From the book, two tables
This overview is confirmed by a number of ‘church service orders’ (Kirchen Agende). Martin Petzoldt and Robin A. Leaver give similar overviews but with more detail and some variations (a motet at the beginning) and a ‘reading’ of the Passion from a gospel-harmonisation. Which Passion? Bach apparently was free to choose, from his own production and from colleagues. A list of what we know:
Want to ‘imagine’ the entire service, here an evocation of a vesper with the performance of the St Mattew Passion
For those interested in the context: A sermon by Erdmann Neumeister (1720), a lutheran pastor, who also wrote cantate libretto’s. It’s a vesper sermon for the Passion-tide
Below the facsimile of the sermon (with ‘introduction) from the book: “Epistolische Nachlese derjenigen Predigten, welche er ehedessen in der Fürstlichen Schloss-Kirche zu Weissenfelss, uber die Sonn- und Fest-Tags Epistel-Texte, gehalten, und nebst sechs Passions-Predigten, auf Ansuchen, zum Drucke gegeben. Gott der Herre ist Sonn und Schild” (Hamburg, 1720)
If you want to read: click on the images to enlarge
