The Crucifixion: Stainer's Invention of the Anglican Passion

The Crucifixion: Stainer’s Invention of the Anglican Passion and Its Subsequent Influence on Descendent Works by Maunder, Somervell, Wood, and Thiman Matthew Hoch Abstract The Anglican Passion is a largely forgotten genre that flourished in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Modeled distinctly after the Lutheran Passion— particularly in its use of congregational hymns that punctuate and comment upon the drama—Anglican Passions also owe much to the rise of hymnody and small parish music-making in England during the latter part of the nineteenth century. John Stainer’s The Crucifixion (1887) is a quintessential example of the genre and the Anglican Passion that is most often performed and recorded. This article traces the origins of the genre and explores lesser-known early twentieth-century Anglican Passions that are direct descendants of Stainer’s work. Four works in particular will be reviewed within this historical context: John Henry Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary (1904), Arthur Somervell’s The Passion of Christ (1914), Charles Wood’s The Passion of Our Lord according to St Mark (1920), and Eric Thiman’s The Last Supper (1930). Examining these works in a sequential order reveals a distinct evolution and decline of the genre over the course of these decades, with Wood’s masterpiece standing as the towering achievement of the Anglican Passion genre in the immediate aftermath of World War I. The article concludes with a call for reappraisal of these underperformed works and their potential use in modern liturgical worship. A Brief History of the Passion Genre from the sung in plainchant, and this practice continued Medieval Era to the Eighteenth Century through the late medieval and early Renaissance eras. Between 1450 and 1550, these monophonic chants were often augmented and sometimes he four Passion readings—from the replaced with polyphonic settings. After the 1517 Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Reformation, vernacular settings in German— John—have been a part of Holy Week and later, occasionally, English—began to 1 Tliturgy since the earliest of Christian times. emerge. An early example of the vernacular The earliest musical settings of the Passion were polyphonic Passion was composed by Johann 1 All four Passion readings occupy two chapters of their The respective Gospel. The specific locations of the Passion narratives are Matthew 26 and 27, Mark 14 and 15, Luke 22 C HORAL SCHOLAR and 23, and John 18 and 19. In modern lectionaries, the John The Online Journal of the National Collegiate Choral Organization Passion is usually read on Good Friday, while the remaining Passions are read in a three-year rotation on Palm Sunday. Volume 9, Number 1 Spring 2020 3 Walter (1496–1570) before or around 1530.2 works enshrine the standard formula for the Antonio Scandello (1517–1580), an Italian, is oratorio Passion in the German tradition, which first credited with introducing the Lutheran specifically consists of several key elements. First, chorale into Passion settings in his St John the two major characters were represented by Passion of 1561.3 a tenor (as the Evangelist/narrator) and a bass (depicting Jesus); minor characters (from the chorus) are represented by a variety of soloists. Dramatic musical renderings of Passions were Second, congregational chorales (hymns) first established in the mid-seventeenth century are stationed throughout the work, allowing and were usually based on the German translation for participation by the audience members/ of a Gospel from the Luther Bible. Although still worshippers. Third, the chorus was used for unaccompanied, these works featured soloists turbae (crowd) scenes, representing the angry representing specific characters with elements of crowd that crucified Jesus. Bach also introduced operatic recitative and aria. The three Passions of other novel techniques in his Passions, such as Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) were composed in the sustained string writing that conjures a “halo” this vein and represent this new chapter in the effect whenever Jesus “speaks” (sings) in the 4 history of the Passion. The “oratorio Passions” of St Matthew Passion. the mid-to-late baroque era add accompaniment to the dramatic Passion, and—later—chorale tunes were also added. Der Tod Jesu (1755) Although the legend is often exaggerated, Bach’s by Carl Heinrich Graun (1704–1759) was an works did fall into relative obscurity after his enduring Passion from this era. Although the two death in 1750.5 For the next seventy-nine years, major settings by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685– no one in Europe would hear either of Bach’s 1750) are the most well-known Passions from Passions until March 11, 1828, when Felix the baroque era, virtually all of the conventions Mendelssohn (1809–1847) famously conducted of the genre were established before Bach wrote the St Matthew Passion at the Singakademie these monumental works. in Berlin.6 The performance