Passion music is a vocal composition that dramatically tells the Gospel story of the suffering and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Passion music may involve a large chorus with instrumental accompaniment or just a few singers representing characters from the Gospels. Passion music is generally performed during Holy Week–that is, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
The oldest surviving Passion manuscripts date from the A.D. 800’s, though Passion music may have existed earlier. Passions probably originated from the church custom of reciting the Gospel stories of Jesus’ last days. During the 1600’s and 1700’s, the Passion developed into an elaborate dramatic musical form similar to the oratorio. Two of the most famous works of this type are The Passion According to St. John (1723) and The Passion According to St. Matthew (1729) by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. They include recitatives (speechlike sections), arias (songlike solos), choruses, and orchestral passages.
