The ''St Mark Passion'' (),

BWV The (, ; BWV) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in ...

247, is a lost Passion setting by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, first performed in Leipzig on

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

, 23 March 1731. Though Bach's music is lost, the libretto by

Picander Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many works by Johann Sebastian Bach, notably the St Matthew Passion of 1727. Life and career Henrici was ...

is still extant, and from this, the work can to some degree be reconstructed.

History

Unlike Bach's earlier existing passions (''

St John Passion The ''Passio secundum Joannem'' or ''St John Passion'' (), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the earliest of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during his first year as director of church music in Leipzi ...

'' and ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

''), the ''Markus-Passion'' is probably a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

—it recycles previous works. The ''St Mark Passion'' seems to reuse virtually the whole of the Trauer Ode ''Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl'', BWV 198,

Wilhelm Rust Wilhelm Rust (15 August 1822 – 2 May 1892) was a German musicologist and composer. He is most noted today for his substantial contributions to the Bach Gesellschaft edition of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Dessau, Rust studied pia ...

. "Vorwort" (Preface) of

Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke () is the Bach Gesellschaft's collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions, published in 61 volumes in the second half of the 19th century. The series is also known as Bach-Gesellschaft edition (; BGA), or as ''B ...

, Vol. 20.2: ''Kammermusik für Gesang – Band 2''. Bärenreiter, 1873, pp. VIII–IX. along with the two arias from ''Widerstehe doch der Sünde'', BWV 54. In addition, two choruses from the ''St Mark Passion'' may have been reused in the

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance in a churc ...

. This leaves only a couple of missing arias, which are taken from other Bach works when reconstructions are attempted. However, since Bach's

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...

is lost, most reconstructions use the recitatives composed for a ''Markus-Passion'' attributed to

Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...

, a work which Bach himself performed on at least two occasions, which gives a certain authenticity to things, although it could be viewed as somewhat disrespectful to Keiser's work. However, Keiser's setting starts slightly later than Bach's, which requires a small amount of composition on the part of the reconstructor. Bach's ''St. Mark Passion'' was first performed in Leipzig on

, 23 March 1731. Written under the pseudonym

, Christian Friedrich Henrici's libretto survives in a 1732 poetry collection.

(=Christian Friedrich Henrici)
''Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte'', Volume III.
Leipzig: Joh. Theod. Boetii Tochter (1732; 2nd printing 1737)
pp. 49–69.
The ''Markus-Passion'' is a modest setting, adding to

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

chapters 14 and 15 only eight free verse arias and 16 hymn stanzas. The

chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...

s assume greater weight owing to their higher proportional use: 16 of the 46 movements are chorales in the ''St Mark Passion'', whereas only 13 of 68 numbers are chorales in the ''St Matthew Passion.'' Five of the ''Markus-Passion'' texts appear to match the 1727 ''Trauer Ode'', other likely parodies include BWV 54 and BWV 120a. However, no musical material remains for the Gospel texts or choruses. Further, we have no knowledge of the keys and orchestration which Bach used. While the libretto specifies which chorale melodies were used, Bach's harmonizations remain uncertain.

Structure

According to

Bach Digital Bach Digital (German: ), developed by the Bach Archive in Leipzig, is an online database which gives access to information on compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and members of his family. Early manuscripts of such compositions are a major foc ...

, the Passion was scored for

SATB In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Choral music Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...

singers, two

traverso The Western concert flute can refer to the common C concert flute or to the family of transverse (side-blown) flutes to which the C flute belongs. Almost all are made of metal or wood, or a combination of the two. A musician who plays the flute ...

s, two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s, two

oboes d'amore The ; (), less commonly (), is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and a more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the mezzo-soprano of the oboe family, betw ...

, a

string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

consisting of two

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

parts and two

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

parts,

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and continuo, possibly complemented by two

violas da gamba The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bowed, fretted, and ...

and two

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

s.Work at

website, 5 July 2017

Reconstructed versions

Hellmann (1964) – Koch (1999)

Diethard Hellmann Diethard Hellmann (28 December 1928 – 14 October 1999) was a German Kantor, composer and academic teacher, first in Leipzig at the Friedenskirche and the Musikhochschule, then from 1955 in Mainz at the Christuskirche and the Peter Cornelius ...

completed a reconstruction in 1964 based on parodies and chorale harmonization choices only. The English premiere took place in Oxford, July 1965. A 1976 edition includes additional choruses to be used with a spoken delivery of the gospel text.

Carus-Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. the catalogue includes more than 26,000 works ...

published Hellmann's work with newly composed recitatives and arias by Johannes Koch in 1999. The orchestration for the work matches that of BWV 198. Recordings: * Wolfgang Gönnenwein, South German Madrigal Choir (Stuttgart), Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra (Erato, 1965; later 972?Musical Heritage Society; LC 72-751034) * Bongiovanni GB 2024/25-2 (recorded 1984) * In 2009 a performance and live recording of the reconstructed version by

and Andreas Glöckner, in the Frauenkirche Dresden with the augmented

ensemble Amarcord Amarcord is a German male classical vocal ensemble based in Leipzig, founded in 1992 by five former members of the Thomanerchor. They primarily perform Medieval music and Renaissance music, as well as collaborating with Contemporary classical mus ...

and the Kölner Akademie was conducted by Michael Alexander Willens. The lost recitatives were replaced by recitation.

