Bach's St. John Passion for the Twenty-First Century

Musical and Theological Perspectives

Michael Fuchs, Bradley Jenson

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781538179970
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Classical Music

Since its composition and first performance in 1724, Bach's St. John Passion has captured the spiritual and musical attention of musicians, audiences, and congregations. This bookexamines this monumental work from a twenty-first century perspective, providing a new and comprehensive examination of the music and libretto.

Michael Fuchs and Bradley Jenson explore the historical context of the work as well as its performance history and practice. They address important questions regarding the Gospel of John, Martin Luther's theology, and anti-Judaism and antisemitism in the libretto. Combining expert theological and musical analysis, as well as a new English translation, this bookis a useful resource for students, musicians, and scholars while being accessible to general audiences with a strong interest in the music of J.S. Bach, highlighting the composer's compositional creativity.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• 1 The St. John Passion: Historical Context and Twenty-First-Century Relevance
• 2 Interpreting the St. John Passion Libretto for the Twenty-First Century
• 3 Performance History and Practice
• 4 Bach’s Musical Composition
• 5 Responding to Questions about Antisemitism and Anti-Judaism in the St. John Passion
• Bibliography
• About the Authors