Those who today perform and listen to the passions by J. S. Bach engage with these pieces in a context that is very different from their original setting. The compositions known as the St. John Passion and the St. Mark Passion, for instance, are not definitive works as we sometimes suppose. Rather, they are pastiches formed by Bach’s use of various types of musical borrowing and reworking. He adapted existing pieces by other composers, created updated versions of his own compositions, added or subtracted arias, and parodied his own works. Tables summarize Bach’s versions of these two passions and the parody models for the corresponding movements within them.

Works: J. S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (68-77), St. Mark Passion, BWV 247 (84-94).

Sources: J. S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245 (68-77); Anonymous: St. Mark Passion (80-91); Handel: Brockes Passion (91-94).

Index Classifications: 1700s

Contributed by: Jaime Carini