Why was the 1829 performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion significant?

The 1829 performance of the St. Matthew Passion was highly significant because it marked the first time the work had been performed since the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750.12

Following Bach's death, his music had largely fallen into neglect and was considered old-fashioned by the standards of the late 18th century. By conducting a 400-member chorus and a full orchestra at the Berlin Sing-Akademie on March 11, 1829, the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn—along with musician Eduard Devrient—effectively inaugurated the 19th-century Bach revival. This event is recognized as the first conspicuous example of the deliberate exhumation of historical music, serving as a vital model for future musical scholarship and performance.3142