description Golgotha Overview
Golgotha is a passion oratorio composed by the Swiss composer Frank Martin in 1948. The work integrates the musical aesthetics of Johann Sebastian Bach with modern harmony and is scored for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Drawing on biblical and mystical texts, it depicts events surrounding the crucifixion. It ranks among Martin's most significant large-scale choral works.
help Golgotha FAQ
What part of the Passion story does Frank Martin's Golgotha cover?
Golgotha recounts Christ's suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection using material from all four canonical Gospels. It also incorporates meditative passages inspired by writings associated with Saint Augustine.
What inspired Frank Martin to compose Golgotha?
Martin linked the work's conception to seeing Rembrandt's etching The Three Crosses. He composed the oratorio in the late 1940s, bringing a modern harmonic language to the Passion tradition.
How is Golgotha related to Bach's Passions?
Martin uses chorales, contrapuntal writing, solo reflection, and dramatic crowd choruses in ways that recall Johann Sebastian Bach. Golgotha nevertheless uses Martin's own 20th-century harmony rather than imitating Bach's musical language.
What singers and instruments does Golgotha require?
The oratorio is written for five vocal soloists, mixed chorus, orchestra, organ, and piano. Its large forces support both intimate meditations and violent scenes involving the crowd before Pilate.
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