Evening star., 1938-03-27

churches and sang the story of the
sorroWful meaning, 1t was a part of
their lives and the chief source of
inspiration for the musical writer's of
those times. The singing of the
Passion according to any of the four
biblical versions was not a musical
event, but religious commemoration
IN which the divine art of music was
the medium of expression. Nor was
1t presented by specially trained choirs
or individual singers, but by the people
themselves. so that it became a pro-
found testimonial of Christian faith
and love-
THE custom of having the Passion
OF our Lord special part of
divine service has existed since the
earliest Christian churches. At first
1t was recited, but later was given a
set musical form much in the manner
OF chant 1t was in the fourth CEN
tury that this musical presentation
took on the first evidence of dramatic
form, when the spoken lines were given
as recitative and choruses were in
troduced for other effects. This early
type OF Passion music. if it might be so
called, was never written down, but
transmitted from generation to genera
ton by tradition.
BY the 18th century the custom
of singing the Passion" during Holy
Week was definitely established. Each
of the four versions was used on four
different days of the week, beginning
with st. Matthews Passion" on Palm
Sunday and ending with st. Johns
Passion" on Good Friday. Several
priests represented the characters and
the choirs the populace. While this
was the practice of the Roman Church
during Holy Week, the Protestant
Church of Germany continued to
make use of the same form in the
service of this season of the year The
principal change was in the substitu-
ton of a German text for the Latin
previously employed.
The subject of the Passion was
the inspiration for a large output of
musical writings by distinguished COM
posers for many centuries. However,
the form underwent little change and
each new version followed the ac-
cepted outline. Occasionally a COM
poser deviated to the extent of en-
larging the harmonic writing or in
his manner of stressing certain points
in the narrative. But as time went
on the simplicity of style was not
adequate either to the growing emo
tlonal feeling or the advancing knowl-
edge of musical composition Part
writing was introduced more and
more, and expansion in emotional ex-
preston was gained by the use of
hymns in certain portions of the major
work.
WHEN Italian music began to be
Nv known in Germany and exert its
influence on musical composition the
music of the churches did not escape
its flavor. Gradually the aria. favorite
vocal form of operatic- minded Italian
composers for centuries, replaced the
simpler chants and recitatives. and
some of the drama which is part of
the Italian temperament crept into
this religious writing. The list of Ger
man composers of the Passion" at
this period is long one, although
few have come down to posterity as
outstanding lights.
1t remained for Bach to reach the
peak of prominence in this particular
department of composition, yet his
supremacy was not recognized in his
day and is only at present coming
to be generally acknowledged AS a
composer who responded to the in
spiration of sacred themes with devo-
tional spirit Bach was the leader even
in his day in religious writings. He
was never moved with desire for
novelty, yet his feeling was so strong
that. without realizing it, perhaps, he
became an innovator and a law unto |
himself. He had already written the |
st. Johns Passion and perhaps the |
st. Luke (although the fact has never |
been definitely established) before he |
wrote the st. Matthew's Passion"
which the Washington Choral Society |
will perform. So great has been his |
genius in the writing of this great |
work that with this sacred subject |
he has transcribed all churchly forms |
and left work that is supreme,
whether in sacred or secular classi-
flcation.
THE st. Matthew's Passion" not
only is highly dramatic, but Bach
has made use of particular effects in |
order to create atmosphere, such as
the employment OF a string quartet
whenever the voice of Christ is heard |
and wind instruments for other Sec
tions to stress the contrast. Bach |
had no intention of writing dramati-
cally, and such would not have been
his personal reaction to the sacred
story, but in the fervor of his emo
ton he has written the most moving
and stirring exempliflcation of the
passion of the Lord that has ever
been produced. If there were no other
reason for acclaiming Bach as the
greatest composer of all time, this last
version of the great drama of Chris