Classical music during Easter
04.04.23
With classical music through the Easter season
With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter is the supreme festival of Christianity. The Easter season lasts 50 days, namely from Easter Sunday – the day of resurrection – to Pentecost. This time is often introduced with numerous traditional music. They were composed before all classical music that deal with the resurrection and the associated church liturgies and festivals. This music conveys feelings about the death of Jesus Christ or the joy of his resurrection. In order to embellish this year’s Easter days with Easter music, we would like to present four musical works to you.
Easter Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Easter Oratorio is about the discovery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well-known biblical figures such as Maria Magdalena, Maria Jacobi as well as Petrus and Johannes appear. The composition has a duration of 40 minutes and contains wonderful orchestral introductions, duets and quartets as well as choral movements and arias. The Easter Oratorio was performed the first day on April 1, 1725.
Johannes-Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach
The Johannes-Passion, also composed by Bach, tells the interrogation and condemnation of Jesus by Pontius Pilatus. The crucifixion and his death are not neglected in this work either, at the end the burial is dealt with. 11 choral movements, 14 turba choirs and two arias play an important role. The Johannes-Passion was first performed on Good Friday in 1724.
Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
The Stabat Mater is a poem from the Middle Ages that deals with the pain of Maria caused by the crucifixion of her son. Pergolesi staged the poem in 1736 using strings, basso continuo, a soprano and alto voice. Today the poem is one of the most frequently performed sacred compositions.
The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross by Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn was commissioned by a Spanish priest in 1786 to create an instrumental composition of the seven last words of Jesus in the Gospels. Although Haydn faced one of his greatest challenges, he also said that it is one of his most successful compositions. It ends with “Il terremoto” (the earthquake), which evoked strong images and feelings in the audience – without having any text.
Are you already familiar with all four of the compositions we have presented or did you learn something new right away – or, who knows, maybe it sparked your interest in classical music? We hope that we can give you a happy Easter with this small but fine selection – regardless of whether you are listening alone or at a family East brunch.