Passions (Homilius)

The Matthäuspassion (St Matthew Passion) "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld", HoWV 1.3, is a Passion in two parts of 50 movements, scored for six soloists, four-part choir and orchestra.[8] It begins with a chorale, "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld".[5][8]

The Passion is not yet published; a critical edition by Carus-Verlag is in preparation, but was held up by the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The Passion features choruses that lay choirs are able to perform, but solo movements are written for professionals.[5][8]

The Passion was first recorded in 1992 by soloists Ann Monoyios, Ulla Groenewold, Gerd Türk, Klaus Mertens, and Christoph Prégardien as the Evangelist, the Cappella Vocale Leverkusen and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Christoph Schoener.[9][10] Schoener had compiled handwritten sheet music from various sources, and transcribed it in calligraphic quality.[5] The Passion was performed by the Schiersteiner Kantorei, conducted by Clemens Bosselmann, at the Marktkirche Wiesbaden on 11 March 2023[3][5][11] with soloists Helena Bickel, Jean-Max Lattemann, Gabriel Sin, and again Klaus Mertens, Georg Poplutz as the Evangelist, Frederic Mörth as the voice of Christ, and the Barockorchester La Vivezza.[3] Bosselmann had known excerpts of the work since he sang with the Kreuzchor as a boy, but as the work was unpublished, he had to track down the handwritten sheet music from Schoener's family to prepare for the performance.[5]

The Johannespassion (St John Passion), "Der Fromme stirbt", HoWV 1.4, is a Passion scored for five soloists, a four-part choir SATB and orchestra.[12] The final movement has a transition from A minor to a "celebratory" A major, in keeping with John's interpretation of the crucifixion as a victory.[6] C. P. E. Bach used individual movements from the work in Passion pasticcios in 1774, 1776, 1779 and 1789.[12]

It was published in a critical edition by Carus-Verlag.[6] It was first recorded in the 21st century by the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the Dresden Baroque Orchestra,[13] with soloists Jana Reiner, Katja Fischer, Franz Vitzthum, Stephan Keucher, Christian Lutz and Clemens Heidrich, Jan Kobow as the Evangelist and Tobias Berndt as the voice of Jesus, conducted by Roderich Kreile.[6][14] A reviewer noted that the unusual triumphant elements, with horns, were delivered with emphasis, and the extended arias showed a good combination of vocal lines and counterpoint.[14]

The Lukaspassion (St Luke Passion), "Du starker Keltertreter", HoWV 1.5, is a Passion scored for four voices and orchestra. Keltertreter means Christ in the winepress. It was the model for a Passion composed in 1775 by C. P. E. Bach.[15]

The Markuspassion (St Mark Passion), "So gehst du nun, mein Jesu, hin", HoWV 1.10, is an oratorio in 47 movements, in two parts.[16] The madrigal poetry was probably written by a contemporary, such as Traugott Benjamin Berger, who wrote other texts for Homilius, or the pastor Ernst August Buschmann.[1][17] It is scored for six soloists, four-part choir and orchestra.[16] The Passion was probably written during the composer's first decade at the Kreuzkirche. A review testifies to a performance in Berlin before 1765.[1] It was performed abridged by C. P. E. Bach in Hamburg, first in 1770.[1][17] The work, different from the other three oratorio Passions which open with a chorale, begins with a chorale fantasia, with the chorale melody in long notes in the soprano.[1]

The Passion was published by Carus-Verlag in 2011.[7] It was performed by the chorale of the Berlin Cathedral in 2023.[18]