was met with rapturous applause, and the demand to program Bach’s music began increasing among the Bach’s St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (1727), German public, a trend that soon extended to and St John Passion, BWV 245 (1724), represent all of Europe. Thus John Stainer, born in 1840, the mature culmination of the Lutheran Passion belonged to the first generation of musicians tradition. These works, both of substantial length who would never know a time when Bach was and scope, were written for choir, orchestra, not regarded as one of the greatest composers and soloists, utilizing maximum resources to in the pantheon. A reverence for the composer, dramatically depict the Passion story. Bach’s combined with the flowering of Anglican 2 Walter’s St Matthew Passion was composed in a falsobordone 5 Exaggerated in the sense that Bach never fell into oblivion style with monophonic recitations for the Evangelist and other among learned musicians. Most famously, Wolfgang Amadeus dramatis personae. Mozart (1756–1791) greatly admired Bach and studied the 3 Curiously, Scandello’s Passion is set for five voices: CCATB. handwritten manuscripts of Bach’s motets during a trip to the The choice to have two “cantos” (trebles) on the soprano part in Thomaskirche in Leipzig in 1789. a four-voice chorale was probably made for practical reasons, i.e. 6 This “Passion gap” explains in part why there is not an balancing with adult men who were assigned to the lower parts. example of the genre written in the Viennese classical style. 4 Schütz’s three Passions are based on the Gospels of Luke, With Mozart’s penchant for drama (as evidenced in his John, and Matthew and were written in direct sequence, one operatic masterpieces), Passions of his (for example) would after the other, during the years 1665 and 1666. have made for intriguing works. 4 hymnody that occurred during the latter half This absence of hymnody became a hallmark of the nineteenth century, provided an ideal of the early Church of England, and for milieu for Stainer to resurrect the Passion genre almost three hundred years hymn singing was on English soil. neither practiced nor permitted in cathedrals. Nevertheless, by the eighteenth century, congregational hymn singing began occurring Anglican Hymnody in the with regularity in smaller parishes, particularly Nineteenth Century those without the resources to provide choirs and organists (and sometimes organs). Without a choir or organist, there could be The complex history of Anglican hymnody no “professional” musical offerings during greatly exceeds the scope of this article. A few services, which transferred the responsibility general comments, however, are helpful in of music making to the congregation. Perhaps understanding the origins of the nineteenth- more significant, the influences of the Puritan century English hymn and, consequently, its and Reformation traditions encouraged influence on the Anglican Passion. First and congregational participation over the “popish” foremost, it is important to remember that vestige of professional choirs and organists.8 to the nineteenth-century parishioner the encouragement to sing congregational hymns was a recent development. In fact, it was technically At the turn of the eighteenth century, Isaac illegal to do so until the famous “York Decision” Watts (1674–1748) emerged as an important of 1820. The following is a brief summary of the English hymn writer. His guiding principle events leading up to that date.7 was that the texts of hymns should reflect the thoughts and feelings of those singing the texts— specifically, the congregation. Watts’s most The Bohemian Brethren compiled the earliest important collection was Hymns and Spiritual recorded hymnbook in 1505. Shortly thereafter, Songs (1707), which was the most comprehensive the early Lutheran Church developed the practice anthology of English hymnody ever produced of singing chorales in the German vernacular. at the time of its publication. Other English These chorales had a significant influence on hymn writers emerged after Watts, the most early Protestant hymnody. In an early draft of important of whom were Charles Wesley (1707– the Book of Common Prayer, Thomas Cranmer 1788) and John Mason Neale (1818–1866). By (1489–1556) included twenty-six Latin hymns for the beginning of the nineteenth century, the use in the daily offices, but these were ultimately growing repertoire of Anglican hymns did much omitted when the all-English prayer book was to proliferate the practice of hymn singing in published in 1549. England, particularly in small and rural parishes that were not a part of the cathedral tradition. In 1820, the hymn writer and poet James 7 Some of the content of this section of the article was Montgomery (1771–1854) was placed on trial for originally published in the author’s book Welcome to Church writing hymns intended for public worship. His Music & The Hymnal 1982 (New York: Morehouse, 2015). case was dismissed by the Archbishop of York.

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