This songbook contains Part 1 of the full score of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) is a monumental sacred oratorio composed in 1727 for Good Friday services in Leipzig. It sets chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew to music, narrating the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The work is written for double choir, double orchestra, soloists, and continuo, and it weaves together scripture, chorales, and reflective arias. Rich in emotional depth and musical complexity, it is considered one of Johann Sebastian Bach's greatest masterpieces and a pinnacle of Baroque sacred music.