Last week I traveled for a while and read two and a half new books. I also enjoyed leaving my computer alone for five days. ; )

The first book was The Great Passion by James Runcie. It sounds like some regency love story but, no. It is a historical novel about the writing of Saint Matthew’s Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach. Published in 2022 and available on Kindle, I wanted something different to take on my journey and it fit the bill. The central character/narrator of the book is a 14 year old boy who is sent to study in Leipzig after his mother dies. His father thinks he will be better off elsewhere for a while. I didn’t understand the dad’s thinking there, but then, the narrator isn’t too happy about it either. He is at the school from post Easter 1726 to Easter 1727.

The school turns out to be full of bullies, one in particular being upset because the narrator has a lovely boy soprano voice, and can learn music very quickly. This sounds almost formulaic and I did wonder whether schools in Leipzig were like that in the late 1600’s. The author is English and bullying is a big thing in English boarding school literature. However, the solution to the bullying in this narrative was for the narrator to live with the Bach family for a time, since the composer was associated with the school.

Bach’s second wife, Anna is portrayed in the book as a warm and wonderful person. She helps the central character learn to sing; she herself was a singer before she married. I found a simple discussion of Bach’s life here.  https://www.oxfordbachsoloists.com/2018/06/16/bach-husband-father-family-man/   

It shows that from 1727 to 1731, Bach and Anna Magdalena lost four children. They would have been devastated by such loss, although Bach is portrayed in the book as constantly sermonizing about life in general. But within the book it’s okay. I don’t know whether it’s true to life but it’s true to the vision that the author had of what Bach might have been thinking and doing.  (The website also has a picture by an American artist that fits right into James Runcie’s book.)

Fifty years ago I visited England during Lent. There was a performance of Saint Matthew’s Passion in one of the beautiful Oxford churches, with those in the audience/congregation expected to sing the chorales. This is what was expected in Bach time as well. Imagine being part of the first performance of the Saint Matthew’s Passion! Runcie’s book actually does a very good job of visualizing such an effort and most of his book is an effort to place that moment into some context. I think he does pretty well in the end. 

My biggest complaint about the book is that I struggled with his central character’s reactions to circumstance. Runcie would lay out a difficult moment, show briefly how it was going to be overcome (mostly) and then move on. The characteristic reactions were quite muted. Oh, well. 

This link has beautiful illustrations of some of the places where Bach lived. https://www.baroquemusic.org/bachillustrated.html

The National Gallery of Art in DC will only admit to this piece of art when queried about Bach, a cover for a concert program of Saint Matthew’s Passion, done by M. C. Escher.   https://www.nga.gov/artworks/93475-matthaus-passion-van-johann-sebastian-bach-1685-1750 

Butterflies are a big thing in the narrative, hence the header from NGA.