Bach essentially follows the same pattern he had already used in the opening sinfonia, now applied to a setting of the central biblical text. The music of the alto aria is soothing, with a lilting rhythm. CHRISTMAS ORATORIO Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248 [10] Music was part of how God revealed himself in the Christmas narrative, and it was at the same time a human answer: praise for the coming of Christ but also the expression of love and affection in the lullaby sung for the baby in the manger, “Sleep, my most beloved. 3: No. For an English translation and remarks on the theological and musicological context of this view of music see Rathey, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, 191. Bach plays with a common stereotype of shepherds’ music, the pastorale: lilting motives in triple meter over a simple, often static, bass. While we had been servants of the devil before, now the Child has honored us by elevating us to the citizenry of the angels. Bach was then Thomaskantor, responsible for church music at four churches in Leipzig, a position he had assumed in 1723. [1] For an excellent overview of music and angels see Meredith J. Gill, Angels and the Order of Heaven in Medieval and Renaissance Italy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), especially pages 112–134. The opening chorus, “Celebrate, rejoice, rise up and… glorify what the Highest has done today,” was completely original. The opening chorus is a celebration of music as a means of expressing the joy that will later be announced by the angels in the Gloria. Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend, BWV 248. Bach (1685-1750) created his Christmas Oratorio during 1734 for performance in church over the ensuing Christmas period. Bach’s sinfonia enacts this synthesis musically by leading the two musical choirs, which are distinct in motive and color, to a sonic synthesis. From the booklet of the Christmas Oratorio CD. 5); Martin Luther (Mvts. [5] Symbolically speaking, the angels serve as a model for the music of the shepherds. Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" is nowadays more likely to be heard and appreciated on record than in live performances. The angels play an elegantly flowing siciliano motive, while the shepherds interject with a simpler, more rustic theme. The theological synthesis is also musical synthesis. The laws for the school (Schulordnung), recently revised in 1733, described the musical duties of the pupils by comparing them to a choir of angels: “When they are singing, they shall diligently remember the nature and the duties of the holy angels; this shall teach them that the singing of sacred songs is a glorious duty and how they should behave honorably while singing these songs.”[9], For Bach and his contemporaries, Christmas music was not only a way to set a sentimental mood, not only the celebration of a “Silent Night” or the sonic memory of jingling bells. Emmanuel Music continues to perform cycles of large-scale and chamber works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Haydn, Schoenberg, Weill, Wolf, Medelssohn, and Schumann under Artistic Director Ryan Turner. It was a means of encounter with God. For much of his life, Bach was in charge of music at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, Germany. I. Christmas and music seem to belong together. 3: 4-7 / Acts 6: 8-15 & 7: 55-60; Gospel: Matthew 23: 35-39 / Luke 2: 15-20 . Although Troutbeck’s translation tried to … When the singers finally enter in measure 33, their “Shout, exult, arise” almost feels redundant, because that is exactly what the instruments have already done for quite a while. This is the case here as well. Part I: The First Day of Christmas. [6] For the original text see Rathey, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, 206. It comprises six cantatas, suitable for performing separately during the so-called twelve days of Christmas. - Rezitativ (Alt): "Sucht ihn in meiner Brust" by Anne Sofie von Otter and English Baroque Soloists and John Eliot Gardiner and The Monteverdi Choir 1:40 $1.29 Music—here the songs and psalms sung in the honor of God—serves as a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Facebook Twitter. 1). After the alto lullaby, the Evangelist announces the arrival of the heavenly hosts, and the angels sing their “May honor be to God on high,” the angelic Gloria. With this composition Bach not only tapped into a long history of music for the celebration of the birth of Christ, he also created a celebration of music itself and of music as a mode of human and divine encounter. Music as a theme features prominently in the second part of the oratorio, performed on December 26, 1734 in the St. Thomas Church. His other recent book, Bach’s Major Vocal Works, published by Yale University Press, includes a chapter on the Christmas Oratorio that explores the theological and liturgical contexts of the oratorio. Johann Sebastian Bach, John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Nancy Argenta, Olaf Bär, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Alison Bury, Lisa Beznosiuk, Monteverdi Choir, Anne Sofie von Otter - Bach: Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachts Oratorium) - Amazon.com Music [3] The festive setting of the praise of the angels is the climax of Part II, only followed by a short recitative for bass and a final chorale stanza. He also translated nine of Bach's cantatas, with the same publisher. . . refresh your breast, feel the delight” (no. The liturgy in his Leipzig churches did not provide a place to perform a piece of more than two hours in length. Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend, BWV 248 II, for the Second Day of Christmas in 1734, is the second of six cantatas (or parts) constituting this oratorio. But again, the shepherds do not only appear as passive bystanders but the angel also encourages them to sing a lullaby for the newborn Child: “Then sing for him by his cradle—in a sweet tone and with united choir—this lullaby” (no. [9] Gesetze der Schule zu S. Thomae (Leipzig:Breitkopf, 1733), 5. The soothing sound of the Baroque pastoral and the festive splendor of concerto-movements from the first half of the eighteenth century seem to capture the Christmas spirit and are often appreciated even without a deeper knowledge of classical music. [4] Cf. von Johann Friedrich Henrici [Picander]) With the edition of the Christmas Oratorio within the framework of the Stuttgart Bach Editions, Carus presents a scholarly edition for practical performance. Arise then! It fits the stereotype of a lullaby. CHRISTMAS ORATORIO. When Johann Sebastian Bach (1685­–1750) composed his Christmas Oratorio for the Christmas season 1734/35, he tackled a very ambitious project. Feel the delight.”. Bach therefore decided to split the oratorio into six separate parts, each of them to be performed before the sermon in morning services of one of the two major churches in Leipzig. J.S. Harmony between God and man is represented by musical harmony. The basis for this publication are Bach’s autograph score and the … In the hymn setting the singers join the angels and praise the newborn Son of God: “We sing to you, amid your host, with all our power . . . Earthly music was a reflection of heavenly music; the voices of the human choir emulated the angelic voices. . They belong to the feast like roasted chestnuts and peppermint sticks. [10] The idea of heavenly harmony and its sonic realization in earthly music was quite common in Baroque music theory as well as in theology; for a recent study of these concepts see Joyce I. Irvin, Foretastes of Heaven in Lutheran Church Music Tradition: Johann Mattheson and Christoph Raupach on Music in Time and Eternity, (Lanham: Rowman&Littlefield), 2015. His major study of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was published by Oxford University Press in 2016. The opening chorus, “Celebrate, rejoice, rise up and… glorify what the Highest has done today,” was completely original. 2, the story of the Three Wise Men from Mt. Already in the opening movement for Part II, however, Bach celebrates the encounter between the angels and the shepherds, albeit without words, only with the use of music. I. The hymn setting is accompanied by the instruments, and we hear again the musical motives from the opening sinfonia, as well as the intricate juxtaposition of strings (now playing together with the voices) and the nasal sound of the oboes. This phenomenon is due in part to cultural conventions; but throughout history, Christmas has also inspired musical imagination more than any other Christian feast. All of J.S.Bach's major choral works, including the Christmas Oratorio (1874), the Magnificat (1874), and the St Matthew and St John Passions (1894 and 1896 respectively), were translated by him for the music publisher Novello. Bibeltext, Kirchenlieder und freie Dichtung (evtl. contributions 16:06, 27 September 2007 (UTC) Interest of the translation: The German article is much more detailed than the English one. The goal was a sonic and spiritual harmony between heaven and earth. [4] At the beginning of his sinfonia, Bach juxtaposes these two sonic groups: the strings begin, then they are interrupted by the oboes, then the strings take the lead again, and so forth. Bach’s skillful juxtaposition and assimilation of musical ideas and musical topoi correlates with Martin Luther’s interpretation of the angelic choir in Lk. They are now our best friends. The second part of the oratorio (like the other parts as well), ends with a setting of a common congregational hymn. . [5] For a more detailed discussion of this movement see Rathey, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, 197–207. We will join with you in song.” The text for the recitative finally spells out what the music had already represented several times, the combination of heavenly and human forces in the musical praise of God. In his Hauspostille the Reformer states that through the birth of Christ, humans become co-citizens with the angels: “But he is not only our Lord, but he is also the Lord of the angels; and together with the angels we are members of the Lord’s domestic community. . Gradually, however, the oboes adopt musical ideas from the strings, and in the final moments of the sinfonia, the strings and oboes play the same motive. In particular, you can use {{Doubt | original sentence Download booklet. In the last two measures, the strings even drop out and the oboes of the shepherds play the angelic motive all by themselves. . 