27, #35, #70 #67

#72
Recorder #18, #20, #22, #49 #12, #16, #53, #61
Bach's familiarity with the compositional traditions related to passion settings is
well established.8 His early visit and attendances at the Abendmusiken in 170S
underscore Bach’s exposure to the vocal and instrumental writing that was shared by the
passion and cantata forms.9 In addition, Bach performed Reinhard Keiser’s St. Mark
Passion in 1713 during his time at Weimar.10 In fact, he was so taken by Keiser’s
setting that he composed several movements to supplement that setting.
Although there is no direct evidence that Bach was acquainted with the
settings by Selle, Sebastiani or Meder, the prominence they held in the passion
repertory would suggest the possibility that Bach at least knew of their existence.
More important, the passion oratorio settings from Hamburg were introduced in
Leipzig by 1721.11
J.S. Bach’s scoring of the Matthdus-Passion reflects and expands the concept
presented by Sebastiani of a Passion setting utilizing two continuo groups. Bach’s
8Albert Schweitzer, J.S. Bach (New York: Dover, 1966), 75.
9Ibid., 76.
l0Boyd, 360.
"Ibid., 360. Boyd reports that the St. Mark Passion of Johann Kuhnau was
first performed in 1721 in the main Leipzig churches.
122
plan of expansion, of course, employs two full orchestras, each consisting of violin I,
violin II, viola, viola da gamba, violoncello, violone bass, two transverse flutes, two
oboes (also two oboes d’amore and two oboes da caccia), bassoon, and continuo.12
Bach’s addition of wind instruments clearly reflects the emergence of idiomatic
writing, which Johann Meder had championed two decades earlier.
l2Helmuth Rilling, Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Matthew Passion:

Introduction and Instructions fo r Study (Frankfurt: Henry LitolfFs Verlag, 1975), 6.
123
CHAPTER V m
CONCLUSION
The oratorio passion of the seventeenth century grew out of a long tradition
of Passion writing that was rooted in the liturgical life of the Church. This tradition
includes Passions set in plainsong, responsorial, and motet style.1 Passions set in
these styles are easily discemable, given their limited models and set compositional
devices. The oratorio passion, on the other hand, is less apt for comparison, as it was
in a constant state of flux as it developed.
The development of the oratorio passion can be traced from Selle’s Passion
nach dem Evangelisten Johannes (1643 edition) through Bach’s Matthdus-Passion
and beyond. This development, however, is not always a progression that can be
described as causal. The traditions inherited by each composer, combined with their
musical training, influenced the setting that was created. For example, the influence
of Buxtehude and his cantatas on Johann Theile is clearly manifested in Das Leiden
und Sterben. A further example is the influential role that the 1695 Riga Gesangbuch
had on Johann Meder, causing a revision of his passion setting so that it would
conform more closely to the interpolations set forth in the songbook.
The new musical genres, idiomatic styles of writing, and basso continuo that
emerged with the advent of the Baroque were incorporated into the oratorio passion
settings. The most important of these genres included opera, oratorio and the cantata,
•See Appendix D for a listing of extant Passion settings sorted by composer.
124
which included the use of recitatives, arias and chorales based on strict biblical texts,
paraphase or newly composed sacred texts. The new writings of sacred texts, as well
as those in the secular realm, were strongly influenced by the prevailing Pietism
found in the Lutheran church.2This allowed for the inclusion of recitatives and arias
based on non- biblical texts.
The primary interpolations found in oratorio passion settings were placed at
common structural points in the narrative. These interpolations included intermedien
(Selle), chorales (as first documented in Sebastiani’s setting), sung arias (Theile and
Meder) and instrumental sinfoniae. Other interpolations, however, varied in their
placement and grew in number as the century progressed. This ultimately led to the
development of passion oratorio, such as the Brockes Passion, which can be
differentiated from the oratorio passion only in its greater inclusion of non-biblical
texts and exclusion of portions of biblical narrative.
J.S. Bach brought back the balance between sacred and secular texts,
while expanding the use of interpolations for greater dramatic purpose. His
instrumentation clearly drew upon the tradition established by Sebastiani in his
setting of two continuo groups and by Meder in his incorporation of woodwind
instruments.
Bach’s reliance on tradition was forged with new innovation, which is the
mark of all oratorio passions. In the opening chorus of Matthaus-Passion, Bach
acknowledges the strong role that the sinfonia, exordium and chorale (particularly
:The Pietism movement in the Lutheran church began in the later

seventeenth century and was dedicated to spiritual and ecclesiastical renewal.
125
0 Lamm Cones unschuldig) had played in passion settings. Ingeniously, these
elements are merged into a new composite form, which allows the congregation to
partake of the Passion story once again with new and open ears.
126
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
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vol. 6. Freiburg: Herder, 1976.
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1949).
Blume, Friedrich et al. Protestant Church Music: A History. New York: W.W.
Norton and Company Inc., 1974.
Bolte, Johann. “Johann Valentin Meder," Vierteljahrsschrift fu r Musikwissenschaft 7

(1891): 43-52.
Boroff, Edith. The Music o f the Baroque. Dubuque: William. C. Brown Company
Publishers, 1970.
Boyd, Macolm, ed. Oxford Composer Companions: J.S. Bach. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1999.
Brainard, Paul. “Bach’s Parody Procedure and the St. Matthew Passion,” Journal
o f the American Musicological Society. 22/2 (summer 1969), 241-260.
Braun, Weme. “Theile-Studien,” Festschrift A m o Forchert zum 60. Geburtstag.

Kassel: Barenreiter, 1986.
Bukofzer, Manfred. Music in the Baroque Era: from Monteverdi to Bach. New
York: Norton Publishers, 1947.
Buszin, Walter E. “Luther on Music,” The Musical Quarterly 32 (Jan. 1946),

80-97.
Carver, Anthony F. Cori Spezzati. Volume 1: The Development o f Sacred

Polychoral Music to the Time o f Schiitz. New York: Cambridge University Press,
1988.
Daugherty, Harold Alexander. “The Two Passions According to St. John by Thomas
Selle.” M.M. diss., University of Southern California, 1967.
David, Hans T. The Bach Reader: A Life o f Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and
Documents. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1966.
127
Dickinson, Edward. Music in the History o f the Western Church. New York:
Haskell House Publishers Ltd., 1969.
Drummond, Andrew Landale. German Protestantism Since Luther. London: The

Epworth Press, 1951.
Eichom, Hogen. “Thomas Selle’s Opera omnia in Spiegel ihrer Druckvorlagen,”

Jahrbuch alte Musik vol. 2 (1993), 131-91.
Fischer, Kurt von. “Passion," New Grove Dictionary o f Music and Musicians, ed.
Stanley Satie. London: Macmillian Publishers, 1980, 14:277.
Fischer, Kurt von. “Passion,” Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. 7 (Kassel:
Barenreiter, 1998).
Geiringer, Karl. Symbolism in the Music o f Bach: A Lecture Delivered in the

Whittall Pavilion o f the Library o f Congress. Washington, DC: Library of
Congress, 1955.
Haberlen, John Black. “A Critical Survey of the Oratorio Passion in North

Germany to 1700." D.M.A diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
1973.
Harman, Alec and Miller, Anthony. Late Renaissance and Baroque Music (c.
1525 - c.1750). Fair Lawn, NJ: Essential Books, 1959.
Hannan, Alec and Milner, Anthony. Man and His Music: Late Renaissance and
Baroque Music. New York: Schocken Books, 1972.
Kalb, Friedrich. Theology o f Worship in 17d'-Century Lutheranism, trans. Henry

P.A. Hamann. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1965.
Malinowski, Stanley Anthony Jr. “The Baroque Oratorio Passion." PhD . diss.,
Cornell University, 1978.
Marchand, Richard. “Evolution of the Evangelist in Passion Music: Chant through

Bach.” D.M.A. diss.. University of Kansas, 1982.
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fiinfstimmigen Chor und Instrumente," Das Chorwerk, Heft 133. WolfenbUttel:
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128
Muller-Blattau, Joseph. Die musikalischen Schdtze der Koniglichen- und

Universitats-Bibliothek zu Konigsberg in Preussen. Bonn: Adolph Marcus, 1890.
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Palisca, Claude V. Baroque Music. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1991.
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Quellen und Darstellungen zur Geschichte Westpreussens 15, (1931).
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Instructions fo r Study. Frankfurt: Henry Litolff s Verlag, 1975.
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Christi nach dem heiligen Matthaeo,” Denkmaler deutscher Tonkunst. 1. Folge,
Bd. 17. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Hhrtel, 1961.
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129
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130
APPENDIX A
EXCERPT FROM MONOPHONIC PLAINSONG PASSION SETTING

FERIA SEXTA IN PASSIONE DOMINI
(VANGtUUM PA flR M I |T W A T* DOMM aCUW UM B 1 W I i «r w o r n oom m mcwauu n u » i
criM__________I
U * * u Hi i n mm M p rii n
— kkL.
JU S -O O M -tf ■■■< k a C W k mm*

^tun
'U lllll M l l l l U l l ' T tit
I n - . -
I - - ............. ... di/vwvv*-'

