Passions (Telemann)

Between 1716 and 1767, Georg Philipp Telemann wrote a series of Passions, musical compositions reflecting on Christ's Passion – the physical, spiritual and mental suffering of Jesus from the hours prior to his trial through to his crucifixion. The works were written for performance in German churches in the days before Easter. A prolific composer, Telemann wrote over 40 Passions for the churches of Hamburg alone, of which 22 have survived according to the present state of research. He also wrote several Passion oratorios. Unlike the Passions intended for liturgical performance, they were not closely set to the literal text of the Gospels. His 1716 Passion oratorio Der für die Sünde der Welt gemarterte Jesus ("Jesus Who was Tortured for the Sins of the World", TWV 5:1), used a poetic meditation on the passion story by Barthold Heinrich Brockes. Telemann himself wrote the text for his second Passion oratorio, Seliges Erwägen des bittern Leidens und Sterbens Jesu Christi ("Blessed Contemplation of the Bitter Suffering and Dying of Jesus Christ", TWV 5:2). The latter work, written in 1722 and first performed in 1728, was one of the most beloved and frequently performed Passions in eighteenth-century Germany, although today the work is much less known than his later Passions.

List of Telemann's liturgical Passions

Note that this list may be incomplete

Year	TWV Number	Gospel	Title	Scoring	Notes
1722	TWV 5:7	Matthew	Wenn meine Sund mich kranken	MISSING	Recorded
1723	TWV 5:8	Mark	Ein Lammlein geht und tragt die Schuld	SATB, Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Oboe d'amore, Strings, and Continuo	****
1724	TWV 5:9	Luke	O Lamm Gottes unschuldig	MISSING	****
1725	TWV 5:10	John	Jesu, deine tiefen Wunden	MISSING	****
1726	TWV 5:11	Matthew	O hilf Christe Gottes Sohn	MISSING	****
1727	TWV 5:12	Mark	Mein Heiland, du bist mir zu lieb	MISSING	****
1728	TWV 5:13	Luke	Israel, ach geliebtes Vater-Herz!	SATB, 2 Flutes, Recorder, 2 Oboes, Bassoon, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition (Barenreiter)
1729	TWV 5:14	John	Unsre Sunden-Schuld zu heben	MISSING	****
1730	TWV 5:15	Matthew	Wenn meine Suad mich kranken	SATB, 2 Flutes, Oboe, Strings, Violetta, and Continuo	Recorded
1731	TWV 5:16	Mark	Hochheiliges Versohnungsfest	MISSING	****
1732	TWV 5:17	Luke	Brullest du ? Gewaltger Donner!	MISSING	****
1733	TWV 5:18	John	Du lassest uns durchs Blut	SATB, Flute, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	****
1734	TWV 5:19	Matthew	No Information Survives	MISSING	****
1735	TWV 5:20	Mark	Jesu deine tiefen Wunden	MISSING	****
1736	TWV 5:21	Luke	Wenn meine Sund mich kranken	MISSING	****
1737	TWV 5:22	John	Jesu, deine heligen Wunden	SATB, Flute, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	****
1738	TWV 5:23	Matthew	O hilf Christe Gottes Sohn	MISSING	****
1739	TWV 5:24	Mark	???	MISSING	****
1740	TWV 5:25	Luke	???	MISSING	****
1741	TWV 5:26	John	???	SATB, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	****
1742	TWV 5:27	Matthew	???	MISSING	****
1743	TWV 5:28	Mark	???	MISSING	****
1744	TWV 5:29	Luke	Wenn meine Sund mich kranken	SATB, Flute, Oboe d'amore, Strings, and Continuo	Recorded
1745	TWV 5:30	Luke	Wenn meine Sund mich kranken	SATB, Flute, Oboe d'amore, Strings, and Continuo	Recorded
1746	TWV 5:31	Matthew	Lasst uns mit Ernst betrachten	SATB, Flute, Oboe d'amore, 2 Horns, Strings, and Continuo	Recorded
1747	TWV 5:32	Mark	Jesu deine tiefen Wunden	MISSING	****
1748	TWV 5:33	Luke	Wisset ihr, dass ihr	SATB, Flute, Oboe, Oboe d'amore, Strings, and Continuo	****
1749	TWV 5:34	John	Jesu, meines Lebens Leben	MISSING	****
1750	TWV 5:35	Matthew	Wenn meine Sund mich kranken	SATB, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	****
1751	TWV 5:36	Mark	???	MISSING	****
1752	TWV 5:37	Luke	???	MISSING	****
1753	TWV 5:38	John	???	MISSING	****
1754	TWV 5:39	Matthew	???	MISSING	****
1755	TWV 5:40	John	Das ist ein kostlich Ding	SATB, 2 Flutes, Oboe, Strings, and Continuo	****
1756	TWV 5:41	Luke	???	MISSING	****
1757	TWV 5:42	John	Kommt zur Freystatt, ihr Betrubten	SATB, Flute, Oboe, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch
1758	TWV 5:43	Matthew	Herr, starke mich, dein Leiden zu bedenken	SATB , Flute, Oboe, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded
1759	TWV 5:44	Mark	Und da sie den Lobgesang gesprochen hatten	SATB, 2 Flutes, 2 Recorders, 2 Oboes, Bass Oboe, 2 Bassoons, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded
1760	TWV 5:45	Luke	Welche Feind des Kreuzes	SATB, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch
1761	TWV 5:46	John	Der Herr erhore dich in deiner Not	SATB, Recorder, 2 Flutes, Oboe, Hautbois basse, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch
1762	TWV 5:47	Matthew	????	????	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch
1763	TWV 5:48	Mark	????	MISSING	****
1764	TWV 5:49	Luke	Hier lass uns ruhn, o Teurer!	SATB, Flute, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded
1765	TWV 5:50	John	Ach Gott und Herr	SATB, 2 Oboes, hautbois basse, 2 Bassoons, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded
1766	TWV 5:51	Matthew	Ein Lammlein geht und tragt die Schuld	SATB, Flute, Bassoon, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded
1767	TWV 5:52	Mark	Christe du Lamm Gottes	SATB, 2 Flutes, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2 Oboes, Strings, and Continuo	Modern Edition by Johannes Pausch, Recorded

