From an award-winning poet and composer— inspiring meditations on Bach's masterpiece.

Musical settings of St. Matthew's account of Christ's Passion date back to antiquity. It is widely acknowledged, however, that Johann Sebastian Bach's score is one of the greatest achievements of Western music. This new volume inspired by Bach's masterpiece offers twenty-one powerful verse meditations by award-winning poet and composer John Reeves.

Meant to be heard as well as read, these verse texts, annotated and linked by short prose introductions, explore the tradition of liturgical responses to the Passion, reflect on the role of the Passion in the creative and spiritual life of Bach, and convey Reeves's own experiences of hearing Bach's music in cities around the world. Commemorating Bach-Year 2000, The St. Matthew Passion offers Christian readers unique insights for personal reflection on the Passion, and music lovers will find it an interesting adjunct to their own appreciation of Bach.