i; rvt *vv;
CM*hBi«liia.
HIS W I C k k iM i mh i t l______
tp* mMin ■
liisssasi! fO a iM lC lM
iTtrtMaa htonaST1*' '^k<l>
»«l Ml Ib -n h i
^Sa»fmn
L 't.T o L rzI, zl Ur xn ,
1 poll — ill
a. Chrooiiti b. Synagoga (twba)
t o * *+*■•*
c. Christas
131
APPENDIXB
ST. MATTHEWPASSION
TEXTANDTRANSLATION1
Chapter/
Verse
(The conspiracy against Jesus)
26: 1 Undes begab sich, da Jesus alle diese Jesus hadnowfinished all he wanted to
Rede vollendei hatte, sprach er zuseinen say, and he told his disciples,
JUngern:
26:2 “IhrwiBet, daft nach zweienTagen “It will be Passover, as you know, in two
Ostemwird; unddes MenschenSohn days' time, andthe Son of manwill be
wird Uberantwortet werden, daBer handedoverto be crucified.”
gekreuziget werde.”
26:3 Da versammleten sich die Hohenpriester Thenthe chief priests andthe elders of
undSchriftgelehrten unddie Altesten im the people assembled in the palace of the
Volk, indemPalast des Hohenpriesters, highpriest, whose name was Caiaphas,
26:4 derdahieS Kaiphas; undhielten Rat, wie andmade plans to arrest Jesus by some
26:5 sie Jesummit Listen griffen und tdteten. trickandhave himput to death. They
Sie sprachen aben said, however,
“Ja nicht aufdas Fest, aufdaBnicht ein “It must not be during the festivities;
Aufruhr werde in Volk!” there must be no disturbance among the
people.”
(The anointing at Bethany)
26:6 Da nunJesus warzu Betanien imHause Jesus was at Bethany in the house of
Simonis, des Aussatzigen, trat zu ihmein Simon, a man who had suffered froma
26:7 Weib, das hatte ein Glas mit kdstlichem virulent skin-disease, when a woman
Wasser; undgoBes auf sein Haupt, daer came to himwithanalabasterjarof very
zuTische saB. Dadas seine JUnger expensive ointment, andpoured it on his
26:8 sahen, wurdensie unwillig, und head as he was at table. Whenthey saw
sprachen: this, thedisciples said indignantly,
26:9 “Wozudienet dieser Unrat? Dieses “Whythis waste? This could have been
wasserhatte mftcht teuer verkauft und sold fora high price andthe money
den Armengegeben werden." given the poor.”
26: 10 Dadas Jesus merkete, sprachErzu But Jesus noticed this andsaid.
ihnen:
IThis translation is based on the 1984 edition of the New Jerusalem B ible. This numbering
corresponds to Matthew 26:1-75 through Matthew 27:1-66 in Luther’s bible.
132
“Was bekiimmert ihrdas Weib? Sie hat “Why are you upsetting the woman?
ein gut Werkanmirgetan. Ihrhabt What she has done for me is indeeda
26: 11- aliezeit Armenbei Euch; mich aber habt good work! You have the poor withyou
ihn nicht alleziet. DaBdie das Wasser hat always, but you will not always have me.
auf meinen Leib gegoBen, hat sie getan, Whenshe pouredthis ointmenton my
daBmanmichbegraben wird. body, she did it to prepare me forburial.
26: 13 “Wahrlich, ich sage euch: wo das IntruthI tell you, wherever in all the
Evangeliumgeprediget wird inder world this gospel is proclaimed, what she
ganzen Welt, da wird manauch sagenzu has done will be told as well, in
ihremGedachtnis, was sie getan hat.” remembrance of her.”
(Judas betrays Jesus)
26: 14 Daging hin derZwOlfeneiner, mit Thenone of the Twelve, the mancalled
Namen Judas Ischarioth, zuden Judas Iscariot, went to thechief priests
Hohenpriestemundsprach: andsaid,
26: 15 “Was wollt ihrmirgeben? Ich will ihn "What are you preparedto give me if I
euch verraten.” handhimover to you?’
26: 16 Undsie boten ihmdreiBig Silberling. They paid himthirtysilver pieces, and
Undvon demansuchte erGelegenheit, fromthenonwards he began to lookfor
daBer Ihren verrSte. anopportunityto betrayhim.
(Preparations for the Passover
supper)
26: 17 Aber amerstenTage des sttBenBrot Nowon the first dayof Unleavened
tratendie Jiinger zuJesu, undsprachen Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say,
zulhm:
“Wo willst du, dafi wirdir bereiten, “Wheredo you want us to make the
das OsterlammzueBen?" preparations foryou toeat the
Passover?”
26: 18 Ersprach: “Gehet hin in die Stadt zu He said, “Go to acertain maninthe city
einem, undsprecht zu ihm: DerMeister andsay to him, TheMastersays: My
laBt dirsagen: 'Meine Zeit ist hier, ich time is near. It is at your house that I am
will bei dirdie Ostemhalten mit meinen keepingPassover withmydisciples.”
JUngern.’”
26:19 Unddie JUngertaten, wie Jesus Ihnen The disciples did what Jesus toldthem
befohlen hatte, undbereitetendas andprepared thePassover.
Osterlamm.
(The treachery of Judas foretold)
26:20 UndamAbendsetzte Ersich zu Tische When evening came he was at table with
26:21 mitdenZwdlfen, undda sie afien, sprach the Twelve. And while they were eating
Er he said.
133
“Wahrlich, ich sage euch, einer unter “Intruth I tell you, one of you is about to
euch wirdmich verraten.” betrayme.”
26: 22 Und sie wurdensehrbetriibt, undhuben They were greatly distressed andstarted
an, einjeglicher unter ihnen, undsagten asking himin turn,
zu ihm:
“Herr, binichs?" “Not me. Lord, surely?"
26: 23 Erantwortet undsprach: He answered,
“*Dermit der Handmit mirindie “Someone who has dipped his handinto
26: 24 Schiissel tauchet, der wird mich venraten. the dish with me will betrayme. The
Des Menschen Sohn gehet zwardahin, Sonof man is going to his fate, as the
wie von ihmgeschrieben stehet; doch scriptures say he will, but alas forthat
wehe demMenschen, durch welchendes manby whomthe Son of manis
MenschenSohn verratenwird! Es ware betrayed! Better for that manif he had
besser, daBderselbe Mensch nochnie never been bom!”
geboren ware.”
26:25 Da antwortet Judas, derIhnverriet, und Judas, who was to betrayhim, askedin
sprach: his turn,
“Bin ichs. Rabbi?” “Not me. Rabbi, surely?”
Ersprachzu ihm: Jesus answered,
“Du sagst’s.” “It is you who say it"
(The institution of the Eucharist)
26:26 Da sie aberaflen, nahmJesus das Brot, Nowas they wereeating, Jesus took
danket, undbrach’s undgab’s seinen bread, andwhen he hadsaid theblessing
JUngem, undsprach: he broke it andgave it to thedisciples.
“Nehmet efiet; das ist meinLeib.” ‘Take it andeat'”he said, “this is my
body.”
26:27 UndErname den Kelch, unddanket, und Then he took acup, andwhenhe had
gab ihnenden, undsprach: given thanks he handed it to themsaying,
26:28 “Trinket alle daraus; das is mein Blut des “Drinkfromthis, all of you, for this is
NeuenTestaments, welches fttrviele myblood, theblood of die covenant
vergoBen wird; zurVergebungder pouredout for manyforthe forgiveness
26:29 Siinden. Ichsage euch: ich werde von of sins. Fromnowon, I tell you, I shall
nunan nicht mehrvondiesemGew&hs never againdrinkwine until thedayI
des Weinstocks trinken, bis andenTag, drinkthe newwine withyou inthe
da ich’s neutrinken werdemit euchin kingdomof myFather.'
meines Vaters Reich."
134
(Peter's denial foretold)
26: 30 Und dasie denLobgesang gesprochen After the psalms hadbeensung they left
26:31 hatten, gingen sie hinaus anden Oleberg. forthe Mount of Olives. ThenJesus
Da sprachJesus zu ihnen: said to them,
"Indieser Nacht werdet ihreuch alle “You will fall away fromme tonight, for
argemanmir. Dennes steht geschrieben: the scripture says: I shall strike the
Ich werde den Hirtenschlagen, unddie shepherd and the sheep of theflock will
26: 32 Schafe der Herde werdensich be scattered, but after myresurrection I
zerstreuen. Wenn ich aber auferstehe, shall go aheadof you to Galilee.”
will ich voreuch hingehenin Galilaam."
26: 33 Petrus aberantwortet, undsprachzu At this, Peter said to him.
ihm:
“Wennsie auch alle sich andirSrgerten, “Even if all fall awayfromyou, I will
so will ichdoch mich nimmermehr never fall away.”
argem.”
26: 34 Jesus sprachzu ihm: Jesus answeredhim,
“Wahrlich, ich sage dir indieser Nacht, “IntruthI tell you, this very night, before
ehe derHankrahet, wirst du mich the cockcrows, you will have disowned
dreimal verleugnen.” me three times.”
26: 35 Petrus sprach zu ihm: Peter said to him,
“Und wenn ich mit dirsterben mtiQte, so “Even if I have to die withyou, I will
will ichdichdoch nicht verleugnen.” neverdisown you.'
Desgleichen sagten auchalle JUnger. Andall the disciples said the same.
(Gethsemane)
26: 36 Da kamJesus mit ihnenzueinemHofe, ThenJesus came withthemto a plot of

der hieBGethsemane, undsprachzu landcalled Gethsemane; andhe said to
seinen JUngera: his disciples,
“Setzet euchhie, bis daBich dorthin “Stay here while I go over there to pray.'
gehe, undbete:”
26: 37 Und nahmzusich Petrum, unddie He tookPeter andthe two sons of
zweene Sdhne Zebedei, under fing anzu Zebedee withhim. Andhe beganto feel
traurenundzu zagen. sadness andanguish.
26:38 Da sprachJesus zu ihnen: Thenhe said to them,
“Meine Seele ist betrilbet bis indenTod; “My soul is sorrowful to thepoint of
bleibet hier, undwachet mit mir.” death. Wait here andstay awake with
__e.»
m
135
26: 39 Undging hinein wenig, fiel niederauf And going on a little furtherhe fell on
sein Angesicht, betet undsprach: his face andprayed. “My Father,” he
said,
“Mein Vater, ist’s mijglich, so gehe “if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.
dieser Kelch von mir; doch nicht wie ich Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I,
will, sondemwie du wilst.” would have it”
26: 40 Und er kamzu seinen Jiingem, und fand He came backto the disciples andfound
sie schlafend, und sprachzu Petro: themsleeping, andhe said to Peter,
“Kdnnet ihrdenn nicht eine Stunde mit 'So you had not the strengthto stay
26:41 mir wachen? Wachet undbetet, daBihr awake with me for one hour? Stay
nicht in Anfechtung fallet. Der Geist ist awake, andpraynot to be put to the test
willig; aberdas Fleisch ist schwach.” The spirit is willing enough, but human
nature is weak.”
26: 42 Zumanderamal gingeraberhin, betet Again, a second time, he went away and
und sprach: prayed:
“Mein Vater, ist’s nicht mtiglich, daB “My Father,” he said, “if this cupcannot
dieser Kelch vonmirgehe, ich trinke ihn pass me by, but I must drinkit your will
denn; so geschehe dein Wille." be done!”
26:43 Under kam, undfandsie aberalle And he came backagain andfound them
schlafend, undihreAugen waren voll sleeping, theireyes were so heavy.
26:44 Schlafs. Under lieSsie, undging Leaving themthere, he went away again
abermal hin, undbetet zumdrittenmal, andprayed for the thirdtime, repeating
26:45 undredet dieselbigen Wort Da kamer the same words. Then he came backto
zuseinen JUngem, undsprach zu ihnen: the disciples andsaid:
“Ach, wollt ihr nunschlafen und ruhen? “Youcansleep on nowandhave your
Siehe, die Stunde ist hie, daBdes rest Look, the hourhas come whenthe
Menschen Sohn inderSiinderHhnde Sonof man is to be betrayed into the
26:46 iiberantwortet wird. Stehet auf, lafit uns hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go!
gehen; siehe, er ist da, dermich verrht” Look, mybetrayeris not far away.
(The arrest)
26:47 Undals er nochredet siehe, dakam And suddenly while he was still
Judas, derZwfilfeneiner, undmit ihm speaking, Judas, one of theTwelve,
eine groBe Schar, mit SpieBenundmit appeared, andwithhima large number
Stangen, von denHohenpriestemund of men armed withswords andclubs,
Altesten des Volks. Undder VerrSter sent by the chief priests andelders of the
26:48 hatte ihneneinZeichengegeben, und people. Nowthe traitorhadarrangeda
gesagt: sign withthemsaying,
“Welchen ich kufienwerde, derist's, “The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest
greifet” him.”
136
26: 49 Und alsbald trat er zu Jesu, undsprach: So he went uptoJesus at once and said,
“GegriiBet seist du. Rabbi!” “Greetings, Rabbi,"
26: 50 undkiifiet ihn. Jesus aber sprach zu ihm: andkissed him. Jesus said to him,
“Mein Freund, warumbist du kommen?” “Myfriend, do what you are here for.”
Da tratensie hinzu, und legten die Hdnde Thentheycame forward, seized Jesus
26:51 aufJesum, undgriffen Ihn. Und siehe, andarrestedhim. And suddenly, one of
einer aus denen, die mit Jesu waren, the followers of Jesus grasped his sword
recket die Handaus, undzog sein anddrewit; he struckthe high priest's
Schwert aus, undschlug des servant andcut off his ear.
Hohenpriesters Knecht, undhieb ihmein
Ohrab.
26:52 Da sprachJesus zu ihm: Jesus thensaid,
“Stecke dein Schwert anseinemOrt; “Put yourswordback, forall whodraw
26:53 denn werdas Schwert nimmt, der soli the sword will die by the sword. Ordo
durchs Schwert umkommen. Oder you thinkthat I cannot appeal to my
meinest du, daBich nicht ktinnte meinen Father, who would promptlysend more
Vaterbitten, daBer mirzuschickte mehr thantwelve legions of angels to my
26: 54 denn zwdlf Legion Engel? Wie wiirde defense? But then, howwould the
aberdie Schrift erfiillt? Es muBalso scriptures be fulfilled that say this is the
geschehn.” way it must be?”
26: 55 ZuderStundesprachJesus zu den It was at this time that Jesus said to the
Scharen: crowds,
“Ihrseid ausgegangen, als zueinem “AmI a bandit, that you hadto set out to
Mdrder, mit Schwerterundmit Stangen, capture me withswords andclubs? I sat
mich zu faBen. Bin ichdoch thglich teaching in theTemple day afterdayand
26: 56 geseBen bei euch, undhabe gelehret im you never laid ahandon me. Nowall
Tempel, undihrhabt michnicht this happened to fulfil the prophecies in
gegriffen. Aberdies ist alles geschehen, scripture.” Then all the disciples
daBerfUllet wtirdedie Schrift der deserted himandranaway.
Propheten.”
Da verlieBenihnalle Jilnger, undflohen.
(Jesus before the Sanhedrin)
26:57 Die aberJesumgegriffen hatten, fUhrten The men who hadarrestedJesus led him
ihnzumHohenpriesterCaiphas, dahin off to the house of Caiaphas the high
die Schriftgelehnen undAltestensich priest, where the scribes andthe elders
26:58 versammelt hatten. Petrus aberfolgete wereassembled. Peterfollowed himat
ihmnach vonfeme, bis indenPalast des adistanceright to the highpriest’s
Hohenpriesters; undging hinein, und palace, andhe went in andsat down with
setzte sich bei die Knechte, auf daBer the attendants tosee what theend would
26:59 sche, wo es hinaus wollte. Die be. The chief priests andthe whole
HohenpriesteraberundAltesten, undder Sanhedrinwere looking forevidence
137
ganze Rat suchten falsche Zeugnis wider against Jesus, however false, on which
26:60 Jesum, aufdaBsie ihntdteten; und they might have himexecuted. But they
fundenkeines. Und wiewohl viel could not find any, though several lying
falscherZeugen hinzu traten, funden sie witnesses came forward. Eventually two
26:61 doch keines. Zuletzt tratenhinzu zweene came forward and madea statement.
falsche Zeugen, undsprachen: This mansaid,
“Erhat gesagt: ‘Ich kanndenTempel “I have power to destroy the Temple of
Gottes abbrechen, undindreienTagen Godandin three days build it up.”
denselben bauen.”’
26:62 UndderHohepriester stand auf, und The high priest thenrose andsaid to him.
sprachzu ihm:
“Antwortest du nichts zu dem, das diese “Have you no answer to that? What is
widerdich zeugen?” this evidence these men are bringing
against you?”
26:63 Jesus aberschwieg stille. Undder But Jesus was silent. And the high priest
Hohepriesterantwortet und sprachzu said to him,
ihm:
“I put youon oathby the living God to
“Ichbeschwdre dich bei demlebendigen tell us if you are theChrist, the Son of
Gott, daBdu uns sagest, obdu seist God."
Christus, derSohnGottes.”
26:64 Jesus sprachzu ihm: Jesus answered him,
“Du sagst's. Doch sag icheuch: vonnun “It is you who say it But I tell you that
anwird’s geschehen, daBihrsehen fromthis time onward you will see the
werdet des Menschen Sohn sitzen zur Son of manseated at the right handof
RechtenderKraft, undkommen inden thePowerandcoming on the clouds of
Wolken des Himmels.” heaven.”
26:65 DazerriBderHohe Priesterseine Then the high priest tore his clothes and
Kleider, undsprach: said,
“Erhat Gott gelastert; was dilrfen wir “He has blasphemed. What needof
weiterZeugnis. Siehe, jetzt habt ihr witnesses have we now? There! You
26:66 seine Gottes Listening gehdret. Was havejust heardthe blasphemy. What is
dUnket euch?" youropinion?”
Sie antworteten, undspachen: Theyanswered,
“Erist des Todes schuldig.” “He deserves to die.”
26:67 Da speieten sie aus in sein Angesicht, Then they spat in his face and hit him
undschlugen ihnmit Fausten. Etlichen withtheirfists; others said as they struck
aberschlugen ihn ins Angesicht, und him.
sprachen:
138
26: 68 “WeiBage uns, Christe, wer ist’s, der “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you
dich schlug?" then?”
(Peter's denials)
26: 69 Petrus abersaBdrauBenimPalast; und Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in

