florida state university college of music performance practice

officials, as well as it cannot be dismissed that textual alterations were made even after
Bach‟s death. 273
In addition, a number of supplemental parts were added that have scholars
guessing if Bach meant to supplant older parts or if this was a conscious decision to
augment the instrumentation in version 4. Parts added to version 4 were 1 violin part 1; 1
viola part; 1 continuo part for “pro Bassono grosso”; and 1 harpsichord part. The
designation of “pro Bassono grosso” has conjured up rich debate as to what Bach actually
meant. Some believe that it is simply a double bassoon part, while others interpret it to
mean for ripieno bassoon. 274 Another highly contested issue revolves around what
instrument Bach intended to replace the lute in the Bass aria, “Betrachte, meine Seel”
designated as movement 19. 275
Score A – end of the 1730‟s
Somewhere toward the end of the 1730s Bach made the decision to replace the
original score identified as Score X, with a new copy that is denoted as Score A. 276 This
score can be characterized as possessing two sections. The first section that begins from
bar 1 of the work and ends in bar 42 (the tenth sixteenth note in the Evangelist‟s part and
the third quarter note in the continuo) in movement 10 was written in Bach‟s own
hand. 277 These movements show that while they were modeled after versions 1 and 4
there were several changes that Bach made that are indicative of his modus operandi at
this junction of his life that is characterized as improving existing compositions as if he
were intent on leaving a musical legacy. The second section is not written out by Bach
but rather is a copy of the lost original score known as score X. 278 As Dürr points out, the
implication of the unfinished score is that Bach never completed his final revision of the
St. John Passion and raises the question why Bach neglected in finishing the work.
Mendel in his Kritischer Bericht refers to the incident on March 17, 1739, where the
Council imposed an injunction that Bach could not perform the Passion music for the
273
Dürr, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion, 10.
274
Dürr, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion, 9.
275
Ibid
276
Dürr, Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion, 10.
277 Ibid.
278 Ibid.
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