The Historical Significance of the "Early Music Revival" in the Early 19^<th> Century : Focusing on the Revival of the "Matthauspassion" in Kassel

110004868192The revival of J. S. Bach's "Matthauspassion" in 1829 in Leipzig under the direction of Mendelssohn, is regarded as a monumental festivity; the work had been performed under Bach's own direction just one hundred years earlier. But also in Kassel, the "Matthauspassion" was five times performed on the initiative of the Kapellmeister there, Louis Spohr (1784-1859), in spite of repeated reactionary pressure by the Court. Analyzing and examining Spohr's ideas about early music and the activities of the most elite choral society in Kassel, the "Cacilienverein", which was directed by Spohr himself, we can see that the revival of the "Matthaus" was not a mere musico-historical event. In other words, looking at the repertoire of the "Cacilienverein" and early-music elements in Spohr's "Messe" (Op. 54, 1821), it turns out that they learned early music under the influence of historicism and brought it into Spohr's works in various ways. Thus elite people were able to realize that they had gained an understanding of high culture by singing early music together.journal articl