es trat zu ihmeine Magd, undsprach: the courtyard, and aservant-girl came up
to himsaying,
“Und du warest auch mit demJesu aus “You, too, were withJesus the
Galilaea.” Galilean.”
26: 70 ErIeugnet aber vorihnen alien, und But he denied it in front of themall,
sprach: saying:
“Ich weiBnicht, was du sagest” “I do not knowwhat you are talking
about” he said.
26:71 Als eraberzurTiirhinaus ging, ersahe Whenhe went out tothe gateway
ihneine andere Magd, undsprach zu anotherservant-girl sawhimandsaid to
denen, die dawaren: thepeople there,
“Dieser warauchmit demJesu von “This man was withJesus the
Nazareth.” Nazarene.”
26:72 Under leugnete abermal, und schwur And again, withanoath, he denied it
dazu:
“Ichkenne des Menschen nicht” “I do not knowthe man."
26:73 Und Ubereine kleine Weile tratenhinzu, Alittle laterthe bystanders came upand
die da stunden, undsprachenzu Petro: said to Peter,
“Wahrlich, dubist aucheiner von denen; “You arecertainly one of themtoo!”
denn deine Sprachverrat dich.”
26:74 Da huber ansich zu verfluchen undzu Why, youraccent gives you away.”
schwdren: Then he startedcursing andswearing,
“Ichkenne des Menschen nicht” “I do not knowthe man.”
26:75 Undalsbald krahetder Hahn. Dadachte And at once the cockcrowed, andPeter
Petrus andie WortJesu, daer zu ihm rememberedwhat Jesus hadsaid.
sagte:
“Ehe derHahnkrahenwird, wirst du “Before the cockcrows you will have
michdreimal verleugnen.” disowned me threetimes.”
Undging heraus, und weinet bitterlich. Andhe went outside andwept bitterly.
139
(Jesus is taken before Pilate)
27: 1 Des Morgens aber hielten alle Whenmorningcame, all the chiefpriests
Hohepriester und Altesten des Volks andthe elders of the people met in
einen Rat widerJesum, daBsie Ihn council tobringabout the deathof Jesus.
27: 2 toteten. Und bunden ihn, fiihreten ihn They had himbound and led himaway
hin, und iiberantworteten ihndem to hand himover to Pilate, the governor.
LandpflegerPontio Pilato.
(The death of Judas)
27: 3 Da das sahe Judas, der ihn verratenhatte, Whenhe found that Jesus hadbeen
daBer verdammet war zumTode, condemned, thenJudas, his betrayer, was
gereuet es ihm, undbrachte herwieder filled withremorse and took the thirty
die dreiBig Silberlinge den Hchen silver pieces backto the chief priests and
27:4 Priesternund Altesten des Volks, und elders saying,
sprach:
“Ich habe Ubel getan, daBich unschuldig “I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent
Blut verratenhabe. blood."
Sie abersprachen: Theyreplied,
“Was gehet uns das an? Da siehe du “What is that to us? That is your
zu.” concern.”
27:5 Under warfdie Silberlinge inden And flinging down the silver pieces in
Tempel, hubsich davon, ging hin und the sanctuary he made off, andwent and
erhenket sich selbst hanged himself.
27:6 Aberdie Hohenpriester nahmendie The chief priests picked up the silver
Silberling, undsprachen: pieces andsaid,
“Es taugt nicht, daBwirsie inden “It is against the Lawto put this into the
Gotteskasten legen; denn es ist treasury; it is blood money.”
Blutgeld.”
27:7 Sie hielten abereinen Rat, undkauften So theydiscussed the matterandwithit
einenTOpfers Ackerdarura, zum bought the potter’s field as agraveyard
27:8 BegrSbnis derPilger. Daherist for foreigners, and this is whythe field
27:9 derselbige Ackergennent derBlut is still called the Field of Blood. The
Acker, bis auf denheutigenTag. Da ist word spoken through the prophet
erfiillet, was gesagt ist dutchden Jeremiah was then fulfilled: “And they
ProphetenJeremias, derda spricht: “sie took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at
habengenommendreiBig Silberlinge, which the precious One was priced by
27:10 damitbezahlet wardderverkaufte, the children of Israel, and they gave
welchen sie kauftenvonden Kindern themfor the potter’s field, just as the
Israel; und habensie gegeben umeinen Lord directed me."
TOpfers Acker, als mirderHerrbefohlen
hat”
140
(Jesus before Pilate)
27: 11 Jesus aber stundt vor den Landpfleger; Jesus, then, was brought before the
undderLandpfleger fraget ihn, und governor, and the governor put to him
sprach: this question,
“Bist duderJuden Konig?" “Are you the kingof the Jews?”
Jesus aber sprach zu ihm: Jesus replied,
“Du sagst." “It is you who say it.”
27: 12 Und daer verklaget ward von den But when he was accused by the chief
HohenpriestemundAltesten, antwortet priests and the elders he refused to
27: 13 er nichts. Da sprachPilatus zu ihm: answerat all. Pilate then said to him,
“HOrest du nicht, wie hart sie dich “Do you not hearhowmanycharges they
verklagen?” have madeagainst you?’
27: 14 Under antwortet ihnnicht aufein Wort, But to the governor’s amazement, he
also, daBsich auchderLandpflegersehr offered not a wordinanswer to anyof
verwunderte. the charges.
27: 15 Auf das Fest aber hattederLandpfleger At festival time it was the governor's
Genohnheit, demVolkeinen practice to release a prisoner forthe
27:16 Gefangenen los zu geben, welchen sie people, anyone theychose. Nowthere
wollten. Er hatte zuderZeit einen was thena notorious prisonerwhose
27:17 Gefangenen, der hieBBarrabas, derwar name was Barabbas. So whenthe
fast rilchtig. Unddasie versammlet crowd gathered, Pilate said to them.
waren, sprach Pilatus zu ihnen:
“Welchen willt ihr, daBicheuch losgebe, “Whichdo you want me to release for
BarrabamoderJesum, denmanChristum you: Barabbas, orJesus who is called
nennet?” Christ?"
27: 18 DennerwuBte wohl, daBsie ihnaus ForPilate knewit was out ofjealousy
27: 19 Neid Uberantwortet hatten. Unddaer that theyhad handedhimover. Nowas
aufdemRichtstuhl saB, schickte sein he was seated in the chairofjudgement,
Weibzu ihm, und lieBihmsagen: his wife sent himamessage,
“Habedu nichts zuschaffen mit diesem “Have nothing to do with that upright
Gerechten; ich habe heut viel erlittenim man; I have been extremely upset today
Traumvon seinetwegen.” by adreamthat I hadabout him.”
27:20 Aberdie HohenpriesterundAltesten The chief priests andthe elders,
Qberredetendas Volk, daBsie um however, hadpersuadedthe crowdto
Barrabambittensollten, undJesum demandthe releaseof Barabbas andthe
umbrdchten. executionof Jesus.
27:21 Da antwortet nunderLandpfleger, und So whenthe governorspoke andasked
sprachzu ihnen: them.
141
“Welchen wollt ihr unterdiesen zweien, “Whichof the two do you want me to
den ich euch soil losgeben?” release foryou?’
Sie sprachen: Theysaid,
“Barrabam, Barrabam, Barrabam.” “Barabbas.”
27: 22 Pilatus sprachzu ihnen: Pilate saidto them,
“Was soil ich denn machen mit Jesu, von “But in that case, what amI to do with
demgesaget wird, er sei ChrismsT Jesus who is called Christ?”
Sie sprachen alle: Theyall said,
“LaBihn kreuzigen, laBihnkreuzigen!” “Let himbe crucified!”
27: 23 DerLandpflegersagete: He asked,
“Was hat erdenn Obels getan?” “But what harmhas he done?"
Sie schrieenabernoch mehr, und But they shoutedall the louder.
sprachen:
“LaBihnkreuzigen, laBihnkreuzigen, “Let himbe crucified!”
laBihn kreuzigen!”
27:24 Da aberPilatus sahe, daBernichts ThenPilate sawthat he was making no
schaffe, sondemdaBviel ein grOBer impression, that in fact ariot was
GetUmmel war, nahmer Wasser, und imminent So he took some water,
wusch die Hdnde vordemVolk, und washed his hands in front of the crowd
sprach: andsaid,
“Ich bin unschuldig andemBlut dieses “I aminnocent of this man's blood. It is
Gerechten; sehet ihrzu!" yourconcern.”
27:25 Da antwortet das ganze Volk, und Andthe people, every one of them,
sprach: shoutedback,
“Sein Blut komme Uberuns undilber “Let his bloodbe on us andonour
unsere Kinder!" children!”
27: 26 Da gaber ihnen BarrabamIos; Jesum Then he released Barabbas forthem.
aberlieBergeiBeln, undUberantwortet After havingJesus scourged he handed
ihn, daBErgekreuziget wtirde. himover to be cmcified.
(Jesus is crowned with thorns)
27:27 Da nahmendie Kriegsknechte des Thenthe governor’s soldiers tookJesus

