ferently
harmonized to suit the nature of the situation, with which the first part
closes.

The second part opens with one of the most delightful instances of Bach's
orchestration, a pastoral symphony, with which the Thomas orchestra have
made audiences familiar in this country. Like the symphony of the same
style in Handel's "Messiah," it is simple, graceful, and idyllic in
character, and pictures the shepherds watching their flocks by night on
the plains of Bethlehem. At its conclusion the evangelist resumes his
narrative, followed by the chorale: "Break forth, O beauteous, heavenly
Light," preluding the announcement of the angel, "Behold, I bring you
Good Tidings." It is followed by the bass recitative, "What God to
Abraham revealed, He to the Shepherds doth accord to see fulfilled," and
a brilliant aria for tenor, "Haste, ye Shepherds, haste to meet Him." The
evangelist gives them the sign, followed by the chorale which closed the
first part, in another form, "Within yon Gloomy Manger lies." The bass
recitative, "O haste ye then," preludes the exquisite cradle-song for
alto, "Sleep, my Beloved, and take Thy Repose,"--a number which can
hardly be excelled in the sweetness and purity of its melody or in the
exquisiteness of its instrumentation. This lovely song brings us to the
close, which is an exultant shout from the multitude of the heavenly
host, singing, "Glory to God in the highest."

The Saint Matthew Passion.

The passion-music of Bach's time, as we have already seen, was the
complement of the mysteries of Mediaeval days. It portrays the sufferings
of Christ, and was performed at church festivals, the congregation taking
part in the singing of the chorales, which were mostly familiar religious
folk-songs. It was a revival of the sacred drama in musical form, and the
immediate precursor of the modern oratorio. Bach wrote five
passions,--the "St. John," probably written in 1723, and first performed
in the following year; another, which has been lost, in 1725; the "St.
Matthew," in 1729; the "St. Mark," in 1731; and the "St. Luke," in 1734.
Of these only two are now known,--the "St. John" and "St. Matthew;" of
which the latter is incomparably the greatest.

Macfarren, in his sketch of the "Matthew Passion," says that the idea of
this form of composition was first suggested to Bach by Solomon Deyling,
who filled an important church position in Leipsic when the composer went
ther