Christmas Carols and Their Stories
Puzzle 58 · Great Composers of Christmas · Page 84 in print
Bach's Christmas Oratorio
When Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was first heard, from Christmas Day 1734 to Epiphany, the St. Nicholas congregation in Leipzig heard all six cantatas, but St. Thomas heard only four.
Jump to a word
The words
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach, composer of the Christmas Oratorio.
Cantatas
The six cantatas that make up the oratorio.
Evangelist
The tenor narrator whose part Bach composed new.
Hercules
Bach’s 1733 secular cantata Hercules at the Crossroads, reused here.
New Year's Day
Feast of the fourth cantata, heard at vespers in St Nicholas.
Oratorium
First word of the title of the printed text of 1734.
Parody
Reusing earlier music with new words, as Bach did here.
Paul Gerhardt
Hymn poet whose chorale is sung in Part VI.
Recitatives
The accompanied recitatives Bach wrote new for the oratorio.
Sinfonia
The G-major instrumental piece opening Part II.
St Nicholas
Leipzig’s main church, which heard all six cantatas.
St Thomas
Leipzig church that heard four of the six cantatas.
iopn.library.illinois.edu: Commentaries (opens a new tab) · iopn.library.illinois.edu: Commentaries (2) (opens a new tab)
Timpani
The kettledrums of Part I’s festive orchestra.
Bach Cantatas Website: Weihnachts-Oratorium (opens a new tab)
Trumpets
The high trumpets of the opening and closing movements.
iopn.library.illinois.edu: Commentaries (opens a new tab) · Bach Cantatas Website: Weihnachts-Oratorium (opens a new tab)
Vespers
The afternoon service at which St Nicholas heard three cantatas.
Sources
- Commentaries on the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage BWV 248 I / BC D 7 IIllinois Open Publishing Network (University of Illinois), English edition of Hans-Joachim Schulze, Die Bach Kantaten (2007), BWV 248 I
- Commentaries on the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben BWV 248 VI / BC D 7 VIIllinois Open Publishing Network (University of Illinois), English edition of Hans-Joachim Schulze, Die Bach Kantaten (2007), BWV 248 VI
- Commentaries on the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend BWV 248 II / BC D 7 IIIllinois Open Publishing Network (University of Illinois), English edition of Hans-Joachim Schulze, Die Bach Kantaten (2007), BWV 248 II
- Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 - DetailsBach Cantatas Website (bach-cantatas.com), BWV 248 work page