St. John Passion (traditional version)
Passio secundum Joannem (1739/1749) 1739/1749
Bach's St. John Passion is among the greatest settings of the Passion in the history of music. The St. John Passion underwent several fundamental changes during Bach’s lifetime. Carus offers all of these surviving versions for sale.
The traditional version of the St. John Passion, using the partial autograph score, is still most often performed. Carus now offers singers a new vocal score for performance which includes the well-known texts in the established sequence without requiring any additional page turns. Please use full score and performance material of our edition Carus 31.245/00. This edition includes also the traditional version.
The recording for carus music, the choir choach and the Carus Choir Coach is based on the piano reduction of the traditional version (Carus 31.245/93). This version is intended for practicing the traditional version.
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Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach
| 1685-1750Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most important composers of Western music history. He came from a widely ramified musical dynasty, which produced numerous musicians and organists in the Thuringian-Saxon area.
Bach vocal
Ever since Carus-Verlag was founded in 1972, publishing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach has been a special focus for us. In the 2017 Reformation anniversary year we completed the Bach vocal project. Bach's complete sacred vocal works are now available in modern Urtext editions, together with performance material. A complete edition of all the full scores is also available in a high quality box set. Personal details
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Editor
Peter Wollny
| 1961
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Vocal score arranger
Paul Horn
| 1922-2016Paul Horn war ein deutscher Kirchenmusiker, Organist, Komponist und Musikwissenschaftler. Er studierte Kirchenmusik und Orgel an der Evangelischen Kirchenmusikschule Esslingen am Neckar bei Hans-Arnold Metzger und Musikwissenschaft, Theologie und Geschichte an der Universität Tübingen. Seine berufliche Laufbahn begann als Kantor an der Evangelischen Michaelskirche in Stuttgart-Degerloch. 1954 wurde er Kantor an der Evangelischen Stadtkirche Ravensburg, eine Position, die er bis zu seiner Pensionierung innehatte. Als Musikwissenschaftler arbeitete Horn bis ins hohe Alter eng mit Carus zusammen. So stammen zahlreiche Carus-Klavierauszüge aus seiner Feder. Personal details
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Translator
Henry Drinker
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Orchestra
Orchestre de la Chapelle Royale
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Conductor
Philippe Herreweghe
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Soloist - soprano
Barbara Schlick
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Soloist - alto
Catherine Patriasz
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Soloist - tenor
William Kendall
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Soloist - tenor
Howard Crook
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Soloist - bass
Peter Lika
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Soloist - bass
Peter Kooy
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Johann Sebastian Bach: St. John Passion (traditional version) Vocal score
Several problems with this edition of St. John's Passion:
- if you want to...
- if you want to...
Joao writes
Several problems with this edition of St. John's Passion:
- if you want to perform the traditional version, you have to start with your score on page 162, go until the end of Nr. 10 and then jump back to page 38 for Nr. 11.
- all the orchestra musicians also have to start not from the beginning and at some point turn a good amount of pages back. very unpractical.
- dispite including both the Version IV (1749) and the Unfinished Revision (1739) in the score and orchestra material, the Choirscore and Klavierauszug does not include the Version IV of Nr. 1 till 10!!! (which for the choir does differ from the unfinished Revision). What is the point of including this Version in the score and orchestra material, if it is not included in the choir score?
- Until this time, I only had good experiences with Carus. Unfortunately, for St. John's Passion I regret buying this material from Carus.
- if you want to perform the traditional version, you have to start with your score on page 162, go until the end of Nr. 10 and then jump back to page 38 for Nr. 11.
- all the orchestra musicians also have to start not from the beginning and at some point turn a good amount of pages back. very unpractical.
- dispite including both the Version IV (1749) and the Unfinished Revision (1739) in the score and orchestra material, the Choirscore and Klavierauszug does not include the Version IV of Nr. 1 till 10!!! (which for the choir does differ from the unfinished Revision). What is the point of including this Version in the score and orchestra material, if it is not included in the choir score?
- Until this time, I only had good experiences with Carus. Unfortunately, for St. John's Passion I regret buying this material from Carus.
*This review was submitted in another language and has been translated for you.
Answered from Carus-Verlag:
"If you want to perform the traditional version, you have to start with your score on page 162." – Yes, that is true. But at this point there is a break in the composition; the revision ends there ~1739 and one continues with version 1749 (which is musically closer to version 1724). This break is also clearly audible in the chorales, for example. Turning the pages can be used as a deliberate caesura between the different historical layers. However, we recommend performing the more self-contained version IV (1749) instead of the traditional version. Without a break and without scrolling. For corresponding choral material, see below. Vocal score 31.245/03 and choral score 31.245/05 correspond exactly to the full score: version IV throughout and revision of the first movements in the appendix. Vocal score 31.245/93 and choral score 31.245/95 are optimized for the performance of the traditional version and therefore do not contain the opening section of version IV.
"If you want to perform the traditional version, you have to start with your score on page 162." – Yes, that is true. But at this point there is a break in the composition; the revision ends there ~1739 and one continues with version 1749 (which is musically closer to version 1724). This break is also clearly audible in the chorales, for example. Turning the pages can be used as a deliberate caesura between the different historical layers. However, we recommend performing the more self-contained version IV (1749) instead of the traditional version. Without a break and without scrolling. For corresponding choral material, see below. Vocal score 31.245/03 and choral score 31.245/05 correspond exactly to the full score: version IV throughout and revision of the first movements in the appendix. Vocal score 31.245/93 and choral score 31.245/95 are optimized for the performance of the traditional version and therefore do not contain the opening section of version IV.
Frequent questions about this work
Performing the Traditional Version of the “St. John Passion” using the Carus score and orchestral materials for Version IV. How does this work in practice?
First of all, it must be said: it is simply not possible to produce a single edition covering both versions without certain compromises and page-turns. The Carus edition is primarily designed for performance of the self-contained Version IV from 1749. However, it can also be used to perform the so-called “Traditional Version”. To realize Version IV, simply play from the beginning to the end of the final chorus. For the Traditional Version, start on page 162 of the score; then, after No. 10 “Derselbigen Jünger war dem Hohepriester bekannt” (That other disciple to the High Priest long had been known), turn back to page 38 for Chorale No. 11 “Wer hat dich so geschlagen” (Who was it Lord, did smite thee). The orchestra must also turn to the appropriate page in their parts. This could certainly be consciously integrated into the dramaturgy, as there is a distinct break in the composition at this point where Bach’s revision from c. 1739 ends – a transition that is clearly audible, for instance, in the chorales. The act of page-turning can form a deliberate caesura to highlight the different historical layers. For the choir, we have the following options regarding vocal scores, choral scores, and our practice app: Version IV & Traditional Version: vocal score Carus 31.245/03 and choral score Carus 31.245/05. Traditional Version only: vocal score Carus 31.245/93 and choral score Carus 31.245/95. The “carus music” practice app is a 100% match for the Traditional Version, but not for Version IV or Version II.
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