Johann Sebastian Bach's two surviving passions—St. John and St. Matthew—are an essential part of the modern repertory, performed regularly both by professional ensembles and amateur groups. These large, complex pieces are well loved, but due to our distance from the original context in which they were performed, questions and problems emerge. Bach scholar Daniel Melamed examines the issues we encounter when we hear the passions performed today, and offers unique insight into Bach's passion setti...

• List of Tables
• Introduction: Hearing the Passions in Bach's Time and Ours
• Part I Performing Forces and Their Significance
• Chapter 1. Vocal Forces in Bach's Passions
• Chapter 2. Singers and Roles in Bach's Passions
• Part II Passions in Performance
• Chapter 3. The Double Chorus in the St. Matthew Passion BWV 224
• Chapter 4. Which St. John Passion BWV 245?
• Chapter 5. A St. Mark Passion Makes the Rounds
• Part III Phantom Passions
• Chapter 6. Parody and Reconstruction: The S...