Durr, Alfred - Johann Sebastian Bach's St John Passion

This book (published in German by Barenreiter in 1988 and now available in English translation for the first time) is a comprehensive guide to the genesis, transmission, structure, meaning, and performance considerations of Bach's St John Passion. One of Bach's most fascinating works, its text demonstrates a profound understanding of St John's Gospel. The musical design of the choruses with their numerous interrelationships is quite unique and demands some explanation. The fact that the Passion exists in four different versions leads Durr to ask which changes were intentional and which were the result of practical constraints or of orders issued by church authorities.

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CONTENTS

Preface
1 Genesis
Introduction. Did Bach compose a Passion before 1724?
1. Version I (1724)
2. Version II (1725)
3. Version III (c. 1730)
4. Version IV (c. 1749)
5. Score A
2 Transmission
1. The lost original score X (1724?)
2. The revised score (source A, c. 1739-1749)
3. The original parts: Introduction
Set I
Set II
Set III
Set IV
Parts no longer extant
3 Meaning
1. Protestant settings of the Passion
2. The text of the St John Passion: a. The depiction of the Passion in the Gospel according to St John
b. The Gospel text
c. The chorale verses
d. The free poetry
3 Bach's music: a. The setting of the biblical narrative
b. The chorale movements
c. The choruses
d. The arias and ariosos
4 Problms associated with the overall formal design and the different versions
5 Performance practice: a. General remarks
b. The execution of the continuo
c. Specific problems
Appendices: Problematical Points
Appendix I The participation of transverse flutes in Version I
Appendix II The reconstruction of Movement 33 in Version I
Appendix III The chronology of the Passions Bach performed in Leipzig
Appendix IV The problem of symmetry in Bach's work
Bibliography
Picture Credits
Text of the St John Passion (German & English)