florida state university college of music performance practice

Musik-Zeitung printed in May 24, 1851, suggests that this recitative was after all
performed. 282 Other evidence corroborates that perhaps movement 33 was performed. In
Schumann‟s score he made a notation that the orchestration for this movement would be
“with quartet,” an indication that he used to mean a dramatic full-voice string
accompaniment instead of the violoncello, double bass and piano used throughout the
other recitatives. 283
Schumann also did not perform movement 20, the tenor aria, Erwäge, wie sein
blutgefärbter Rücken (Consider, how his blood-tinged back) perhaps due to not being
able to obtain a viola d‟amore or reconcile using another instrument to take its place. 284
The baritone, Joseph Schiffer, who was performing the bass arias as well as the role of
Jesus, corresponded with Schumann a week prior to the performance and relayed to him
his inability to perform the two bass arias with choir due to the fact he received the music
in an untimely manner and the movement 24, Eilt, ihr angefochten Seelen (Hurry, you
besieged souls) was set in a tessitura too low for him. 285 Schiffer did however perform the
arioso in movement 19, Betrachte, meine Seel (Ponder, my soul) as verified in
Schumann‟s score where the violas d‟amore are replaced with muted violins and the lute
with double violas and clarinet. 286
Under the advice of Moritz Hauptmann, Schumann wanted to use the timbre of
the cor anglais as a substitute for the viola da gamba part in movement 30, the alto aria,
Es ist vollbracht (It is accomplished!). Unfortunately, Schumann could not obtain a cor
anglais for the aria and instead used a solo viola for the reflective sections and two
trumpets for the triumphant section. 287
282 Max. “Notes on the Performance of Bach‟s St. John Passion in the version by Robert Schumann CPO,
2006.
283 Ibid.
284 Ibid.
285 Ibid.
286 Ibid.
287 Ibid.
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