Landpflegers Jesumzu sich indas with theminto the Praetoriumand
Richthaus, undsammletenUberihndie collected the whole cohort roundhim.
27:28 ganze Schar, undzogen ihnaus, und Andthey strippedhimand put a scarlet
142
27:29 legten ihmeinen Purpurmantel an; und cloak roundhim, and having twisted
flochten eine DomenKrone, und setzten some thoms into acrown they put this on
sie auf sein Haupt, undein Rohr inseine his headandplaced a reed in his right
rechte Hand, undbeugeten die Kniee vor hand. To make fun of himthey knelt to
ihm, und spotteten ihn, undsprachen: himsaying,
‘•GegriiBet seist du, derJuden Konig!” “Hail, kingof theJews!”
27: 30 Und speieten ihn an, und nahmendas And they spat on himand tookthe reed
27:31 Rohr, und schlugen damit sein Haupt. andstruck himon the head with it And
Und da sie ihn verspottet hatten, zogen when they hadfinished making funof
sie ihmdemMantel aus, undzogen ihm him, they tookoff the cloak anddressed
seine Kleideran, undfiihreten ihn hin, himin his ownclothes andled himaway
daBsie ihn kreuzigten. to crucifixion.
(The crucifixion)
27: 32 Und indemsie hinaus gingen, fundensie Ontheir way out, theycame across a
einen Menschen von Kyrene, mit Namen man fromCyrene, called Simon, and
27:33 Simon; den zwungen sie, daBer ihmsein enlisted himto carry his cross. When
Kreuze trug. Unddasie andie Stdtte they hadreacheda place called
kamen, mit NamenGolgatha, das ist Golgotha, that is the place of the skull.
27: 34 verdeutschet Schadelstatt, gaben sie ihm They gave himwine to drinkmixed with
Essig zu trinken mit Gallen vermischt; gall, which he tasted but refused to drink.
27: 35 unddaer’s schmecket, wollte er’s nicht When they hadfinished crucifying him
trinken. Da sie ihnabergekreuziget they sharedout his clothing bycasting
27:36 hanen, teileten sie seinemKleider, und lots, andthensat down andstayed there
27: 37 worfendas Los darum; auf daBerfiillet keeping guardover him. Above his head
wiirde, was gesagt ist durchden was placed the charge against him; it
Propheten: sie haben meine Kleider unter read:
sich geteilet, und UbermeinGewand
habensie das Los geworfen. Undsie
saBenallda, und hUtetensein. Undoben
zu seinen HUuptenhefteten sie die
Ursach seines Todes beschrieben,
n&nlich:
“Dies ist Jesus, derJudenKtinig.” “This is Jesus, the Kingof theJews."
27: 38 Und da wtirden zwene Mdrdermit ihm Then two bandits were crucified with
gekreuziget, einer zurrechten, undeiner him, one on the right andone on the left.
zurlinken.
(The crucified Jesus is mocked)
27: 39 Die abervorUbergingen, lUstertenihn, The passers-byjeered at him; theyshook

27:40 undschUtteltenihre Kopfe, und theirheads and said.
sprachen:
“DerdudenTempei Gottes zerbricht, “So you would destroythe Temple and
undbauest ihnin dreienTagen, hilf dir in three days rebuild it! Thensave
143
selber! Bist duGottes Sohn. so steig yourself if youareGod's son andcome

herab vomKreuz!” down fromthecross!”
27:41 Des gleichen auchdie Hohenpriester The chief priests with the scribes and
spotteten sein, sambt den elders mockedhimin the same way,
27:42 Schriftgelehrten undAltesten, und withtheirwords,
sprachen:
“Andemhat ergeholfen, und kann ihm “He savedothers; he cannot save
selber nicht helfen. Ist erder KOnig von himself. He is the king of Israel; let him
Israel, so steig er nun vomKreuz, so come down fromthecross now, and we
27:43 wollen wirihmglduben; er hat Gott will believe inhim. He has put his trust
vertrauet, dererlose ihn, liistet’s ihm; inGod; nowlet God rescue himif he
denner hat gesagt: ‘ich binGottes wants him. For hedidsay, "IamGod's
Sohn.”’ ___
son.H*t
27:44 Des gleichen schmdhetenihn auchdie Eventhe bandits who were crucified
Mtirder, die mit ihmgekreuziget waren. with himtauntedhimin the same way.
(The death of Jesus)
27: 45 Und von dersechsten Stunde an ward Fromthe sixth hourthere was darkness
eine Finstemis tlberdas ganze Land, bis overall the landuntil the ninthhour.
27:46 andie neunte Stunde. Und umdie neunte And about the ninth hour, Jesus criedout
Stunde schrieJesus laut undsprach: ina loud voice,
“Eli, Eli, Eli, Lamaasabthani.” “Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?'
Das ist: “meinGott, warumhast du mich that is, “My God, my God, why have you
verlaBen?” forsaken me?'
27:47 Aber, die dastunden, da sie das hOreten, Whensome of those who stood there
sprachensie: heard this, they said,
“Derrufet denElias.” “The manis calling onElijah,"
27: 48 Undbald lief einer unterihnen, nahm andone of themquicklyranto get a
einen Schwamm, undfUllet ihn mit sponge which he filled with vinegarand,
Essig, undsteckt ihnaufein Rohr, und putting it on areed, gave it himto drink.
27:49 trfnket ihn. Die andemabersprachen: But the rest of themsaid,
“Halt, laBsehen, ob Elias komme, und “Wait! And see if Elijah will come to
ihmhelfe!” save him.”
27:50 AberJesus schrei abermal laut, und But Jesus, againcrying out in aloud
verschied. voice, yielded uphis spirit
27:51 Undsiehe da, derVorhang imTempel Andsuddenly, theveil of the Sanctuary

zerrifi in zwei Stack, vonoben anbis was tomintwo fromtoptobottom, the
144
27: 52 unten aus. Und die Erde erbebete, und earthquaked, the rocks were split, the
die Felsen zerrifien, unddie Grabertaten tombs opened andthe bodies of many
27: 53 sich auf, undstunden auf viel Leibe der holy people rose fromthe dead, and
Heiligen, die schliefen, undgingen aus these, afterhis resurrection, came out of
den Grabemnachseiner Auferstehung, the tombs, entered the holy city and
27: 54 und kamen indie heilige Stadt, und appearedto a numberof people. The
erschienen vielen. Aberder Hauptmann centurion, together with the others
unddie bei ihmwaren, bewahreten guardingJesus, hadseen the earthquake
Jesum, unddasie sahen das Erdbeben, andall that was taking place, andthey
und was dageschach, erschraken sie were terrifiedandsaid.
sehr, undsprachen:
“Wahrlich, dieser ist Gottes Sohn “Intruththis man was son of God.”
gewesen!”
27:55 Denn es waren viel Weiberda, die von And manywomen were there, watching
feme zusahen, die daJesu waren nach fromadistance, the same women who
gefolget aus Galilaa, und hattenihm had followed Jesus fromGalilee and
27:56 gedienet. Unterwelchen warMaria looked after him. Among themwere
Magdalena, undMaria, die Mutter Maryof Magdala, Marythe motherof
Jacobi undJoses, unddie Mutterder James andJoseph, and the motherof
KinderZebedei. Zebedee's sons.
(The burial)
27:57 AmAbendaber kamein reicher Mann When it was evening, there came arich
von Arimathia, derhieBJoseph, welcher manof Arimathaea, called Joseph, who
27:58 auchein JUngerJesu war, derging zu had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Pilato, undbat ihn umden LeibJesu. Da This manwent to Pilate andasked for
befahl Pilatus, man soilt ihmihngeben. the bodyof Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it
27:59 UndJoseph nahmden Leib, und wickelt to be handedover. So Joseph tookthe
27:60 ihn inein reinLeinwand; undlegte ihn in body, wrappedit ina clean shroud and
sein eigen neuGrab, welches er hatte put it in his own newtomb which he had
laBen in einen Felsen hauen; undwiilzet hewnout of the rock. He thenrolled a
einen groBenStein vordie Tiirdes large stone across the entrance of the
Grabes, undging davon. tomb andwent away.
27:61 Es was aberallda MariaMagdalena, und NowMaryof Magdala andthe other
die andere Maria, die setzten sich gegen Marywere there, sitting opposite the
das Grab. sepulchre.
(The guard at the tomb)
27:62 Des andemTages, derda folget nach Next day, that is, whenPreparationDay
demRiist Tage, kamendie Hohenpriester was over, the chief priests andthe
27:63 undSchriftgelehrten sdmtlichzu Pilato, Pharisees went ina body to Pilate and
undsprachen: said to him,
“Herr, wirhabengedacht, daBdieser “Your Excellency, we recall that this
VerfUhnr sprach, daer noch lebet: ‘ich imposter said, while he was still alive.
145
will nachdreienTagen auferstehen.’ "Afterthreedays I shall rise again."

27:64 Darumbefiehle, daBmandas Grab Therefore give the orderto have the
verwahre bis anden drittenTag, auf daB sepulchre kept secure until the thirdday,
nicht seine Jiinger kommen undstehlen forfear his disciples come and steal him
ihn, undsagen zu demVolk, *Ersei away andtell the people, "He has risen
auferstanden;’ und werde der letze fromthedead." This last piece of fraud
Betrug iirger, dennder erste.” would be worse thanwhat went before.”
27:65 Pilatus sprach zu ihnen: Pilate said to them,
“Da hat ihrdir Hiiter, geht hin, und “You mayhave your guard; go andmake
verwahret’s, wie ihrwifieL” all as secure as you knowhow.”
27:66 Sie gingen hin, und verwahretendas So they went andmade the sepulchre
Grabmit Hiitem, und versiegelten den secure, puttingseals on the stone and
Stein. mountingaguard.
146
APPENDIX C
ST. JOHN PASSION

TEXT AND TRANSLATION*
Chapter/
Verse (The arrest of Jesus)
18:1 Jesus ging liber den Bach Kidron, da war After he had said all this, Jesus left with
ein Garten, dareinging Jesus undsein his disciples andcrossed the Kidron
Jiinger. Judas aber, der ihn verriet, wuBte valley where there was a garden into
18: 2 den Ort auch, dennJesus versammelte which he went withhis disciples. Judas
sich oft daselbst mit seinen Jiingem; da the traitorknewthe place also, since
nunJudas zu sich hatte genommendie Jesus hadoften met his disciples there,
18:3 Schar, undderHohenpriesterund so Judas brought the cohort to this place
PharisaerDiener, kOmmt erdahin mit together withguards sent by thechief
Fackeln, Lampen, undmit Waffen. priests and the Pharisees, all with
AlsnunJesus wuBte Alles, was ihm lanterns andtorches and weapons.
18:4 begegnensollte, ging er hinaus und Knowing everything that was to happen
sprach zu ihnen: to him, Jesus came forward andsaid.
“Wen suchest ihr?” “Who are you looking for?”

