Book Review: "The Great Passion" by James Runcie

They do say you should never judge a book by its cover but when I saw this book I went 'huh, that looks like a really interesting book.' Plus, after reading strictly more modern things for a while if we minus the Crime Classics, I was looking forward to something more historical. Again, this is another library book since everyone is sick of me spending my pay on buying used books. I was quite surprised that this seemingly short book was actually as good as it was and now, here I am to talk to you about it. I cannot help but recommend this to you already. On the surface, it seems simple enough, but there is something much deeper and much more quintessentially human going on...

In 1726, thirteen-year-old Stefan Silbermann is sent away from his home in the small town of Mühlhausen, Germany, following the death of his mother. Grieving and feeling abandoned by his father, he is enrolled at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, a rigorous Lutheran boarding school. There, he must adjust to the harsh discipline of the schoolmasters and the cruelty of his fellow students, all while navigating his overwhelming grief in an unfamiliar and often unforgiving environment. So immediately, we get quite a heartfelt story that centres around a single character's journey through life. It starts off as a pre-Dickensian story as well: a child is abandoned to a system of cruelty and is obviously, incredibly upset and conflicted about it.

Stefan’s life changes when he is taken under the wing of the school’s cantor and choirmaster, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach recognises Stefan’s musical sensitivity and sorrow, inviting him into his household and offering him a position as a singer in the choir. In Bach, Stefan finds not only a teacher but also a paternal figure who understands his grief and his longing for connection. The composer’s household is lively and filled with music, a stark contrast to the cold, rigid structure of the school. I love the idea of this and it is so well written in the book. You can definitely see and you are made to recognise this stark juxtaposition. I think this is a clear strength of the novel and I really enjoyed seeing the way in which it was worked into the text.

As Stefan becomes immersed in Bach’s world, he begins to see music as a refuge, a way to express the emotions he struggles to articulate. Bach, a deeply religious and passionate musician, teaches him that music is more than mere entertainment; it is a means of conveying the deepest truths of human suffering and redemption. Through rigorous rehearsals and long discussions, Stefan starts to grasp the profound emotional and spiritual depth that Bach pours into his compositions. It is really captivating to see this through the life of another character. Bach is such an interesting composer from history, but once we see how great he is in person, we can now understand why our protagonist is fascinated.

As Easter approaches, Bach is determined to create a new choral work that will encapsulate the themes of suffering, faith, and salvation. He envisions what will become The St Matthew Passion, one of his greatest masterpieces. Stefan, witnessing the composition process firsthand, is both awed and overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Bach’s creative vision. He watches as the composer wrestles with structure, meaning, and the challenge of translating the Passion of Christ into music that will move and inspire his listeners. I think the writer is able to touch on the sublime here when it comes to showing us the stress and the awe blending together in this fantastic tension to become something incredible.

As the story moves on, we get to even more and deeper perspectives on their friendship whether it is as friends or as mentor and protégé. All in all, what we have here is not just a novel where a guy meets Bach and becomes his friend, but we have a story blended from an underdog narrative into one of great prosperity. The author involves the feeling of awe and the ideas of music and art to connect to the reader's humanity even after Stefan has come out of his unfortunate situation.