Description: Johann Sebastian Bach's the St. Matthew Passion stands as a singular expression of religious sensibility. First performed in 1727, and conceived within the constraints of Bach's role as cantor of the St. Thomas Church in the provincial German city of Leipzig, the music has a power and profundity that readily transcend time and place. By highlighting the inspiration Bach drew from opera, this book truly illuminates the hybrid forms that comprise the work, thereby clarifying many of the composer's dramatic strategies
Review Quotes: 'I must admit to delighting in the 129 pages of this extremly readable book ... I thoroughly recommend anybody to whom the St. Matthew Passion is a problem to spend 9.99 on this beautifully common sense book.' Musical Opinion, March 2009