18: S Sie antworteten: They answered,
"JesumvonNazareth.” “Jesus the Nazarene.”
Jesus sprachzu ihnen: He said,
“Ich, ichbins.” “I amhe.”
Judas aber, derihn verriet, stund auch NowJudas the traitor was standing
18:6 bei ihnen. Also nunJesus zu ihnen among them. WhenJesus saidto them, 1
sprach: “Ich bin’s!” wichen sie zuriicke amhe,' theymovedbackandfell onthe
18:7 und fielen zu Boden. Dafragete ersie ground. He asked thema second time,
abermals:
“Wensuchet ihr?” "Who areyou looking for?”
Sie abersprachen: They said,
“Jesumvon Nazareth.” “Jesus the Nazarene.”
18: 8 Jesus antwortete: Jesus replied.
'This translation is based on the 1984 edition of the New Jerusalem Bible.
147
“Ich hab’s euch gesagt, daBich’s sei, “I have told you that I amhe. If I amthe
suchet ihrdenn mich, so laBet diese one you are looking for, let these others
18: 9 gehen! Auf daBdas Wort erfiillet wiirde, go.”This was to fulfil the words he had
welches sagte: Ichhabe der Keine spoken, “Not one of those you gave me
verloren, die du mirgegeben hast.” have I lost.”
18:10 Da hatte Simon Petrus ein Schwert, und Simon Peter, who hada sword, drewit
zog es aus, und schlug nachdes andstruckthe high priest's servant
Hohenpriesters Knecht, undhieb ihm cuttingoff his right ear. The servant's
sein recht’ Ohrab, undder Knecht hieB name was Malchus.
Malchus.
18: 11 Da sprachJesus zu Petro: Jesus said to Peter,
“Stecke dein Schwert indie Scheide; soli “Put yoursword backin its scabbard; am
ich den Kelch nicht trinken, den mir I not todrink the cup that the Fatherhas
mein Vatergegeben hat?” given me?”
(Jesus before Annas and Caiaphas
Peter disowns him)
18:12 Die Scharaber undderOberhauptmann, The cohort and its tribune andthe Jewish
unddie Diener derJudennahmenJesum guards seized Jesus andbound him.
18: 13 und banden ihn und fiihretenihn aufs Theytookhimfust to Annas, because
erste zu Hannas, derwarCaiphas’ Annas was the father-in-lawof Caiaphas,
18: 14 Schwdger, welcher des Jahres who was high priest that year. It was
Hoherpriester war; es waraberCaiphas, Caiaphas who hadcounseled the Jews,
derdenJudenriet, es ware gut, daBein “It is better forone manto die for the
Mensch wiirde umbracht fUrdas Volk. people.”
18: IS Simon Petrus aberfolgete Jesu nach, und Simon Peter, withanotherdisciple,
ein andererJilnger. Derselbige Jttnger followed Jesus. This disciple, who was
wardemHohenpriesterbekannt, und known to the highpriest, went withJesus
ging mit Jesu hinein indes into the high priest's palace, but Peter
18:16 Hohenpriesters Palast, Petrus aberstund stayed outside the door. So theother
drauBenvorderTllr. Daging der andere disciple, the one knownto the high
Jilnger, derdemHohenpriesterbekannt priest, went out, spoke to the door
war, hinaus, undredete mit der keeper andbrought Peterin.
Tiirhilterinund filhretePetrumhinein.
18:17 Da sprachdie Magd, dieTiirhilterin, zu The girl on dutyat the doorsaid toPeter,
Petro:
“Bist dunicht auchdieses Menschen “Aren't you anotherof that man’s
JUngereiner?" disciples?”
Ersprach: He answered,
“Ichbins nicht” “I amnot”
148
18: 18 Es stunden aber die Knechte und Diener, Nowit was cold, and the servants and
und hatten ein Kohlfeuer gemacht, denn guards hadlit acharcoal fire and were
es war kalt und wiirmeten sich; Petrus standing there wanning themselves; so
aber stund bei ihnen und warmete sich. Peter stood there too, warming himself
with the others.
18: 19 AberderHohepriesteraber fragteJesum The high priest questioned Jesus about
umseine Jilnger und umseine Lehre. his disciples and his teaching. Jesus
18:20 Jesus antwortet ihm: answered,
“Ich habe frei offentlich geredet vorder “I have spokenopenly for all the world
Welt, ich habe allezeit gelehret inder to hear; I have always taught in the
Schule und indemTempel, da alle Juden synagogue andin the Temple where all
zusammenkommen, und habe nichts im theJews meet together, I have said
18:21 Verborgengeredet. Was fragst du mich nothing insecret Whyaskme? Askmy
darum? Frage darum, die gehtiret haben, hearers what I taught; they knowwhat I
was ich zu ihnen geredet habe; siehe, said.”
dieselbigen wiBen, was ich gesaget
habe!”
18:22 Als er solches redet, gab der Dienereiner At these words, one of the guards
Jesus einemBakkenstreich undsprach: standing by gave Jesus aslap in the face,
saying,
“Sollst dudemHohenpriesteralso “Is that the way you answer the high
antworten?” priest?”
18:23 Jesus aberantwortete: Jesus replied,
“Habe ich Ubel geredet, so beweise es; “If there is some offense in what Isaid,
daBes bdse sei; hab’ ich aberrecht point it out; but if not whydo you strike
geredet, warumschlagst dumich?” me?”
18:24 Und Hannas sandte ihngebunden zu Then Annas sent him, bound, to
18:25 demHohenpriesterCaiphas. Simon Peter Caiaphas the high priest As Simon Peter
stund, und warmete sich, dasprachensie stood there warming himself, someone
zu: said to him,
“Bist du nicht seine JUngereiner?” “Aren't you anotherof his disciples?”
Er leugnete aberundsprach: He denied it saying,
“Ich bin’s nicht!” “I amnot”
18: 26 Spricht des Hohenpriesters Knecht einer, Oneof the high priest’s servants, a
einGefreund’terdes. demPetrus Ohr relationof the man whose ear Peterhad
abgehauenhatte: cut off, said,
“Sahe ichdich nicht imGartenbei ihm?" “Didn't I see you in the gardenwith
him?”
149
18:27 Da verleugnete Petrus abermal, undalso Again Peter denied it; andat once acock
bald krahete derHahn. crew.
(Jesus before Pilate)
18: 28 Da fiihreten sie JesumvonCaiphas vor They then led Jesus fromthe house of
das Richthaus, undes war friihe. Undsie Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now
gingen nicht indas Richthaus. aufdaB morning. They did not go into the
sie nicht unrein wiirden, sondemOstem Praetoriumthemselves to avoid
18:29 eBen mOchten. Da ging Pilatus zu ihnen becoming defried and unable to eat the
hinaus undsprach: Passover. So Pilate came outside to
themandsaid,
“Was bringet ihrfiir (Cage widerdiesen “What charge do you bring against this
Menschen?” man?"
Sie sprachen: They replied,
18: 30 “Waredieser nicht ein Ubeltater, wir “If he were not acriminal, we should not
hattendir ihn nicht iiberantwortet.” have handedhimoverto you.”
18:31 Dasprach Pilatus zu ihnen: Pilate said to them:
“So nehmet ihr ihn himundrichtet ihn ‘Take himyourselves, andtryhimby
nacheuremGefallen.” yourown Law.”
Die Judensprachen: The Jews answered,
“Wirdlirfen niemand tdten.” “We are not allowed to put amanto
death.”
18:32 Auf daBerfUllet wiirdedas Wort Jesu, This was to fulfil the words Jesus had
welches er sagte, daerdeutete, welches spoken indicating the way he was going
Todes ersterben wiirde. to die.
18:33 Daging Pilatus wiederhinein indas So Pilate went back into the Praetorium
Richthaus undriefJesumundsprach zu andcalled Jesus to himandasked him.
ihm:
“Bist duderJuden KOnig?” “Are you the kingof the Jews?”
18:34 Jesus antwortet: Jesus replied,
“Redest dudas von dirselbst oder “Do you askthis of yourown accord, or
haben’s dir andere vonmirgesagt?" have others said it to you about me?”
18:35 Pilatus antwortete: Pilate answered.
150
“Bich ich ein Jude? Dein Volk unddie “AmI aJew? It is yourown people and
Hohenpriesterhabendich mir the chief priests who have handedyou
Qberantwortet; was hast dugetan?” overto me; what have you done?”
18: 36 Jesus antwortete: Jesus replied,
“Mein Reich ist nicht von dieser Welt, “Mine is not akingdomof this world; if
ware mein Reich vondieser Welt, meine my kingdomwere of this world, my men
Diener wiirden darobkampfen, daBich would have fought to prevent mybeing
den Juden nicht Oberantwortet wiirde! surrendered to theJews. As it is, my
Aber, nun ist mein Reich nicht von kingdomdoes not belong here.”
dannen."
18:37 Pilatus sprachzu ihm: Pilate said,
“So bist dudennochein KOnigT’ “So, then you area king?”
Jesus antwortet: Jesus answered,
“Du sagests, ich binein Kdnig, ich bin “It is you who say that I ama king. I
dazugeboren undindie Welt kommen, was bomfor this, Icame into the world
daBichdie Wahrheit sagen soil. Wer for this, to bear witness to the truth; and
aus der Wahrheit ist, derhOret meine all who are on the side of truthlisten to
Stinune.” my voice."
18: 38 Spricht Pilatus zu ihm: Pilate asked of him:
“Was ist Wahrheit?” “What is Truth?”
Unddaerdas gesaget, ginger wieder And so saying he went out againto the
hinaus zuden Judenundspricht zu Jews andsaid.
ihnen:
18: 39 “Ich finde keine Schuldamihm. Ihrhabt “I find nocase against him. But
abereine Gewohnheit, daBicheuch according to a customof yours I should
einen losgebe: wollt ihrnun, daBich release one prisonerat the Passover,
euchderJuden Ktiniglosgebe?” would you like me, then, to release for
youthe kingof the Jews?”
18:40 Da schrieen sie allesamt undsprachen: At this they shouted,
“Nicht diesen, sondemBarTabam!” “Not this man’"theysaid, “but
Barabbas.”
Barrabas aber warein Mdrder. Barabbas was a bandit
19:1 Da nahmPilatus JesumundgeiBelt’ ihn Pilate then hadJesus takenawayand
19:2 unddie Kriegesknechte flochten eine scourged; andafterthis, thesoldiers
Krone von Domen undsetzten sie auf twisted some thorns into acrown andput
151
19: 3 sein Haupt und Iegetenihmein it on his headanddressed himin a

Purpurkleid anundsprachen: purple robe. They kept coming upto
himandsaying,
“Sei gegriiBet, lieberJudenkonig.” “Hail, kingof the Jews!”
Und gaben ihmBakkenstreiche. andslapping himinthe face.
19:4 Da ging Pilatus wiederheraus und Pilate came outside again andsaid to
sprachzu ihnen: them,
“Sehet, ich fiihre ihnheraus zu euch, daB “Look, I amgoing to bring himout to
ihrerkennet, daBich keine Schuld an you to let you see that I find no case
ihmfinde.” against him.”
19:5 Also ging Jesus heraus, undtrugeine Jesus thencame out wearingthe crown
Domenkone undPurpurkleid. Under of thorns andthe purple robe. Pilate
sprachzu ihnen: said,
“Sehet, welch ein Mensch!" “Here is the man.”
19:6 Da ihndie Hohenpriester unddie Diener When theysawhim, the chief priests and
sahen, schrieen sie undsprachen: the guards shouted,
19:7 “Kreuzige ihn. Wir habeneinGesetz und “Crucify him! We have aLaw, and
nachdemsoli ersterben, denner hat sich according to that Lawhe ought tobe put
selbst zu Gottes Sohn gemacht!” to death, because he has claimedto be
Son of God.”
19:8 Da Pilatus das Wort hdrete, fiirchtet’ er WhenPilate heard themsay this his fears
19:9 sich nochmehr, undging wiederhinein increased. Re-entering the Praetorium,
indas Richthaus, undsprachzuJesus: he said to Jesus,
“Von wannen bist du?’ Where do you come from?”
AberJesus gab ihmkeine Antwort; But Jesus made no answer.
19: 10 dasprachPilatus zu ihm: Pilate then said to him,
“Redest du nicht mit mir? WeiBest du “Are you refusing to speakto me?
nicht, daBich Macht habe, dich zu Surelyyou knowI have powerto release
kreuzigen, undMacht habe, dich los you andI have powerto crucify you?”
zugeben?’
19: 11 Jesus antwortete: Jesus replied,
“Duhattest keine Macht iibermich, “You would have no poweroverme at
wennsie dirnicht ware vonoben herab all if it hadnot beengiven you from
gegeben; darum, dermichdir above; that is why theone who handed
iiberantwortet hat, derhat’s grbB’re meover to you has the greaterguilt”
SUnde.”
152
(Jesus is condemned to death)

19: 12 Vondemtrachtete Pilatus, wie er ihm Fromthat moment Pilate was anxious to
losIieBe. Die Judenaber schrieen und set himfree, but the Jews shouted.
sprachen:
“Ldfiet dudiesen los, so bist dudes “If you set himfree you are no friendof
Kaisers Freundnicht, denn wersich zum Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself
Konige machet, der ist widerden king is defying Caesar."
Kaiser.”
19: 13 Da Pilatus das horet, fiihrete er Jesum Hearing these words, Pilate hadJesus
heraus undsetzte sich auf den brought out, andseated himon the chair
Richtstuhl, ander StStte, die da heifiet: ofjudgment at aplace called the
Hochpflaster, auf Hebriiisch aber: Pavement, inHebrewGabbatha. It was
19: 14 Gabbatha. Es waraberder RUsttag in the Dayof Preparation, about the sixth
Ostem. umdie sechste Stunde, under hour whenPilate saidto the Jews:
spricht zudenJuden:
“Sehet, das ist euerKtinig!” “Behold, here is yourking,”
19: 15 Sie schrieen: But they shouted,
“Weg, weg mit dem. Kreuzige ihn!” “Away withhim, away with him, crucify
him.”
Spricht Pilatus zu ihnen: Pilate said,
“Soli icheuren Kdnig kreuzigen?” "Shall I crucify your king?”
Die Hohenpriesterantworteten: The chief priests answered,
“Wir habenkeinen KOnigdennden “We have no king except Caesar.”
Kaiser.”
19: 16 Da iiberantworteteer ihn, daBer So at that Pilate handed himover to them
kreuziget wiirde. to be crucified.
(The crucifixion)
19: 17 Sie nahmenaberJesumund fUhreten ihn They thentookcharge of Jesus, and
hin, undertrugsein Kreuz undging carrying his owncross he went out to the
hinaus zurStatte, die da heiBet: Place of the Skull or, as it is called in
Schlideistatt’, welches heiBet auf Hebrew, Golgotha, where theycrucified
19:18 EbrSisch: Golgatha, allda kreuzigten sie himwithtwoothers, one on either side,
ihn, undmit ihmzween andere zu beiden Jesus being inthe middle. Pilate wrote
19:19 Seiten, Jesumabermitten inne. Pilatus out a notice andhadit fixed to the cross;
aberschriebeine Oberschrift, undsetzte it read
sie aufdas Kreuz, und wargeschriben:
“Jesus vonNazareth, derJudenKdnig!” “Jesus theNazarene, King of theJews.”
153
19:20 Diese Oberschrift lasen viel Juden, denn This notice was readby manyof the
die Statte war nahe bei derStadt, da Jews, because the place where Jesus was
Jesus gekreuziget ist. Und es war crucified was nearthecity, andthe
geschrieben auf ebraische, greichische writing was inHebrew, Latin andGreek.
19: 21 undlateinische Sprache. Da sprachendie So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate,
HohenpriesterderJuden zu Pilato:
“Scheibe nicht: ‘derJuden Konig, “You should not write ‘King of the
sondemdaBer gesaget habe: Ichbin der Jews,’ but that the mansaid, 'I amKing
JudenKbnig!”' of theJews.’”
19: 22 Pilatus antwortet: Pilate answered,
“Was ich geschrieben habe, das habe ich “What I have written, I have written.”
geschrieben.'’
(Jesus' garments divided)
19:23 Die Kriegsknechte aber, dasie Jesum Whenthe soldiers hadfinished

gekreuziget hatten, nahmenseine Kleider crucifyingJesus they took his clothing
undmachten vier Teile, einemjeglichen anddivided it into fourshares, one for
Kriegesknechte sein Teil, dazu auchden eachsoldier. His undergarment was
Rock. Der Rockaberwar ungenShet, seamless, woven inone piece fromneck
19:24 vonoben angewtirket durch unddurch. to hem; so they said to one another.
Dasprachen sie untereinanden
“LaBet uns den nicht zerteilen, sondem “Insteadof tearing it, let's throwdice to
darumlosen, weBersein soil." decide who is to have it.”
Auf daBerfUllet wtirde die Schrift, die da Inthis way the words of scripture were
saget: fulfilled:
Sie haben meine Kleider unter sich They divide my garments among them
geteilet, und haben uber meinen Rock and cast lots for my clothes.
das Los geworfen.
Solches tatendie Kriegesknechte. That is what the soldiers did.

