Considered one of Johann Sebastian Bach's most important compositions, St John Passion is regarded as one of the grandest and most monumental works of sacred music ever written. It was conceived during the musician's first year in Leipzig, when he took up the position of Kantor at the Thomaskirche, the city's second largest church.
Presumably composed during Lent 1724, it incorporates excerpts from cantatas written during Bach's time in Weimar and is based on chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel According to John. It consists of an alternation of recitatives and choruses interspersed with arias and chorales providing theological commentary on the events. The libretto, which is generally attributed to Bach himself, juxtaposes the Gospel text with other sources, most notably the Passion of the renowned German poet Barthold Heinrich Brockes. The work was first performed on Good Friday in 1724 at the Nikolaikirche.
