J.S. Bach (1685-1750) wrote his St. Matthew Passion in 1727 for the Good Friday service at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where he was Kapellmeister (Director of Music). Scored for two orchestras, two choirs, and soloists, this piece tells the story of Christ’s passion in the manner of an oratorio or unstaged opera, with different singers representing different characters in the Passion narrative—much like we do when we read the Passion together on Good Friday here at Ascension.