The Bach Revival of 1829
Berlin, 1829: Mendelssohn conducts the St Matthew Passion and brings Bach back to the public.
Related
Time and place
11 March 1829, Berlin Singakademie. Mendelssohn conducted a chorus drawn from the academy, with his friend Eduard Devrient among the soloists. The performance was cut, and a second followed on 21 March, Bach's birthday.
What happened
After Bach's death the Passion survived mainly in churches and specialist circles. Mendelssohn had studied the manuscript since childhood and persuaded the academy to perform it publicly. The forces were modest, but audiences met Bach's large narrative in a concert hall for the first time, and an argument followed about sacred music there.
What changed
Bach moved from a local church composer to the centre of the Western canon. The revival encouraged editions, biographies and the founding of the Bach Gesellschaft, and it made the performance of old music part of concert life. Historicism entered the concert hall; conductors began to study old scores, versions and performing styles.
Listen for the turn
Begin with the alto aria Erbarme dich, where the melody runs as a long line over a fixed bass. Then hear the arrangement of the same movement and notice how the relation between soloist and accompaniment is compressed. Finally try the piano version, where the lines remain clear.
Related
This turn belongs to Romantic and connects Oratorio, Counterpoint and Voice.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "Mendelssohn, Felix" — 1829 revival checked, not quoted
- Grove Music Online 的 Bach Revival 条目，用于核对柏林首演与后续巴赫协会的建立
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.