{"id":14905,"date":"2013-03-25T06:00:38","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T10:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=14905"},"modified":"2013-03-24T21:29:50","modified_gmt":"2013-03-25T01:29:50","slug":"bachs-passion-as-online-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2013\/03\/bachs-passion-as-online-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Bach’s “Passion” as online meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Bach is among the very greatest of Christian artists, and his \u201cSt. Matthew Passion<\/a>\u201d is considered one of his greatest works.\u00a0 It is an oratorio, something like an opera, that sets to music Matthew\u2019s account of the crucifixion of Christ (Chapters 26-27), with soloists singing the lines of the various characters and magnificent choral music, all punctuated with Bach\u2019s rendition of Lenten hymns (many of which we still sing today) and remarkable verse by Bach himself responding to Christ\u2019s sacrifice.<\/p>\n

My colleague Steve McCollum alerted me to an online resource that makes this masterpiece of musical devotion accessible online:\u00a0 Oregon Bach Festival \u00bb Digital Bach Project \u00bb St. Matthew Passion<\/a>.\u00a0 It gives the English translation, as well as the Biblical sources and the dramatic script, for each line as the oratorio unfolds.\u00a0 Click the link, then when you see the painting of St. Matthew, hit the play button.\u00a0 It\u2019s divided into five 30-minute segments, which makes it an excellent Holy Week devotion.\u00a0 Here is Dr. McCollum\u2019s description:<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

\n
Dear Friends,
\n<\/span>
\nThe Oregon Bach Festival is one of the most highly regarded music festivals in the world. Helmut Rilling (artistic director) is a revered Bach scholar and master teacher. In 2002 I was able to participate in the festival as a conducting fellow and the experience changed my life. As such, as we approach Holy Week, I\u2019m very excited to recommend a newly developed web resource featuring Bach\u2019s St. Matthew Passion<\/em>. This resource makes the entire passion service accessible by providing a thorough devotional and liturgical context along with the entire OBF performance. It is divided into 5 sections (each approx. 30 minutes long) which lead the listener through the passion by providing translations and historical\/musical contexts for each movement. The experience is amazing.
\n<\/span>
\nDr. Tim Smith (creative director of the Oregon Bach Festival\u2019s Digital Bach Project) described his intentions for the project this way:\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to reintroduce the St. Matthew Passion to people of faith who may not know of it, or have forgotten. And I want to shake up people who know it well by forcing them to see it within the liturgical life that created it.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I hope that you find this uplifting.<\/p>\n

Here is the link:
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
http:\/\/oregonbachfestival.com\/digitalbach\/matthew\/<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\n<\/span>Best-<\/p>\n

Steven McCollum, D.M.A.
\nProfessor
\nDirector of Music<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bach is among the very greatest of Christian artists, and his \u201cSt. Matthew Passion\u201d is considered one of his greatest works.\u00a0 It is an oratorio, something like an opera, that sets to music Matthew\u2019s account of the crucifixion of Christ (Chapters 26-27), with soloists singing the lines of the various characters and magnificent choral music, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,10,32],"tags":[434,2499,458,2498,1035,1176,1337,2497],"class_list":["post-14905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-bible","category-christ","category-music","tag-choral-music","tag-christian-music","tag-christianity-and-the-arts","tag-classical-music","tag-holy-week","tag-johann-sebastian-bach","tag-lutheran-artists","tag-st-matthew-passion"],"yoast_head":"\nBach's "Passion" as 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