Why I love the Bach Passions

by: Pr. Craig Mueller

There are three large choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach considered among the greatest treasures of Western music: the B Minor Mass, the Saint Matthew Passion, and the Saint John Passion. Since first singing the B Minor Mass in college, and subsequently hearing all three of these works live many times, I will do anything I can to attend an in-person performance of any one of them. 

On Sunday, March 13, the Saint John Passion will be performed by the Apollo Chorus at the Saint Luke church in the Lakeview neighborhood. Please consider joining me, chorus member Beth Kregor, and other Holy Trinity members and friends for this concert and a dinner to be arranged afterwards. Please order tickets on your own, but please email me if you would like to receive more information about dinner plans. 

Not only is Bach’s passion music considered both spiritual and sublime by people of faith and those of no religious background, perhaps after Martin Luther, Bach is the second most well-known Lutheran of all time. For some, Bach’s choral music is immediately accessible and for others it is an acquired taste, like a glass of dry red wine. The Bach Netherlands Society provides a brief introduction to the Saint John Passion, the full text, and a video performance of the complete passion which lasts approximately two hours. If you are new to Bach’s passion, consider listening to all or some of the work as this may enhance your experience of the concert.

For me the Saint John passion weaves together music, liturgy, theology, and spirituality. In addition to the biblical text, there are moving aria reflections and choral hymn stanzas that help us make the story our own. Bach also wonderfully uses music to accentuate the theological lens of Saint John’s passion. Whereas the other gospels portray Jesus as the suffering one, in John Jesus is the divine Word of God, victorious over sin and death. 

What a gift to live in Chicago where nearly every year we can hear one or more of the three major Bach works performed. Consider the March 13 concert as a way to deepen your observance of Lent this year.