Heighes (1995)

Simon Heighes's reconstruction was completed in 1995. Recordings: *

Jörg Breiding Jörg Breiding (born 1972) is a German choral conductor and academic teacher. He has been the conductor of the Knabenchor Hannover since 2002. He taught at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, and has been professor of choral conducting at the Folkwang ...

for Rondeau * A recording of Simon Heighes's reconstruction was made by the European Union Baroque Orchestra with the Ring Ensemble of Finland conducted by Roy Goodman. Rogers Covey-Crump EVANGELIST, Gordon Jones JESUS, Connor Burrowes treble, David James alto, Paul Agnew tenor, and Teppo Tolonen baritone. It was published by Brilliant Classics, recorded 25–30 March 1996 in the Chapel of

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

Gomme (1997)

Andor Gomme Austin Harvey Gomme ''known as'' Andor Gomme (7 May 1930 – 19 September 2008) was a British scholar of English literature and architectural history. He was a frequent reviewer for the ''Times Literary Supplement'', an author of books on both lit ...

edited a 1997 reconstruction published by Bärenreiter that utilizes

BWV 198 The (, ; BWV) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in 2022.Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV). T ...

and choruses from BWV 204, 216, 120a, and 54. The recitatives and choruses are drawn from a ''St Mark Passion'' traditionally attributed to Reinhard Keiser (1674–1739). Recording: * A recording of Gomme's reconstruction was made in 1998 by the Choir of Gonville & Caius College and the Cambridge Baroque Camerata, led by Geoffrey Webber. The recording was issued in 1999 by ASV.

Kelber (1998)

In 1998 Rudolf Kelber reconstructed the ''St Mark Passion'' as a

pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, ...

: he completed Bach's fragments using arias from cantatas by Bach, recitatives by Keiser, motives by Telemann.

Koopman (1999)

In 1999,

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael "Ton" Koopman (; born 2 October 1944) is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. He is a professor ...

presented a reconstruction that does not utilize BWV 198, but instead draws on ''Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe'', BWV 25 (opening chorus) and ''Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei'', BWV 179 ( choruses). Recordings conducted by Ton Koopman: * Erato 8573-80221-2 (recorded 1999, issued 2000) * CCDVD 72141 (DVD: live recording 2000, issued 2005)

Boysen (2010)

In 2010, harpsichordist and conductor Jörn Boysen made a new version utilizing choruses and arias from

and an aria from BWV 54. He composed all missing recitatives, choirs and one aria. This version has been performed in the Netherlands and Germany in 2011 and 2012.

Grychtolik (2010)

In 2010, Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik made a first edition of the late version of the ''St Mark Passion'' (from 1744) as a stylistically consistent reconstruction, published by

Edition Peters Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800. History The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühn ...

. The text of this unknown later version was discovered in 2009 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In this version, Bach added two arias and he made small changes in Picander's text.

Eichelberger (2015)

In 2015, Organist Freddy Eichelberger offered a second reconstruction of the 1744 version based on the

and composed all missing recitatives, choirs and some chorals.

Wilson-Dickson (2016)

In 2016, composer and conductor Andrew Wilson-Dickson made a new stylistically coherent reconstruction using

, 7, 54 and 171, and newly composed music for the missing recitatives and choruses. The work was premiered by the Welsh Camerata and Welsh Baroque Orchestra at the

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

, Cardiff, on Good Friday, 2016.

Fischer (2016)

In 2015, church musician Andreas Fischer reconstructed the Markus Passion by parodying only works by Bach. He paid attention to the proximity of text and music and avoided using music from the known passions, so as not to produce a "small" St. Matthew Passion. Ortus (Berlin, Germany) published this work in the year 2016.

Koolstra (2017)

In 2017, the Dutch organist and harpsichordist Robert Koolstra made his reconstruction based on the text booklet from 1744. For this version he used, among other things, the 'Trauerode' and the cantatas 13, 54, 55. He composed most of the recitatives himself, but also reused parts of Bach's other passions. He also created a new choir, Keinen hat Gott verlassen. Picander writes Chorus here instead of Choral in the new text booklet. This version is regularly performed worldwide. (Including performances in the United States, Canada, Hongkong, The Netherlands, Australia ) The score and parts of this version are available for free via the International Music Score Library Project. (IMSLP)

Savall (2018)

On 30 March 2018, Jordi Savall produced a reconstruction which aired on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

References

External links

Speculations Regarding the Original Liturgical Occasions of the Individual BWV 253–438 Chorales § St. Mark Passion (BWV 247) Speculations
at

on bach-cantatas.com * {{authority control Passions and oratorios by Johann Sebastian Bach Lost musical works by Johann Sebastian Bach 1731 compositions 1744 compositions