Bach and the Blood Curse

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1 Bach and the Blood Curse Notes by Tom Hall, Music Director, Baltimore Choral Arts Society Bach s St. Matthew Passion is a three- hour oratorio, for double chorus and orchestra, and several vocal soloists. Like all of the other passion settings by Bach, the St. Matthew Passion was composed for performance during the Good Friday liturgy. Bach sets to music two types of text: Narrative Text from Martin Luther s translation of Matthew 26:1 to 27:66 Commentary Text sung by the Evangelist (a tenor), the choruses (who sing the roles of the crowd, the apostles, soldiers, etc.) and various soloists who sing the roles of Jesus, Pilate, and other characters. Poems by Christian Friedrich Henrici, known as "Picander," Sung by vocal soloists Chorales Hymns, sung by the chorus, and the congregation. The scene in which Pilate offers to free either Barabbas or Jesus includes the infamous Blood Curse (Matt. 27:25) Here is the text, in a translation by Dr. Michael Marissen (Narrative) Auf das Fest aber hatte der Landpfleger Gewohnheit, dem Volk einen Gefangenen loszugeben, welchen sie wollten. Er hatte aber zu der Zeit einen Gefangenen, einen sonderlichen vor andern, der hieß Barrabas. Und da sie versammlet waren, sprach Pilatus zu ihnen: But during the Festival the governor was accustomed to releasing a prisoner to the people,69 whomever they wished. But at that time he had a prisoner, a standout from the others, who was called Barabbas. And when they were gathered, Pilate said to them: Welchen wollet ihr, daß ich euch losgebe? Barrabam oder Jesum, von dem gesaget wird, er sei Christus? Which one would you want it to be that I release to

2 you? Barabbas; or Jesus, of whom it is said, he is the Christ? Denn er wußte wohl, daß sie ihn aus Neid überantwortet hatten. Und da er auf dem Richtstuhl saß, schikkete sein Weib zu ihm und ließ ihm sagen: For he was well aware that they had handed him over out of envy. And when he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him: S WIFE Habe du nichts zu schaffen mit diesem Gerechten; ich habe heute viel erlitten im Traum von seinetwegen! Have nothing to do with this righteous one; I have suffered much today in a dream on his account! Aber die Hohenpriester und die Ältesten überredeten das Volk, daß sie um Barrabas bitten sollten und Jesum umbrächten. Da antwortete nun der Landpfleger und sprach zu ihnen: But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Now at this the governor answered, saying to them: Welchen wollt ihr unter diesen zweien, den ich euch soll losgeben? Of these two, which one do you want it to be whom I should release to you? Sie sprachen: They said: Barrabam! Barabbas! Pilatus sprach zu ihnen: Pilate said to them: Was soll ich denn machen mit Jesu, von dem gesagt wird, er sei Christus? What, then, should I do with Jesus, of whom it is said, he is the Christ? Sie sprachen alle: They all said: Laß ihn kreuzigen! Have him crucified!

3 CHORALE (Commentary) Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe! How full of wonder is this punishment! Der gute Hirte leidet für die Schafe, The good shepherd suffers for the sheep; Die Schuld bezahlt der Herre, der Gerechte, the Lord, the righteous one, pays the debt Für seine Knechte. for his servants. (Narrative) Der Landpfleger sagte: The governor said: Was hat er denn Übels getan? What evil thing has he done, then? RECITATIVE (Commentary) Er hat uns allen wohlgetan, He has done good to us all: Den Blinden gab er das Gesicht, the blind he gave sight; Die Lahmen macht er gehend, the lame he made able to go about; Er sagt uns seines Vaters Wort, he told us his Father s Word; Er trieb die Teufel fort, he drove demons away; Betrübte hat er aufgericht, the distressed he has helped to their feet; Er nahm die Sünder auf und an. he received and accepted sinners. Sonst hat mein Jesus nichts getan. Otherwise, my Jesus has done nothing. ARIA Aus Liebe, Out of love, Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben, out of love my Savior is willing to die Von einer Sünde weiß er nichts, he knows not a single sin Daß das ewige Verderben so that eternal ruin Und die Strafe des Gerichts and the punishment of the [Day of] Judgment Nicht auf meiner Seele bliebe. would not remain upon my soul. (Narrative) Sie schrieen aber noch mehr und sprachen: But they shouted out still more, saying: Laß ihn kreuzigen! Have him crucified! Da aber Pilatus sahe, daß er nichts schaffete, sondern daß ein viel großer Getümmel ward, nahm er Wasser und wusch die Hände vor dem Volk und sprach: But when Pilate saw that he could do nothing rather, that a very great commotion was developing he took water and washed his hands before the people and said: Ich bin unschuldig an dem Blut dieses Gerechten, sehet ihr zu! I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one you see to it! Da antwortete das ganze Volk und sprach: Then the entire people answered, saying:

4 Sein Blut komme über uns und unsre Kinder. His blood come over us and our children. Da gab er ihnen Barrabam los; aber Jesum ließ er geißeln und überantwortete ihn, daß er gekreuziget würde. Then he released Barabbas to them; but Jesus he had scourged, and handed him over, so that that he would be crucified. When the chorus sings Have him crucified, Bach makes frequent use of the most dissonant interval in his musical arsenal, the tri- tone, known since the Renaissance as the devil in music. He places these choruses in keys in which there are many sharps (instead of flats) in the music, so that the musical score is full of # signs, or musical crosses When the chorus screams at Pilate to release Barabbas instead of Jesus, the scream Barrabam! in a diminished chord, a highly dissonant harmony When the chorus sings the Blood Curse, that section of music takes less than a minute (in a 3- hour piece) It is the 7 th in a series of turba choruses (agitated crowd choruses) in which Bach chillingly portrays the enthusiasm of the crowd to have Jesus crucified. The music for the chorus in this section is almost matter- of- fact. The range of the voice parts is neither high nor low. The music churns along in a relentless moto perpetuo. The crowd appears to be unconcerned with any long- term consequences of their accepting responsibility in perpetuity. Michael Marissen observes: The Greek in Matthew 27:25 reads literally, His blood on us and our children (there is no verb in the gospel s formula). Luther gives the verse as His blood come over us and our children, a rendering that allows for a wider interpretive scope than the one typically found in English bibles, His blood be on us and on our children. (For a biblical blood curse with an explicit forever clause, see 1 Kings 2:33.) In Bach, at the subsequent commentary aria the verse from Matthew unusually for oratorio settings of the time is interpreted redemptively. This sort of twist is central in the work s commentary; see also no. 59: the cross is at once a curse and a blessing. (Compare the handling of Matthew 27:25 in Georg Philipp Telemann s passion oratorio Das selige Erwägen, at no. 31: So cry out, you damned [vermaledeite] sinners, / His blood come over us / and over our children. / You have taken it [i.e., his blood] upon yourselves as a curse; / but for me it will come to blessing. ) The aria, Aus liebe (commentary text) appears in between the two outbursts of Have him crucified, and before the Blood Curse. This aria is extraordinary in 2 important ways:

5 Bach juxtaposes a flute over two special oboes (oboe da caccia- oboes of the hunt). No other aria in the oratorio is scored in this way. It makes this aria stand- out in the ear of the listener The aria does not include a traditional bass line (the bottom part is taken by the oboes, which are not low instruments). This gives the aria a particular poignancy and a groundless, unstable quality, to depict the abandonment of Jesus by his fellow Jews. Bach's personal views about the Jews are undocumented, but a study of the books in his library reveals a lot of theological works, some of which contained anti- Semitic graphics i.e., a book cover which shows Christ on the Right, juxtaposed next to the Pope, a Rabbi, and the Devil on the left, in obvious opposition Does Bach throw gasoline or water on the fire of the charge of Deicide against the Jews? Gasoline: The crowd music is dramatic, often violent, and dripping with hate and spite. Bach does what every great composer does: he enhances the power and impact of the text with music that is compelling and convincing Water: In Aus liebe, by composing music in a style that stands out so starkly from the rest of the oratorio, he points to the text that acknowledges Jesus death as a sacrifice so that the punishment of the Day of Judgment will not rest upon my soul. He ascribes the responsibility for the death of Jesus to the need for individual sinners to be redeemed. He focuses our attention on our culpability, not that of the Jews. Recording credit: J.S. Bach: Matthäus Passion Gustav Leonhardt, conductor Christoph Pregardien, Evangelist Chorus: Tölzer Knabenchor and the Mens Chorus of La Petite Bande Orchestra: La Petite Bande Deutsche Harmonia Mundi D