Facsimile: St. Matthew Passion BWV 244:
Part I
Part II
Commentary:
Preface
The original score of the "St. Matthew Passion" (Christoph Wolff):
Transmission
Genesis and performances before 1750
Fair copy of the score
"Poesia" and "Musica"
Notes and References
Information on the autograph score
Bibliography
The original Bach manuscripts: responsibility and future (Martina Rebmann):
On the genesis of the Bach Collection
Preservation for the future
Bibliography
Geleitwort
Die Originalpartitur der "Matthäus-Passion" (Christoph Wolff):
Überlieferung
Entstehungsgeschichte und Aufführungen vor 1750
Partitur-Reinschrift
"Poesia" und "Musica"
Anmerkungen
Angaben zur autographen Partitur
Ausgaben und Literatur
Die Originalhandschriften Bachs: Verantwortung und
Zukunft (Martina Rebmann):
Zur Genese der Bach-Sammlung
Erhaltung für die Zukunft
Literatur
St Matthew Passion
I have never experienced such silence or seen an audience moved in this way.
(Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy)
Up to the present day there has scarcely been a work in the history of music which has fascinated listeners and performers more than Bachs St Matthew Passion. Originally composed for Vespers on Good Friday, and even longer in duration than the St John Passion, it reconstructs the story of Christs Passion with immense musical, emotional and spiritual intensity.
And so, this monumental and complex composition has come to rank amongst the high points of Western culture. For good reason the rediscovery of Johann Sebastian Bachs music began in 1829 with the performance of this work by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and the Berlin Singakademie.
The autograph manuscript is regarded as one of Bachs most beautiful the fair copy demonstrates the importance he attached to the careful preservation of the work for posterity. A further spezial feature is the coloured ink with which he wrote the biblical text and the music of the chorale O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig.
This facsimile edition reproduces the autograph score of the St Matthew Passion for the first time in high-quality colour printing. The Bach specialist Christoph Wolff introduces the background to the works composition and the characteristics of the manuscript.
Martina Rebmann (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) provides further details regarding the history of the autograph manuscript; with a preface by Barbara Schneider-Kempf, general director of the Staatsbibliothek.
BÄRENREITER FACSIMILE
The seal is used exclusively for facsimile editions published by Bärenreiter which meet the highest demands in both scholarly and technical terms.The distinguishing features include:
- a facsimile in high-quality colour printing
- scholarly commentary
- attractive cover design.
