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Handl – Motet Ecce, quomodo moritur iustus – Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society
From the start of the seventeenth century the short motet Ecce, quomodo moritur iustus by Jacob Handl was sung in Germany on Good Friday, after the final chorus of each passion. This was no different for the performances of the St Matthew Passion. Bach even took this into consideration when he composed his music. The text from the Old Testament describes the loss of a loved one. – Netherlands Bach Society
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J.S. Bach WO – BWV 248 Teil1 “Jauchzet frohlocket ” aus der Frauenkirche Dresden.
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Bach – Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden from St Matthew Passion BWV 244 | Netherlands Bach Society
The chorale ‘Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden’ from the St Matthew Passion (BWV 244), performed here by the Netherlands Bach Society and conducted by Jos van Veldhoven for All of Bach. The St Matthew Passion tells the story of the last days of Jesus. He is betrayed, tried, crucified and buried. The lyrics were compiled by Picander (the pseudonym of Christian Friedrich Henrici), probably in close consultation with Bach himself. For their theme, they took the story as told by St Matthew the Evangelist. As different groups or people have their say, the singers get different roles – Christ, Judas, Peter, a slave girl, the pupils, the high priests, the people and the soldiers, etc. At key moments in the story, Bach and Picander added chorales and arias as a reflection of the biblical story. The action is suspended and the events are placed in the theological context of Bach’s day. The chorale lyrics and melodies come from the Lutheran hymn book, and were well known to the congregation in Leipzig. Even though Bach’s harmonies were new, everyone would have recognised the melody and the words. The lyrics for the opening and closing choruses and the arias were brand new, however. Both the arias and the chorales often link up seamlessly with the evangelical words. – Netherlands Bach Society
Dispatches from the Asylum 