What about Easter music? From Christian ballads and rock anthems to gospel masterpieces. A breezy headline to get you to listen to a playlist for Easter that completely misses the mark of the greatest choral work of all time.
The Bach St. Matthew Passion is considered to be the greatest choral work ever written. Some say of the entire "Western canon". The other is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
And how was the St. Matthew Passion received? ... too hard, too long, too demanding, too operatic for Lutheran sensitivities. Not religious enough, too theatrical. Don't play that again, please.
Here's an interesting quote from an article on the work:
"It took him one year to write the St. Matthew Passion, and it was performed only twice in his lifetime. It’s humbling to think I’ve listened to it more often than Bach himself.”
Here's what Bach wrote as an explanation for why he though his music was so good:
"My music is better because I work harder. Anyone who works as hard as me will write music that is just as good."
Bach's birthday is coming up - March 31st. Or it might be that it has passed - March 31st. There are two dates listed in biographies. Beside each is O.S. or N.S. - old style vs new style - that's when the calendars changed from Julian to Gregorian.
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