The Great Passion

ISBN: 1635570670

Author: Runcie, James

Condition: Used

From acclaimed bestselling author James Runcie, a meditation on grief and music, told through the story of Bachs writing of the St. Matthew Passion.In 1727, Stefan Silbermann is a grief-stricken thirteen-year-old, struggling with the death of his mother and his removal to a school in distant Leipzig. Despite his fathers insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, hes bullied by his new classmates. But when the schools cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupils beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefans life is permanently changed.Over the course of the next several months, and under Bachs careful tutelage, Stefans musical skill progresses, and he is allowed to work as a copyist for Bachs many musical works. But mainly, drawn into Bachs family life and away from the cruelty in the dorms and the lonely hours of his mourning, Stefan begins to feel at home. When another tragedy strikes, this time in the Bach family, Stefan bears witness to the depths of grief, the horrors of death, the solace of religion, and the beauty that can spring from even the most profound losses.Joyous, revelatory, and deeply moving, The Great Passion is an imaginative tour de force that tells the story of what it was like to sing, play, and hear Bachs music for the very first time.