St Matthew Passion Song Analysis

The St Matthew Passion is a sacred song that was written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727. It has interspersed chorales and arias as it sets to music chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew (Leahy, 2011). It is a great masterpiece of classic gospel music of all time. Three different excerpts of the music are analyzed in this paper with a special focus on the form, texture, harmony, relationship between text and music, and the dramatic significance. The main purpose for writing the song was to present the Passion story in music during the Good Friday Vesper services (Jones, 2013). The song still moves audiences all over the world three centuries later since it was first sung at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany.
Aria-Soprano
In terms of the form of this excerpt, it is a freely composed verse. The song is structured on multiple levels. The …show more content…
The excerpt therefore is composed in the form of the double orchestra, double choir, and vocal soloists (Leahy, 2011). Also, the texts were used for the choral movements of the musical presentation. They therefore match perfectly with the musical presentation part of it. The chorale melodies and the texts are easily recognizable by the audience. On the issue of texture, the double chorus and the orchestra combine very well to induce deep feelings to the audience. The chorale has a beautiful harmony that is created for the audience to enjoy. The double choir format and the chorales combine well to produce the harmonics. The excerpt's dramatic significance to the congregation or believers is to invite them to contemplate and identify themselves with the unfolding events in the bible. It creates a dual drama where there is the actual presentation of Christ's capture and crucifixion and the psychological drama on the Christian believers (Scherer, 2014). The music evokes an emotional reaction to the Passion of the