Georg Friedrich Händel Brockes-Passion

Sinfonia

1. Soli and Chorus (Chorus of Believers) Come, ye cast out sinners,
death’s children, behold, here life doth end.
Your death with him shall die,
his ruin be your salvation.

2a. Recitative (Evangelist) When Jesus sat down at the table
and with his disciples was eating the Easter lamb,
the symbol of his death,
he took the bread,
and gave thanks to the Highest and broke it,
gave it to them and said:

2b. Accompagnato (Jesus) This is my body, take and eat it;
so you will not forget me.

3. Aria (Daughter of Zion) God, for whom the infinite heavens,
and all space as space is too small,
is present here, in an unfathomable way,

...

Sinfonia

1. Soli und Chor (Chor der gläubigen Seelen) Kommet, ihr verworfnen Sünder,
Todeskinder, seht, hier stirbt das Leben.
Euer Tod soll mit ihm sterben,
sein Verderben wird euch Rettung geben.

2a. Rezitativ (Evangelist) Als Jesus nun zu Tische saß,
und er das Osterlamm, das Bild von seinem Tod,
mit seinen Jüngern aß,
nahm er das Brot,
und wie er es, dem Höchsten dankend brach,
gab er es ihnen hin, und sprach:

2b. Accompagnato (Jesus) Das ist mein Leib: Kommt, nehmet, esset,
damit ihr meiner nicht vergesset.

...

Till Reininghaus
Translation: Elizabeth Robinson

Barthold Heinrich Brockes’ poem Der für die Sünde der Welt gemarterte und sterbende Jesus is one of the most influential and best-known Passion libretti of the early 18th century. For George Frideric Handel was by no means the only composer to set the text by the poet and future Hamburg city councilor Brockes. Shortly after the oratorio libretto was published in 1712 Reinhard Keiser, director of the Theater am Gänsemarkt, turned his attention to it. In 1716 Georg Philipp Telemann presented his own Brockes Passion for a Passion performance in Frankfurt; two years later, Johann Mattheson, the music director at Hamburg Cathedral, also decided to set the text. Handel’s setting, which was first performed in public on 3 April 1719 in the Refektorium of Hamburg Cathedral, therefore stands in the context of a whole series of compositions which are based

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