=Bach=.—The greatest of all the settings of the Passion are those by =Johann Sebastian Bach= (1685-1750). The first work in this style by Bach was the one according to “St. John,” in 1723, first performed on Good Friday, 1724, at Leipzig. This work, fine as it is, must yield to the second setting, according to “St. Matthew,” first produced on Good Friday, 1729, afterward revised and given again in 1740. A few notes on the “Passion according to St. Matthew” will serve for both works. The characters introduced are Jesus, Judas, Peter, Pilate, the Apostles and the People. Certain reflections on the narrative are interpreted by a chorus. The text which furnishes the narrative is assigned to the principal tenor. Fifteen chorales of the Lutheran Church are introduced, and in the singing of these the general congregation was expected to join. The choruses contain powerful and dramatic vocal effects, and though not strictly fugal are intricate in their part-writing. A double chorus is used, each chorus having a separate orchestra and organ accompaniment. The performance of this work (St. Matthew Passion) was restricted to Leipzig in the 18th century, and was discontinued altogether in the 19th until Mendelssohn revived it in 1829. It is given very frequently at the present day during the Lenten season, in part or in full. The “Christmas Oratorio” (1734) is really a series of cantatas for each of the first days of the Christmas week, and contains no new ideas so far as form is concerned. =Stabat Mater=.—In connection with the “Passion” reference should be made to the Latin hymn, “Stabat Mater,” which has been made the subject of treatment in oratorio form, by =Palestrina=, =Giovanni Battista Pergolesi= (1710-1736) for soprano and contralto accompanied by strings and organ, =Emanuele d’Astorga= (1681-1736) for four voices with instrumental accompaniment, the more modern work, in large form, by =Gioacchino Rossini= (1792-1868), most beautiful as music if partaking too much, as critics say, of the sensuous, and the magnificent setting of =Antonin Dvořák= (1841-1904). This work has been placed, by musicians and the public, in the category of the world’s masterpieces of choral writing.