(Jesus and his mother)
19: 25 Es stundaberbei demKreuzeJesuseine Nearthecross of Jesus stood his mother

Mutterundseiner Schwester, Maria, andhis mother’s sister, Marythe wife of
Geophas’ Weib, undMariaMagdalena. Gopas, andMaryof Magdala.
19:26 DanunJesus seine Muttersahe undden Seeing his motherandthe disciple whom
Jilngerdabei stehen, dener lieb hatte, he loved standing nearher, Jesus saidto
spricht er zu seinerMutter: his mother,
“Weib! Siehe, das ist dein Sohn.” “Woman, this is yourson.”
154
19:27 Damach spricht erzu demJiingen Then to the disciple he said,

“Siehe, das ist deine Mutter!” “This is yourmother.”
Und von Stund’ an nahmsie de Jiinger And fromthat hour the disciple tookher
zusich. into his home.
(The death of Jesus)
19: 28 Damach, als Jesu wuBte, daBschon alles After this, Jesus knewthat everything
vollbracht war. daBdie Schrift erfiillet had nowbeen completed and, so that the
wiirde, spricht er: scripture should be completely fulfilled,
he said:
“Michdiirstet!” “I am thirsty."
19: 29 Da stund ein GefMBevoll Essigs. Sie Ajar full of sour wine stood there; so,
fulleten abereinen Schwammmit Essig putting asponge soaked in the wine on a
und legten ihn umeinen Isoppen und hyssop stick, they held it upto his
19: 30 hielten es ihmdarzumMunde. Da nun mouth. AfterJesus hadtaken the wine
Jesus den Essig genommenhatte, sprach he said.
er.
"Es ist vollbracht" “It is fulfilled.”
und neigte das Haupt undverschied. andbowing his head he gave uphis
spirit
(The pierced Christ)
19:31 Die Judenaber, dieweil es derRtisttag It was the Day of Preparation, and to
war, daBnicht die Leichname amKreuze avoid the bodies' remainingon thecross
blieben denSabbat Uber(denn duringthe Sabbath - since that Sabbath
deselbigen Sabattags warsehrgroB), was adayof special solemnity - theJews
batensie Pilatum, daBihre Beine askedPilate to have the legs brokenand
gebrochen, undsie abgenommen the bodies taken away. Consequentlythe
19: 32 wiirden; da kamendie Kriegsknechte soldiers came andbroke the legs of the
undbrachendemerstendie Beine, und first man who hadbeencrucified with
demandem, dermit ihmgekreuziget himandthenof the other.
war.
19: 33 Als sie aberzuJesukamen, dasie sahen, Whentheycame to Jesus, theysawhe
daBerschon gestorben war, brachensie was alreadydead, andso insteadof
ihmdie Beine nicht; sondemder breaking his legs one of the soldiers
19:34 Kriegsknechteeinererdffhete seine Seite pierced his side with a lance; and
mit einemSpeer, und alsobaldging Blut immediatelythere cameout blood and
undWasserheraus. water.
19: 35 Undderdas gesehen hat derhat es This is the evidence of one who sawit •
bezeuget undsein Zeugnis ist wahr, und trueevidence, andhe knows that what he
derselbige weiB, daBerWahrheit saget says is true - andhe gives it so that you
155
19: 36 auf daBihrglaubet. Denn solches ist maybelieve as well. Because all this
geschehen, daBdie Schrift erfiillet happened to fulfil the words of scripture:
wiirder Ihr sollet ihm kein Bern Not one bone of his will be broken; and
19:37 zerbrechen, und abermal spricht eine again, in antherplace scripture says:
andere Schrift: Sie werden sehen, in They will look to the one whom they have
welchen sie gestochen haben. pierced.
(The burial)
19: 38 Damach bat PilatumJoseph von After this, Josephof Arimathaea, who
Arimathia, derein JilngerJesu war(doch was adisciple of Jesus - thougha secret
heimlich, aus Furcht vorden Juden), daB one because he was afraid of theJews -
ermochte abnehmenden LeichnamJesu. asked Pilate to let himremove the body
Und Pilatus erlaubete diese. Derowegen of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they
kamer und nahmden LeichnamJesu came andtook it away. Nicodemus came
19: 39 herab. Es kamaberauch Nicodemus, der as well - the same one who hadErst
vormals inderNacht zuJesukommen come toJesus at nighttime - andhe
war, undbrachte Myrrhenund Aloen brought a mixtureof myrrhandaloes,
untereinander, bei hundert Pfunden. Da weighing about a hundred pounds. They
19:40 nahmen sie den LeichnamJesu, und tookthe body of Jesus andbound it in
bundenihn in leinen Tilcher mit linen cloths with the spices, following
19:41 Spezereien, wie die Juden pflegen zu the Jewish burial custom. At the place
begraben. Es war aberanderStMtte, da where he hadbeen crucified there was a
ergekreuziget ward, ein Garten, und im garden, and in this garden anewtomb in
19:42 Gartenein neuGrab, imwelches which no one hadyet beenburied. Since
niemandje gelegen war, daselbst him it was the Jewish Day of Preparationand
legten sie Jesum, umdes Riisttags willen the tomb was nearby, they laidJesus
derJuden, die weil das Grabnahe war. there.
156
APPENDIX D
CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING
OF IMPORTANT PASSION SETTINGS1
Year Composer Work
1490 Richard Davy St. Matthew Passion

1526 Johann Bugenhagen Historia des Leidens und der
Auferstehung
1527 Francesco Corteccia St. John Passion
1532 Francesco Corteccia St. Matthew Passion
c. 1540 Johann Walther St. Matthew Passion
1541 Gaspar de Albertis St. Matthew Passion
1541 Gaspar de Albertis St. John Passion
1543 Balthasar Resinarius Summa Passionis Christi
1543 Claudin de Sermisy St. Matthew Passion
1550 Cipriano de Rore St. John Passion
1553 Wac aw z Szamotu Exclamadones passionum
c. 1555 Jan Nasco St. Matthew Passion
c. 1560 Paolo Aretino St. John Passion
1560 Jakob Haupt St. Matthew Passion
1561 Giovanni Contino Passion (unknown)
c. 1563 Manfred Barbarini Lupus Miserere mei Deus Quoniam
Tribulor
1565 P. Ferrarensis St. Matthew Passion
1565 P. Ferrarensis St. John Passion
1565 P. Ferrarensis St Mark Passion
1565 P. Ferrarensis St. Luke Passion
1567 Jakob Meiland St. Matthew Passion
1568 Joachima Burck St. John Passion
1568 Jakob Meiland St. Mark Passion
1568 Antonio Scandello St. John Passion
1569 Paalo Isnardi St. Matthew Passion
1570 Jakob Meiland St John Passion
1570 Clemens Stephani St. Matthew Passion
c. 1570 Vincenzo Ruffo St. John Passion
1575 Orlando Lassus St. Matthew Passion
1575 Vincenzo Ruffo St Matthew Passion
1576 Johann Steurerlein Die Deutche Passion nach St
Johanne
1576 Johann Steurerlein St. John Passion
1578 P. Bucenus St Matthew Passion
1Appendix E contains more detailed information on each work cited in this Appendix.
157
Year Composer Work
1578 Ludwig Daser Per signum Crucis (John)

1579 Floriano Canali Harmonie officia in tridno
dominicae passionis
1579 Vincenzo Ruffo St. Luke Passion
1580 Grammateo Asola St. Luke Passion
1580 Grammateo Asola St. Mark Passion
1580 Grammateo Asola St. Matthew Passion
1580 Jacob Handl Passio Domini secundumMatthaeo
c. 1580 Orlando Lassus St. Mark, Luke, John Passions
c. 1580 Francesco Rovigo St. Luke Passion
1580 Giaches de Wert Passion (unknown)
1582 Jacob Reiner St. Mark &Luke
1583 Grammateo Asola St John Passion
1585 Francisco Guerrero Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christ
secundum Mattaeumet Joannem
1585 Tomis Victoria St John Passion
1585 Tomds Victoria St Matthew Passion
1587 Jacob Handl Passio Domini secundum Ioannem
1588 Bartholomaus Gesius St. John Passion
1589 Matthaus Ludecus St. Matthew Passion
1590 Jacob Regnart St. Matthew Passion
1593 Leonard Lechner Passion According to St. John
1593 Johann Machold St. Matthew Passion
1594 Johannes Herald Historia des Leidens und Sterbens
unsers Herm und Heilands Jesu
Christ aus dem Heiliger
Evangelisten Mattheo mit 6
Stimmen Componiert
1600 G. Sulcius St. John Passion
1601 Pietro Amico Giacobetti St. John Passion
1602 Thomas Mancinus St. Matthew & St. John Passions
1604 Serafino Cantone St. John Passion
1604 Serafino Cantone St. Matthew Passion
1607 William Byrd St. John Passion
1610 Ambrosius Beber St. Mark Passion
1612 Samuel Besler St. Matthew Passion
1613 Melchior Vulpius St. Matthew Passion
1621 Otto Siegfried Hamisch St Matthew Passion
1629 Heinrich Grimm St Matthew Passion
1630 Juan Gutierrez de Padilla St Matthew Passion
1631 Christoph Demantius St John Passion
1642 Thomas Selle Sl Matthew Passion
1643 Luigi Rossi Oratorio per la Settimana santa
1S8
Year Composer Work
1643 Thomas Selle Passion secundumJohannema 6

cumCapella, a 5 sine Intermediis
1645 Heinrich Schutz Seven Last Words of Christ
1653 Christoph Schultze St. Luke and St Mark Passions
1660 JobstHeider Mt. Passion
1663 Johann Sebastiani Das Leyden und Sterben unsers
Herm und Heylands Jesu Christi
nach demheiligen Matthaeo
1664 Thomas Strutius Das Leiden und Sterben... Jesu
Christi nach... Matthaeo
1665 Heinrich Schiitz St John Passion
1665 Heinrich Schiitz St. Matthew Passion
1665 Heinrich Schiitz St. Luke Passion
c. 1665 Tobis Zeutschner St. Matthew Passion
1667 Christian Flor Sl Matthew Passion
1668 Marco Giuseppe Peranda St. MarkPassion
1670 Friedrich Funcke St Matthew Passion 1 16
1670 Augustin Pfleger Die Sieben Worte des Heilands am
Kreuz
1672 Johann Sebastiani St. Matthew Passion
1673 Johann Theile Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi
secundumEvangelium
Matthaeum
1680 F. Funccius St. Matthew Passion
1685 Johann Philipp Krieger Historia Passinis in 6 Akten
1692 Georg Christoph Strattner Sehet doch, ihr Menschenkinder
1700 Johann Kuhnhausen Passio Christi secundum
Matthaeum
c. 1700 Johann Meder St Matthew Passion
1700 Alessandro Scarlatti St John Passion
1700 Johann Schelle Passion a 19
1704 George Friedrich Handel St John Passion (Brakes’ text)
1704 Christoph Hunold Der blutende und sterbende Jesus
1704 Reinhard Keiser Der blutende und sterbende Jesus
1711 Georg Bdhm St Luke Passion
1712 Reinhard Keiser Der fttr die Silnde der Welt
gemarterte und sterbende Jesus
1712 Johann Heinrich Kyburz Passionsandachten in Geistliche
Seelen-Music
1714 J.G. Seebach Der leidende und sterbende Jesu
1715 Reinhard Keiser Der zumTode verurtheilte und
gecreutzigte Jesus
1717 Reinhard Keiser St MarkPassion
159
Year Comnoser Work
1717 Johann Mattheson Passions-Andacht iiber den

