St. John Passion

work by Bach

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July 17, 2026

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The St. John Passion is a musical setting of the suffering and Crucifixion of Christ, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1724. This work is a type of Passion music, a genre dating back to the 4th century that musically depicts the Passion of Jesus.12

Bach's St. John Passion is characterized by its dramatic interplay between soloists, chorus, and orchestra, reflecting the narrative of the Gospels. It is one of the earliest major works Bach composed during his tenure as director of church music in Leipzig. The piece contrasts the words of Jesus, the Evangelist (narrator), and the crowd (turba), employing different musical styles and forces to differentiate these roles.12

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oratorio
The golden age of oratorio: 1600–c. 1750
…two great Passion oratorios, the Passion According to St. John (first performed 1724) and the Passion According to St. Matthew (1729), restored the balance attained by Schütz, though they are written on a greater scale and are enriched by the introduction of the later Italian aria. Bach, besides increasing the…
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…two great Passion oratorios, the Passion According to St. John (first performed 1724) and the Passion According to St. Matthew (1729), restored the balance attained by Schütz, though they are written on a greater scale and are enriched by the introduction of the later Italian aria. Bach, besides increasing the…
Read More