2:8–14), culminating in the angelic song “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe” (May honor be to God on high). The angel then urges the shepherds to go to the manger and to see “the miracle” that has taken place. This idea also shapes the following movements of Part II of the oratorio. Part II: The Second Day of Christmas. . Bach composed the six-part “Christmas Oratorio” (“Weihnachts Oratorium”) in 1734 for two Leipzig churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas, for which he served as music director. An instrumental sinfonia depicts the bucolic scene in the fields close to Bethlehem. I. Friday, 12.25.20 at 8 p.m. YouTube & Facebook. Jauchzet, Frohlocket - Christians, Be Joyful (J. S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio, Part I) Words: Original German text is attributed by some to Christian Friedrich Henrici Music: Jauchzet, Frohlocket (J. S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio, Part I) | Johann Sebastian Bach The Christmas Oratorio, written for the turn-of-year feast days in 1734/35, was composed during a period in which Bach produced comparatively few new works for his Leipzig churches. encounter during the translation process. What is more, Christmas is probably the only Christian feast that has developed its own unmistakable musical idiom: triple meter, simple texture, slow harmonic rhythm, organ points—these are not only the ingredients for a musical pastoral but they likewise characterize a wide array of popular Christmas songs, from “In dulci jubilo” to “Silent Night.”, Even in a society like ours, where communal singing has lost most of its former significance, Christmas carols still count among the best-known songs with religious texts. Bach divides the text of the heavenly chorus into three sections: the praise of God on high, the peace on earth, and the great pleasure to humankind. The shepherds encounter the message of Jesus’s birth in music and their first response is music. It is the call to all mankind to join the choir of angels: “Quite right, you angels: shout and sing. 19). They belong to the feast like roasted chestnuts and peppermint sticks. J.S. This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0  License. Its first cantata, Jauchzet, frohlocket! Original Recording Format: DSD 64. The text for the oratorio features the familiar Christmas narrative from Lk. Break forth into song, full of shouting and rejoicing” (no. English Translation in Interlinear Format Cantata BWV 248/1 - Shout for joy, exult, rise up, glorify the day Christmas Oratorio I: Event: Cantata for Christmas Day Readings: Epistle: Titus 2: 11-14 / Isaiah 9: 2-7; Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14 Text: Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander); Paul Gerhardt (Mvt. It consists of six cantatas that between them tell the story of the Nativity, and the events of the following week or so. Eilt, ach eilet, eilt das holde Kind zu sehn! Recommended Citation: Rathey, Markus. Bach. Anselm Hartinger, translation by Alice Noger-Gradon. Bach, the Christmas Oratorio text does not appear in Picander's published collection "Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte" (Leipzig 1737), which seems to indicate that it was perhaps a joint effort rather than entirely his own work. possible translation}} to highlight the problems you . Available at http://ismreview.yale.edu, PDF: music-and-divine-encounter-in-bachs-christmas-oratorio_rathey, Music and Divine Encounter in Bach’s Christmas OratorioMarkus Rathey, The Magi and the Manger: Imaging Christmas in Ancient Art and RitualFelicity Harley-McGowan and Andrew McGowan, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, RavennaArthur P. Urbano, Born in Us Today: The Gospel of IncarnationWendy Farley, A Meeting of Domestic and Liturgical Rites: Joy and Light in Orthodox ChristmasNicholas E. Denysenko, Christmas in Fear, or Looking over One’s Shoulder at the CrècheSusan K. Roll, The Grinch that Didn’t Steal Christmas: A Reformation StoryBruce Gordon, Can We Still See Calvary from Bethlehem?R. Waren Hirten in derselben Gegend, BWV 248 human choir emulated the angelic motive all by themselves p.m. YouTube Facebook!, BWV 248 the music of the strings even drop out and the shepherds play the angelic voices flowing motive. Like the other hand, are represented by musical harmony angelic voices other parts as well describes an encounter instrumental! University Press in 2016 Oratorio ( like the other hand, are represented by the nasal sound the., his many other responsibilities, such as raising 20 … original Format! Nine of Bach 's cantatas, with the same publisher also translated nine of Bach s! It is the encounter between the human and divine spheres takes place in sound 5. 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