verlaBenen Jesum
1718 Johann Fux Jesu Christo nell’orto
1718 Anton Koch St. Matthew Passion
1721 Johann Kuhnau Passion nach dem Evangelisten
Marcus
1721 Georg Riedel Passion nach dem Evangelium
Sancto Matthaei
1723-1765 Georg Telemann 46 Passions
1723 Johann Sebastian Bach St. John Passion
1723 Antonio Caldara La morte e sepoltura di Cristo
1723 G.H. Stolzel Sechs Andachten als der... Historie
des bittern Leidens
1729 Johann Sebastian Bach St. Matthew Passion
1730 Johann Balthasar Konig Meines Jesu Passion muBmir alien
Segen bringen
1730 Carl Graun Trostvolle Gedanken Uberdas
Leiden... Christi
1731 Johann Sebastian Bach St. Mark’s Passion
1741 Christoph Graupner Betrachtungen Uber die
Hauptumstande des GroBen
Versdhnungsleidens unseres
Erldsers
1742 Johann Adolph Hasse I pellegrini al sepolcro
1743 Christoph Graupner Die Sieben Worte des Heilands am
Kreuz
1744 Johann Adolf Hasse La deposizione della croce
1750 Johann Ernst Erberlin Der blutschwitzende Jesus
1750 J.D. Pucklitz St. Matthew Passion
1755 Carl Heinrich Grauns Der Tod Jesu
1768 Gottfried Homilius “So gehst du nun, mein Jesu hin”
(Mark Passion)
1770 Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach Die letzen Leiden des Erldsers
1783 Johann Rolle Die Feyer des Todes Jesu
c. 1783 Ernst Wolf Die letzen Stunden des leidenden
Erldsers amKreuze
1785 Antonio Rosetti Der sterbende Jesu
1787 Joseph Haydn Die sieben Worte des Erldsers am
Kreuz
1792 Johann AbrahamPeter Schulz Der Christi Tod
1835 Louis Ludwig Spohr Des Heilands letzte Stunden
APPENDIX E: E xtant P assion S ettings

j
Composer Life Work Year '1 Genre Country Church Features
1
Caspar de Albertis c. 1480 -c. 1560 Si. John Passion 1541 Responsorial Italy Catholic Part o f Christ set
polyphonically
Caspar de Albertis c. 1480 -c. 1560 Si. Matthew Passion 1541 Responsoria! Italy Catholic One o f first setting
in which part of
Christ set
polyphonically
Paolo Aretino 1508-1584 Si. John Passion c. 1550- Responsorial Italy Catholic
1570
Grammateo Asola c. 1532-1609 Si. Luke Passion 1580 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Grammateo Asola c. 1532-1609 Si. Mark Passion 1580 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Grammateo Asola c. 1532-1609 Si. Matthew Passion 1580 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Grammateo Asola c. 1532-1609 Si. John Passion 1583 Responsorial Italy Catholic
§
C o n n e r: ’ Life Work Year Genre Country Church Features
Johann Sebastian 1685-1750 Si. John's Passion 1723 Compromise Germany Lutheran Brookes' test and
Gospel narrative
Bach between
dramatic/opera
Passion
Johann Sebastian 1685-1750 St. Matthew's 1729 Compromise Germany Lutheran Ijhrctlist: Christian
Passion llcnrici (1700-1764)
Bach between
aka I’icandcr, with
dramatic/opera Gospel narrative.
Passion
Johann Sebastian 1685-1750 St. Mark's Passion 1731 Germany Lutheran

Bach
Carl Philip Emmanuel 1714-1788 Die letzen Leiden 1770 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran IJhrcttist: Luisc
Karscn.
Bach des Erldsers
Ambrosius Beber ft. 1610-1620 St. Mark Passion 1610 Oratorical Germany Lutheran Com promise
between
rcsporuorial/molet.
Solo part o f
Evangelist and high
dramatization places
it in the oratorical
category
Samuel Besler 1574-1625 St. Matthew Passion 1612 Responsorial Germany Lutheran Based on W althcr's I
Passion I
C7\
Composer lif e Work Year Genre Country Church Features
Georg Bohm 1661-1733 Si. Luke Passion 1711 Germany Lutheran
P. Buccnus Si. Matthew Passion 1578 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Johann Bugenhagen Historia des Leidens 1526 Passion harmonie Germany Lutheran Narrative o f
combined gospels of
und der
Matthew, Luke, John
Au/ersiehung and Math, combined
with the seven words
on the cross.
Joachim a Burck IS46-I6I0 Si. John Passion 1568 Motet Germany Lutheran Uililizes Passion
tones throughout.
W ritten in German
vernacular.
William Byrd 1343-1623 Si. John Passion 1607 Responsorial England Catholic
Antonio Caldara 1670-1736 La morte e 1723 Oratorio Italy Catholic

sepoltura di Cristo
Floriano Canali c. 1550 Harmonic officia in 1579 Responsorial Italy Catholic

ft. 1579-1603 tridno dominicae
passionis
St. John Passion 1604 Responsorial Italy Catholic Part o f Christ set
Serafino Cantone Jl. 1580-1627
polyphonically
ON
ts>
Composer Life Work Year Genre Country Church Features
Seraftno Cantonc fl. 1580-1627 Si. Matthew Passion 1604 Rcsponsorial Italy Catholic Pan o f Clirisi sci
polyphonically
Johann Balthasar c. 1687 - 1764 St. Matthew 1720 Germany Lutheran 1 leal by llm ckcs
Christian Freislich Passions (2) 1755
Giovanni Contino c. 1513-c. 1574 Passion (unknown) 1561 Responsoria! Italy Catholic
Francesco Corteccia 1502-1571 St. John Passion 1527 Rcsponsorial Italy Catholic
Francesco Corteccia 1502-1571 St. Matthew Passion 1532 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Ludwig Daser 1525-1589 Per signum Crucis 1578 Through-composed Germany Protestant Based on gospel
narrative o f John
(John) plus the seven Iasi
words o f Chrisl
Richard Davy c. 1465-c . 1507 St. Matthew Passion 1490 Responsorial England Catholic
1567-1643 St. John Passion 1631 Motet Germany Lutheran O ne o f the Iasi m o ld
Christoph Demantius Passions. S d for 6
voices.
Johann Ernst Erbcrlin 1702-1762 Der blutschwitzende 1750 Germany Catholic

Jesus
ON
u>
P. Ferrarensis St. John Passion 1565 Responsorial Italy Catholic Pan of Chnst set
polyphonically
P. Ferrarensis Si. Luke Passion 1565 Responsorial Italy Catholic
P. Ferrarensis Si. Mark Passion 1565 Responsorial Italy Catholic
P. Ferrarensis Si. Matthew Passion 1565 Responsorial Italy Catholic Pan o f OmM scl
polyphonically
Christian Flor c. 1620-1680 Si. Matthew Passion 1667 Dramatic Germany Lutheran Frequent arias and
orchestral
symphonies
Georg Forster c. 1510-1568 c. 1568 Germany
F. Funccius Si. Matthew Passion 1680 Germany
Friedrich Funcke 1642-1699 Ml-P d 16 1670 Germany Lutheran
Johann Fux 1660-1741 Jesu Christo nell' 1718 Oratorio Italy Catholic
orto
Si. John Passion 1588 Oratorical Germany Lutheran Influenced by I

Bartholomlius Gesius c. 1555-1613
Scandello Passion I
5
Pietro Amico fl. 1579-1616 St. John Passion 1601 Rcsponsorial Italy Catholic
Giacobctti
Carl Graun 1704-1659 Trostvolle 1730 opcra-Passion Germany Lutheran

Gedanken liber das
Leiden... Christi
Carl Graun 1704-1759 Der Tod Jesu 1755 opera-Passion Germany Lutheran Revives features of
earlier oratorio
including choral
fugue, but even more
Italian than his
contcmpories in its
sentimentality.
Carl Heinrich Grauns 1704-1759 Der Tod Jesu 1755 Cantata Germany Lutheran Librettist: C.W.
Ramlcr
Christoph Graupner 1683-1760 Betrachtungen iiber 1741 Damstadt Lutheran

die Hauplumsldnde Germany
des groflen
Versohnungs-
liedens unseres
Erldsers
Christoph Graupner 1683-1760 Die Sieben Worte 1743 Darmstadt Lutheran

des Heilands am Germany
Kreuz
On
in
Heinrich Grimm c. 1593-1637 St. Matthew Passion 1629 Oratorical Germany lolheran
Francisco Guerrero 1528-1599 Passio Domini 1585 Responsorial Spain Catholic

Nostri Jesu Christ
secundum Mattaeum
el Joannem
George Friedrich 1685-1759 St. John Passion 1704 opera-Passion Germany Lutheran Retained some
Gospel narrative.
Handel (Brockes text)
1548-1611 Ubrcstisc
t’oslcl.
Jacob Handl 1550-1591 Passio Domini 1580 Responsorial Germany Catholic

secundum Matthaeo
Jacob Handl 1530-1391 Passio Domini 1587 Passion harmonic Germany Catholic Narrative of
combined gospels of
secundum loannem Matthew, Loire and
John with appended
prayer and Amen.
Otto Siegfried c. 1568-1623 St. Matthew Passion 1621 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Hamisch
Johann Adolph Hasse 1699-1783 1pellegrini al 1742 Oratorio Italy Catholic

sepolcro
Johann Adolf Hasse 1699-1783 La deposizione della 1744 Passion Oratorio Italy Catholic
croce
Composer U fe Work Year ■ Genre Country Church Features
Jakob Haupt fl. 1548-1566 St. Matthew Passion 1560 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Franz Joseph Haydn 1721-1809 Die sieben Worte 1787 Austria Catholic
des ErlOsers am
Kreuz
Jobs! Heider fl. 1654 Matthew Passion 1660 Hannover Lutheran
Johannes Herold c. 1550-1603 Historia des Leidens 1594 Motet Germany Lutheran 6-voice motet
Passion.
und Sterbens unsers
Herm und Heilands
Jesu Christ aus dem
Heiliger
Evangelislen
Mattheo mit 6
Stimmen
Componiert
Gottfried Homilius 1714-1785 "So gehsl du nun, 1768 Germany Lutheran

mein Jesu hin"
(Mark Passion)
Christoph Hunold 1681-1721 Der blutende und 1704 Germany Lutheran

sterbende Jesus
St. Matthew Passion 1569 Responsorial Italy Catholic Falsobordone style 1

Paolo Isnardi 1536-1596
Os
--------- 1--------------------
Composer Lire Work Year i Genre Country Church Features
1
Reinhard Keiser 1674-1739 Der blutende und 1704 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran Abandons all Gospel
narrative.
surbende Jesus
Exaggerated
expressions of
emotion.
Reinhard Keiser 1674-1739 Der flir die Siinde 1712 opera-Passion Germany Lutheran Librettist: Brocke
(1680-1747).
der Well gemarierte
Popular poem which
und slerbende Jesus was also set by
Telemann,
M attheson and
Handel (1716)
Reinhard Keiser 1674-1739 Der zum Tode 1715 opera-Passion Germany Lutheran 1ibrettist: Kdnig.
verurtheilte und
gecreulzigte Jesus
Reinhard Keiser 1674-1739 St. Mark Passion 1717 opera-Passion Germany Lutheran
Anton Koch fl. 1710-1745 Ml. Passion 1718 Germany Lutheran
Johann Balthasar c. 1691-1758 Meines Jesu 1730 Germany Lutheran

Kttnig Passion mufl mir
alien Segen bringen
Johann Philipp c. 1649-1725 Hisioria Passionis 1685 Germany Lutheran

Krieger in 6 Akten
0\
00
Life Work Year Genre Country Church Features
Johann Kuhnau 1660-1722 Passion nach dem 1721 Germany Lutheran