Modern Editions

Johannes Pausch's Edition Musiklandschaften has edited many of Telemann's late Passions:

Johannes-Passion 1757 (TVWV 5:42). Editio princeps.
Matthäus-Passion 1758 (TVWV 5:43). Wissenschaftliche Edition.
Marcus-Passion 1759 (TVWV 5:44). Wissenschaftliche Edition.
Lucas-Passion 1760 (TVWV 5:45). Editio princeps.
Johannes-Passion 1761 (TVWV 5:46). Editio princeps.
Matthäus-Passion 1762 (TVWV 5:47). Editio princeps.
Lucas-Passion 1764 (TVWV 5:49). Editio princeps.
Johannes-Passion 1765 (TVWV 5:50). Editio princeps.
Matthäus-Passion 1766 (TVWV 5:51). Editio princeps.
Marcus-Passion 1767 (TVWV 5:52). Editio princeps.
Seliges Erwägen, Berliner Fassung 1763 (TVWV 5:2). Wissenschaftliche Ausgabe

Selected recordings

• Telemann: St. John Passion TWV 5:50 (Catherine Bott, Sarah Connolly, Reginaldo Pinheiro, Jan Vandercrabben, Philip Defrancq; Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, Capella Brugensis; conductor: Patrick Peire). Eufoda EUF1224.
• Telemann: St. Matthew Passion TWV 5:31 (Barbara Schlik, Claudia Schubert, Wilfried Jochens, Stefan Dörr, Achim Rück Hans-Georg Wimmer; Collegium Vocale des Bach-Chores Siegen; Barock-Orchester "La Stravaganza-Köln"; conductor: Ulrich Stötzel). Brilliant Classics 992277 (first issued by Hänssler).
• Telemann: Passions Oratorium - Das selige Erwägen des bittern Leiden und Sterbens Jesu Christi TWV 5:2 (Barbara Locher, Zeger Vandersteene, Stefan Dörr, Berthold Possemeyer, Rene Schmidt; Freiburger Vokalensemble; L'Arpa Festante München; conductor: Wolfgang Schäfer). Brilliant Classics 99521 (licensed from Bayer Records).

See also

• Passion music
• St Matthew Passion and St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of Telemann's contemporaries

References and notes

External links

• Complete list of Telemann's extant Passions (including the Passion oratorios), Robert Poliquin, Université du Québec.