Translation by Francis Browne (www.bach-cantatas.com) Bach—Christmas Oratorio: Frohe Hirten Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet, Eh ihr euch zu lang verweilet, Eilt, das holde Kind zu sehn! 18).[8]. Download booklet. The opening chorus, “Celebrate, rejoice, rise up and… glorify what the Highest has done today,” was completely original. Harmony between God and man is represented by musical harmony. to watch this page]. It comprises six cantatas, suitable for performing separately during the so-called twelve days of Christmas. Year of release: 2001 . Already the opening movement of the oratorio begins with the praise of God through music: “Shout, exult, arise, praise the days [of Christmas]. They belong to the feast like roasted chestnuts and peppermint sticks. Music as a theme features prominently in the second part of the oratorio, performed on December 26, 1734 in the St. Thomas Church. Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" is nowadays more likely to be heard and appreciated on record than in live performances. English Translation in Parallel Format Cantata BWV 248/2 - And there were shepherds in the same area Christmas Oratorio II: Event: Cantata for the 2 nd Day of Christmas [St. Stefanus Day] Readings: Epistle: Titus. 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. If the angels are singing, the shepherds have to be imagined as following their example by singing, as well. This section is for all those who have requested this translation, are translating or proofreading this article, or just want to give some advice about the translation in progress. [7] Christoph Starke, Synopsis Bibliothecae Exegeticae in Novum Testamentum: Kurzgefaster Auszug Der gründlichsten und nutzbarsten Auslegungen über alle Bücher Neues Testaments, vol. 2, the story of the Three Wise Men from Mt. SKU: 30809. . 5); Martin Luther (Mvts. 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. Each group also has its unique musical ideas. It fits the stereotype of a lullaby. As he had already done in the opening sinfonia, Bach establishes a juxtaposition between the divine sphere in the first section and the human sphere in the second section; in the third section, he leads these two spheres to a synthesis by combining musical ideas from the first two sections. I. The angelic Gloria is followed by a small recitative, sung by the bass voice, which connects the praise of the angels with the human response. Bach’s skillful juxtaposition and assimilation of musical ideas and musical topoi correlates with Martin Luther’s interpretation of the angelic choir in Lk. Bach’s sinfonia enacts this synthesis musically by leading the two musical choirs, which are distinct in motive and color, to a sonic synthesis. For an English translation and remarks on the theological and musicological context of this view of music see Rathey, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, 191. encounter during the translation process. Bach - Christmas Oratorio The Netherlands Bach Society Bach. This idea also shapes the following movements of Part II of the oratorio. 3: 4-7 / Acts 6: 8-15 & 7: 55-60; Gospel: Matthew 23: 35-39 / Luke 2: 15-20 Program Notes J.S. Each part is a cantata for 1 of 6 feast days within the 12 days of the Christmas season: The story begins with the birth of Jesus (for Christmas Day). 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. Traces of a similar view of music can also be found in other movements of the oratorio, albeit not as concentrated as in Part II. [2] Some of the parts were also repeated during the Vespers services; for the liturgical context see Markus Rathey, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio: Music, Theology, Culture (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), 120–125. . Bach envisions the angels and the shepherds as two “choirs,” two musical ensembles, which engage in a dialogue. Add to cart. Break forth into song, full of shouting and rejoicing” (no. 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. 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. Emmanuel Music is a Boston-based ensemble of singers and instrumentalists founded in 1970 by Craig Smith to perform the complete sacred cantatas of J.S. They belong to the feast like roasted chestnuts and peppermint sticks. [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. Eilt, ach eilet, eilt das holde Kind zu sehn! The book analyzes Bach’s masterwork from a musical, cultural, and theological perspective and sheds new light on Bach’s own compositional process. This phenomenon is due in part to cultural conventions; but throughout history, Christmas has also inspired musical imagination more than any other Christian feast. 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. Feel the delight.”. 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. 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. The theological synthesis is also musical synthesis. While we had been servants of the devil before, now the Child has honored us by elevating us to the citizenry of the angels. Arise then! 2:8–14), culminating in the angelic song “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe” (May honor be to God on high). Bach plays with a common stereotype of shepherds’ music, the pastorale: lilting motives in triple meter over a simple, often static, bass. 1, Article 1. . - 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 However, for Bach and his anonymous librettist there is no question but that the encounter would have a musical component. 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. Choral Sheet Music. . . . 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. His major study of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was published by Oxford University Press in 2016. The basis for this publication are Bach’s autograph score and the … Buy Christmas Oratorio (SATB ) by J. S. Bach at jwpepper.com. When Johann Sebastian Bach (1685­–1750) composed his Christmas Oratorio for the Christmas season 1734/35, he tackled a very ambitious project. . Perhaps the greatest offering of all is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. refresh your breast, feel the delight” (no. J.S. This material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0  License. [4] Cf. II contributions 16:06, 27 September 2007 (UTC) Interest of the translation: The German article is much more detailed than the English one. The lullaby that follows is a beautiful alto aria, which meditates on the intimate relationship between the believer and Jesus: “Sleep, my most beloved, enjoy your rest . < Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Dana Marsh, Artistic Director. Chorus (S, A, T, B) Ruler of heaven, give ear to our stammer, Let these our weary refrains bring thee pleasure, As thee thy Zion with psalms doth exalt! An instrumental sinfonia depicts the bucolic scene in the fields close to Bethlehem. [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. Paintings of the Nativity in the Renaissance and the Baroque frequently feature angels with instruments (often string instruments such as viola da gambas or violins), and the shepherds are often depicted bringing their flutes and reed instruments to the manger to play their simple tunes for the newborn Christ.[1]. I. Friday, 12.25.20 at 8 p.m. YouTube & Facebook. Auf, preiset die Tage (Shout for joy, exult, rise up, praise the day), BWV 248 I (also written as BWV 248 I), is a 1734 Christmas cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach that serves as the first part of his Christmas Oratorio. While the biblical narrative expects the angels to sing their angelic Gloria, nowhere do we read in the Gospel of Luke that the shepherds made music as well. [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. Even though the hymn was here to be sung by the choir, hymn settings like this commonly represented the voice of the congregation in Bach’s oratorios. This is the case here as well. Part II: The Second Day of Christmas. For much of his life, Bach was in charge of music at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, Germany. [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. The same is true for the opening movement of the third part of the oratorio: “Ruler of heaven, give heed to our babble, let our feeble songs praise you” (no. In the Christmas Oratorio, Bach took virtually every solo from sacred music he had composed earlier and combined them with other choruses and instrumentals that were both new and old. 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 19). Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet, Bach was then Thomaskantor, responsible for church music at four churches in Leipzig, a position he had assumed in 1723. The text for the oratorio features the familiar Christmas narrative from Lk. . Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and the Christmas sections from Handel’s Messiah are an integral part of the public and private soundscapes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Although Troutbeck’s translation tried to … The shepherds, on the other hand, are represented by the nasal sound of the oboes—again a typical feature in Baroque iconography. (2016) “Music and Divine Encounter in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio,” The Yale ISM Review: Vol. Christmas and music seem to belong together. He also translated nine of Bach's cantatas, with the same publisher. 14). 2, as well as free poetry and hymns. However, his many other responsibilities, such as raising 20 … It was never intended for performance in one sitting. 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. 248 Johann Sebastian Bach ( 1685­–1750 ) composed his Christmas Oratorio for the 1st Sunday the! Their first response is music Marsh, Artistic Director not provide a to... 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