The great passion : a novel
by Runcie, James, 1959-
Print Book 2022 |
Available at 6 Libraries 6 of 10 copies |
Summary
From acclaimed bestselling author James Runcie, a meditation on grief and music, told through the story of Bach's 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 father's insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, he's bullied by his new classmates. But when the school's cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupil's beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefan's life is permanently changed.
Over the course of the next several months, and under Bach's careful tutelage, Stefan's musical skill progresses, and he is allowed to work as a copyist for Bach's many musical works. But mainly, drawn into Bach's 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 Bach's music for the very first time.
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Additional Information
Subjects |
Bach, Johann Sebastian,
-- 1685-1750
-- Fiction.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, -- 1685-1750 -- Family -- Fiction. Bach, Johann Sebastian, -- 1685-1750. -- Matthäuspassion -- Fiction. Cantors (Church music) -- Fiction. Teenage boys -- Fiction. Children's choirs -- Fiction. Teacher-student relationships -- Fiction. Grief -- Fiction. Leipzig (Germany) -- Fiction. Germany -- History -- Charles VI, 1711-1740 -- Fiction. Biographical fiction. Historical fiction. |
Publisher | New York :2022 |
Language |
English |
Description |
260 pages ; 25 cm |
ISBN | 9781635570670 1635570670 9781408885512 1408885514 |
Other | Classic View |