Christmas Oratorio

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The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium) BWV 248 is a musical work by Johann Sebastian Bach celebrating the Christmas season. It was written in 1734, although much of the music was recycled from the composer's earlier music, including three secular cantatas written in the same year (BWV 213, 214 and 215), a lost church cantata BWV 248a and the lost St. Mark Passion. It is a particularly sophisticated example of the parody technique. It is likely that the text was written by Picander. It is in six parts, each part being a cantata intended for performance on one of the Twelve Days of Christmas (although the work is nowadays often performed as a whole). It is narrated by a Tenor Evangelist, and also makes extensive use of Lutheran hymns.

The first cantata, for the first day of Christmas, focuses on Mary, (sung by the alto) in the period around the birth of Jesus; the second, for the second day of Christmas, the appearance of the angel to the shepherds; the third, for the third day of Christmas, the visit of the shepherds to Jesus in the stable; the fourth, for New Year's Day, the Circumcision of Christ; the fifth, for the Sunday after New Year's Day, the arrival of the Three Wise Men at Herod's palace in Jerusalem; and the last, for the Feast of the Epiphany, the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem and the Flight into Egypt.

Contents 1 Music 2 First piece 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Music

The music of the Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) consists of various chorales, arias and cantatas. Much of the music was adapted from the three secular cantatas, church cantata and passion mentioned above. The known sources can be summarised as follows:

Part I
Opening chorus Jauchzet, frohlocket! Auf, preiset die Tage!: from BWV 214, Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!
Alto aria Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben: from BWV 213, Ich will dich nicht hören
Bass aria Großer Herr, o starker König: from BWV 214, Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen

Part II
Tenor aria Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet: from BWV 214, Fromme Musen! meine Glieder
Alto aria Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh: from BWV 213, Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh

Part III
Opening & closing chorus Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen: from BWV 214, Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern
Soprano & bass aria Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen: from BWV 213, Ich bin deine, du bist meine

Part IV
Opening chorus Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben: from BWV 213, Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen
Soprano aria (with echo) Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen: from BWV 213, Treues Echo dieser Orten
Tenor aria Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben: from BWV 213, Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben

Part V
Chorus & alto recitative Wo ist der neugeborne König: from BWV 247, St Mark Passion, Pfui dich, wie fein zerbrichst du den Tempel
Bass aria Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen: from BWV 215, Durch die von Eifer entflammeten Waffen
Alto, tenor, bass aria Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen?: from an unknown model^[1]

Part VI
Entirely based upon movements from lost church cantata BWV 248a (apart from the Evangelist's recitatives)

The recitatives, when not based upon chorales, were composed especially for the Weihnachtsoratorium, as were the following notable pieces:

Part II
Sinfonia

Part III
Alto aria Schließe mein Herze, dies selige Wunder

Part V
Opening chorus Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen

[edit] First piece

The first piece of the Weihnachtsoratorium, from the chorus "Jauchzet, frohlocket! auf, preiset die Tage" to the chorale "Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein" is written for the first day of Christmas. This piece celebrates the birth of Jesus with a chorus and cantatas. For example, the following piece from the New Testament is sung:

Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit, dass ein Gebot von dem Kaiser Augusto ausging, dass alle Welt geschätzet würde. Und jedermann ging, dass er sich schätzen ließe, ein jeglicher in seine Stadt. Da machte sich auch auf Joseph aus Galiläa, aus der Stadt Nazareth, in das jüdische Land zur Stadt David, die da heißet Bethlehem; darum, dass er von dem Hause und Geschlechte David war: auf dass er sich schätzen ließe mit Maria, seinem vertrauten Weibe, die war schwanger. Und als sie daselbst waren, kam die Zeit, dass sie gebären sollte.

This is the German translation of the first word of the Christmas story by Luke.

[edit] External links

• Introduction and Survey of Selected Recordings
  
• Bach Cantatas Website
• Christmas Oratorio was available at the International Music Score Library Project.

[edit] References