Evangelisten
Marcus
Johann KUhnhausen d. 1714 Passio Chrisli 1700 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran 8 interpolations
secundum
Matthaeum
Johann Heinrich fl. 1711 Passionsandachten 1712 Germany Lutheran

Kyburz in Geistlicher
Seeten-Music
Orlando Lassus 1532-1594 Si. Matthew Passion 1575 Responsorial Germany Catholic
Orlando Lassus 1532-1594 St. Mark, Luke, c. 1580 Responsorial Germany Catholic Influenced many
other Catholic works
John Passions due to a stricter
liturgical attitude
and clearly
recognizable Passion
tone. Also
influenced 16th-
century Protestant
Passion music,
patticulary that of
Lechncr.
Leonard Lechncr c. 1550-1606 Passion According 1593 Motet Germany Lutheran Gospel narrative
plus seven words on
to St. John the cross.
Os
VO
Matthltus Ludecus 1527-1606 St. Matthew Passion 1589 Responsorial Germany Lutheran In Latin
Manfred Barbarini fl. 1518-1530 Miserere mei Deus c. 1563 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Lupus Quoniam Tribulor
Johann Machold d. 1595 St. Matthew Passion 1593 Motel Germany Lutheran Utilizes Passion
tones throughout.
W ritten in German.
Thomas Mancinus 1550-c. 1611 St. Matthew A St. 1602 Rcsponsorial Germany Lutheran
John Passions
Johann Matlheson 1681-1764 Passions-Andacht 1717 opera-Passion Hamburg Lutheran

Uber den
verlassenen Jesum
Johann Medcr 1649-1719 St. Matthew Passion c. 1700 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran 20 interpolations
Jakob Meiland 1542-1577 St. Matthew Passion 1567 Rcsponsorial Germany Lutheran Based on Walther's
Passion
Jakob Meiland 1542-1577 St. Mark Passion 1568 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Jakob Meiland 1542-1577 St. John Passion 1570 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Jan Nasco c. 1510-1561 St. Matthew Passion c. 1547- Rcsponsorial Italy Catholic
1561
o
Com poser Lire Work Year Genre Country Church Features
Juan GutidrTez de 1590-1664 St. Matthew Passion 1630 Responsorial Mexico Catholic
Padilla
Marco Gioseppe c. 1625-1675 St. Mark Passion 1668 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Peranda
Augustin Pfleger c. 1635-686 Die Sieben Worte 1670 Germany

des Heilands am
Kreut
J.D. Pucklilz St. Matthew Passion 1750 Germany Lutheran
Jacob Rcgnart c. 1540-1599 St. Matthew Passion 1590 Rcsponsorial Germany Lutheran
Jacob Reiner c. 1560-1606 St. Mark & Luke 1582 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Balthasar Resinarius c. 1485-1544 Summa Passionis 1543 Passionharmonie Germany Lutheran Based on Longueval
Passion (in Latin)
Christi
Georg Riedel 1676-1738 Passion nach dem 1721 Germany Lutheran

Evangelium Sand
Matthaei
1716-1786 Die Feyer des Todes 1783 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran Librettist: Niemeyer. 1
Johann Rolle
Jesu
Cipriano de Rore I5I5-IS65 St. John Passion 1550 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Antonio Rosetti c. 1750-1792 Der sterbende Jesu 1785 Passion oratorio Germany Librettist:
Zinkcmagel
Luigi Rossi c. 1597-1653 Oratorio per la 1643 Oratorio Italy Catholic

Sellimana sanla
Francesco Rovigo c. 1541-1597 Si. Luke Passion c. 1580 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Vincenzo Ruflo c. 1508-1587 Si. John Passion c. 1570 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Vincenzo Ruffo c. 1508-1587 St. Matthew Passion 1575 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Vincenzo Ruffo c. 1508-1587 St. Luke Passion 1579 Responsorial Italy Catholic
1517-1580 St. John Passion 1568 Compromise Germany Lutheran Hrcl German to
Antonio Scandcllo
imililale North
responsorial/lhrough Italian style
composed
Alessandro Scarlatti 1660-1725 St. John Passion 1700 Italy? Catholic
Passion it 19 1700 Germany Lutheran Cousin = I. Kuhnau |

Johann Schelle 1648-1701
ts>
Christoph Schultzc c. 1660-1699 St. Ijike and Si. 1653 Through-composed Germany Lutheran Increased harmonic
Mark Passions and melodic
variations to
differentiate
personages.
Johann Abraham Peter 1747-1800 Der Chrisli Tod 1792 Germany Lutheran
Schulz
Heinrich SchUtz 1585-1672 Seven Last Words o f 1645 Responsorial Dresden, Lutheran
Christ Germany
Heinrich SchUtz 1585-1672 Si. John Passion 1665 Rcsponsorial Germany Lutheran Phrygian mode
Heinrich SchUtz 1585-1672 Si. Luke Passion 1665 Responsorial Germany Lutheran Lydian mode
Heinrich SchUtz 1585-1672 Si. Matthew Passion 1665 Responsorial Germany Lutheran Dorian mode
1622-1683 Das Leyden und 1663 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran 12 interpolations
Johann Sebastiani
Sterben unsers
Herm und Heylands
Jesu Chrisli nach
dem heiligen
Mallhaeo
Johann Sebastiani 1622-1683 Si. Matthew Passion 1672 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran
|
Compeer Life Work Year Genre Country Church Features
J.O. Seebach Der leidende und 1714 Germany Lutheran

slerbende Jesu
Thomas Selle 1599-1663 St. Matthew Passion 1642 Oratorical Germany Lutheran Turba taken from
Grimm's I'assion
Thomas Selle 1599-1663 Passion secundum 1643 Dramatic/Oratorical Germany Lutheran 1640 original
edition. 1643,
Johannem &6 cum revised.
Capeila, d 5 sine Farliesl exam ple o f
Inlermediis Passion oratorio.
Different
orcliestrestralion for
each character.
Itascd on Isiah and
Psalm 22. Turba
taken from Grimm's
Passion
Claudin de Sermisy c. 1490-1562 St. Matthew Passion 1543 Responsorial France Catholic One o f two ealant
French polyphonic
passion o f the 16*
century.
Louis Spohr 1784-1859 Des Heilands letite 1835 Germany Catholic Librettist: F.
Rochlitz
Stunden
Clemens Stephani c. 1530-1592 St. Matthew Passion 1570 Plainsong Germany Lutheran Turba and early solo I
parts. Based on 1
W alther’s Passion. 1
Johann Steuerlein 1546-1613 St. John Passion 1576 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
|
- j
'ft- .. «. ’ } ■"? . \ . V '

Composer Life . Work -w Year : ^ G e a r s ''' .Country C huitti Features
Johann Slcurerlein 1546-1613 Die Deutsche 1576 Motel Germany Lutheran Utilizes Passion
tones throughout.
Passion nach St.
W ritten in G om an.
Johanne
O.H. Stdlzel 1690-1749 Sechs Andachten as 1723 Germany Lutheran

der... Historie des
bittern Leidens
Georg Christoph 1645-1704 Sehet doch, ihr 1692 Germany Lutheran

Straltner Menschenkinder
Thomas Strutius d. 1678 Das Leiden und 1664 Germany Lutheran

Sterben... Jesu
Chrisli nach..
Matlhaeo
G. Sulcius St. John Passion 1600 Responsorial Germany Lutheran
Wadaw z Szamotul c. 1524- c. 1560 Exclamationes 1553 Responsorial Poland Catholic

passionum
Georg Telemann 1681-1767 46 Passions between opera-Passion Germany W ritten annually in

Hamburg a t a aeries.
1723-
1765
Composer '’ Life ; Work Year . 1 Gfnre C o u n try Church Features

7 i
1673 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran 4 interpolations

Johann Theil(e) 1646-1724 Passio Domini
Nostri Jesu Chrisli
secundum
Evangetium
Matthaeum
Tomfts Victoria 1S48-1611 St. John Passion 1585 Responsorial Spain Catholic
Tom b Victoria 1548-1611 Si. Matthew Passion 1585 Responsorial Spain Catholic
Melchior Vulpius c. 1570-1615 St. Matthew Passion 1613 Through-composed Germany Lutheran Increased harmonic
and melodic
variations to
difletentiate
personages
Based on W allhert
Passion
Johann Walther 1496-1570 St. Matthew Passion c. 1540 Passion harmonie Germany Lutheran
Giaches de Wert 1535-1596 Passion (unknown) 1580 Responsorial Italy Catholic
Ernst Wolf 1735-1792 Die lelzen Stunden c. 1783 Passion oratorio Germany Lutheran
des leidenden
EriOsers am Kreuze
Tobis Zeutschner 1615-1675 St. Matthew Passion c. 1665 Germany Lutheran

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INFORMATION TO USERS

The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the

Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by

Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced

ProQuest Information and Learning

Robert Paul David Duff

A Treatise presented to the

ProQuest Information and Learning Company

This tre a tis e , written by

DOCTOR O F MUSICAL ARTS

with m ajor in„..C.U.QEsil . . C o n d u c t i n g ^

///* //* >

THE BAROQUE ORATORIO PASSION: A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO

Lutheran Germany between 1643 and 1700.

connection to Buxtehude. Chapter seven summarizes the findings of Chapters two

I am thankful to the follow ing individuals for their assistance in the

preparation o f this treatise: Drs. W illiam Dehning, D avid W ilson and

Bruce Brown, o f the USC School o f M usic, for their participation on

my G uidance Committee. I also w ish to express my deepest thanks and

gratitude to the following people w ho so generously supported m e w ith

their love, prayers and enthusiasm during my studies at U SC: my parents

ACKNOW LEDGM ENTS.........................................................................................ii

MUSICAL EXAMPLES ........................................................................................... v

LIST OF T A B L E S................................................................................................... vii

CHAPTER II: THE HISTORY OF THE PA SSIO N .............................................. 4

CHAPTER HI: THOMAS SE L L E .......................................................................... 21

CHAPTER IV: JOHANN SEBASTIANI ............................................................. 35

CHAPTER V: JOHANN THEILE ........................................................................ 52

CHAPTER VI: JOHANN VALENTIN MEDER .................................................69

CHAPTER VII: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SETTINGS

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................. 126

APPENDIX A: EXCERPT FROM MONOPHONIC PLAINSONG

APPENDIX B: ST. MATTHEW PASSION TEXT

APPENDK C: ST. JOHN PASSION TEXT AND TRANSLATION ............. 146

APPENDIX D: CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF

APPENDIX E: EXTANT PASSION SETTINGS............................................... 160

1. Elongation o f Notational Value (S e lle ) ............................................................. 28

2. Selle Turba Chorus “Kreuzige ihn" ........................................................ 29

3. Selle’s Use o f Instrumental Text P ain tin g ........................................................30

4. Selle’s Trio representing Trinity ................................................................31

5. Sebastiani’s Passion: Title p a g e ..........................................................................38

6. Sebastiani’s Passion: D edication........................................................................40

7. Sebastiani’s Passion: Forward to M u sician s......................................................42

8. Sebastiani’s Turba Chorus “Weifiage uns, C h ris te " ........................................46

9. Sebastiani’s Setting “Eli, Eli, Lama asabathani"............................................ 47

10. Sebastiani’s Interpolation “Gott sei g e lo b e t" ................................................ 48

11. Sebastiani’s Text Painting Techniques ........................................................... 49

12. Sebastiani’s Use o f Durational Techniques.....................................................51

13. Theile’s Passion: Title P a g e .............................................................................. 56

14. Theile’s Passion: D edication............................................................................ 58

15. Theile’s Passion: Foreward to M usicians....................................................... 59

16. Theile’s Use o f Instrumental Text P ainting.....................................................63

17. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Gegriifiet seist d u " ...................................................64

18. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Weifiage uns, Christe " ............................................ 65

19. Theile’s Aria “Du duldig Lamm, O Gottes Sohn ” ........................................ 67

21. Meder’s Use o f Text Painting .......................................................................... 83

22. M eder’s Turba Chorus: "Wozu dienet dieser U n r a t? " .................................. 84

23. Meder’s Turba Chorus: “Der du den Tempel” ...............................................86

24. Meder’s Aria “HerrJesu Christ, w ahr’ Mensch u n d G o tt" ..........................89

25. J.S. Bach’s String Accompaniment to Jesus Arioso .................................... 112

26. Sebastiani’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen” ...........................................115

27. Theile’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen ” ................................................. 116

28. Meder’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen ” ................................................. 116

29. Bach’s Turba Chorus “Lafi ihn kreuzigen"................................................... 117