The Sacred Thunder: Bach’s St Matthew Passion

A Life of Faith and Fugue: Bach in Context

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), one of the titanic figures of Western music, was born in Eisenach, Germany, into a prolific musical family. The Bach lineage included over 50 known musicians, and young Johann was surrounded by music from the start. Orphaned by the age of 10, he moved in with his older brother Johann Christoph Bach, who furthered his musical education. As a devout Lutheran and a musical genius, Bach’s life was profoundly shaped by both his faith and his family.

Bach’s Germany was a patchwork of small principalities, each with its own court, church, and musical establishment. Religion was not a private affair; it shaped society’s structure and routine. Lutheranism emphasized the power of Scripture, the importance of congregational singing, and the theological significance of music. Bach internalized these values deeply — he did not merely write music for religious occasions; he saw his music as a direct offering to God. He often inscribed his scores with the letters “S.D.G.” (Soli Deo Gloria — “To God alone the glory”).

Despite his genius, Bach was not considered revolutionary in his time. He was seen more as a skilled craftsman than a trailblazer. Yet, his work reached spiritual and structural heights that wouldn’t be fully appreciated until generations later.

The Genesis of St Matthew Passion

By the time Bach composed St Matthew Passion (Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244), he was working in Leipzig as the Kantor of the Thomasschule and music director of the city’s principal churches. He held this position from 1723 until his death in 1750. It was during this time, immersed in his role of providing weekly church music, that he began crafting his monumental Passions.

St Matthew Passion was first performed on Good Friday, April 11, 1727, at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. It was designed to be part of the Vespers service on that solemn day. For Bach, the Passion story — Christ’s suffering and death — was the central drama of Christian theology. It is where humanity’s sin and divine mercy meet.

The libretto was primarily written by Christian Friedrich Henrici, known as Picander, who worked closely with Bach. The text draws from Matthew 26–27, interspersed with reflective arias and Lutheran chorales. Bach did not treat the Passion as a mere recitation of events; he shaped it into a meditation, where biblical narrative, personal emotion, and theological reflection become one musical experience.

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