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[[Image:Anonymous 18th century Birth of Christ.jpg|thumb|300px|Birth of Christ (anonymous, Italy, 18th century)]]
The '''''Christmas Oratorio''''' (German: '''''Weihnachtsoratorium''''') [[BWV]] 248 is a musical work by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] intended for performance in church during the [[Christmas]] season. It was written for the Christmas season of [[1734 in music|1734]] incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular [[cantata]]s written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The date is confirmed in Bach's autograph manuscript. It is a particularly sophisticated example of the [[parody]] technique. The author of the text is unknown, although a likely collaborator was Christian Friedrich Henrici ([[Picander]]). It is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections.
The '''''Christmas Oratorio''''' ({{Lang-de|Weihnachtsoratorium}}) [[BWV]] 248, is an [[oratorio]] by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] intended for performance in church during the [[Christmas]] season. It was written for the Christmas season of [[1734 in music|1734]] incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular [[cantata]]s written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The date is confirmed in Bach's autograph manuscript. The next performance was not until 17 December 1857 by the [[Berlin Singakademie|Sing-Akademie zu Berlin]] under [[:de:Eduard Grell|Eduard Grell]]. The ''Christmas Oratorio'' is a particularly sophisticated example of the [[Parody#Music|parody]] technique. The author of the text is unknown, although a likely collaborator was Christian Friedrich Henrici ([[Picander]]). It is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections.


It belongs to a group of three oratorios written towards the end of Bach's career in 1734 and 1735 for major feasts, the others being the [[Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen|Ascension Oratorio]] and the [[Easter Oratorio]]. All include a tenor Evangelist as narrator and parody earlier compositions, although the Christmas Oratorio is by far the longest and most complex work.
It belongs to a group of three oratorios written towards the end of Bach's career in 1734 and 1735 for major feasts, the others being the ''[[Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen|Ascension Oratorio]]'' (BWV 11) and the ''[[Easter Oratorio]]'' (BWV 249). All include a [[tenor]] Evangelist as narrator and parody earlier compositions, although the ''Christmas Oratorio'' is by far the longest and most complex work.


The oratorio is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections. In a similar fashion to Bach's other oratorios, a tenor Evangelist narrates the story.
The first part (for Christmas Day) describes the Birth of [[Jesus]], the second (for the 26th of December) the annunciation to the shepherds, the third (for the 27th of December) the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth (for [[New Year's Day]]) the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the [[Magi]], and the sixth (for [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]) the adoration of the Magi.


The first part (for Christmas Day) describes the Birth of [[Jesus]], the second (for December 26) the annunciation to the shepherds, the third (for December 27) the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth (for [[New Year's Day]]) the [[Feast of the Circumcision of Christ|circumcision and naming of Jesus]], the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the [[Magi]], and the sixth (for [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]) the adoration of the Magi.


==Narrative Structure==
==Narrative structure==

The structure of the story is defined to a large extent by the particular requirements of the church calendar for Christmas 1734/35. Bach abandoned his usual practice when writing church cantatas of basing the content upon the Gospel reading for that day in order to achieve a coherent narrative structure. Were he to have followed the calendar, the story would have unfolded as follows:
The structure of the story is defined to a large extent by the particular requirements of the church calendar for Christmas 1734/35. Bach abandoned his usual practice when writing church cantatas of basing the content upon the Gospel reading for that day in order to achieve a coherent narrative structure. Were he to have followed the calendar, the story would have unfolded as follows:
#Birth and Annunciation to the Shepherds

<br />1. Birth and Annunciation to the Shepherds
#The Adoration of the Shepherds
#Prologue to the [[Gospel of John]]
<br />2. The Adoration of the Shepherds
#Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
<br />3. Prologue to the [[Gospel of John]]
#The [[Flight into Egypt]]
<br />4. Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
#The Coming and Adoration of the Magi
<br />5. The [[Flight into Egypt]]
This would have resulted in the Holy Family fleeing before the Magi had arrived, which was unsuitable for an oratorio evidently planned as a coherent whole. Bach removed the content for the Third Day of Christmas (December 27), John's Gospel, and split the story of the two groups of visitors —Shepherds and Magi— into two. This resulted in a more understandable exposition of the Christmas story:
<br />6. The Coming and Adoration of the Magi
#The Birth

#The Annunciation to the Shepherds
This would have resulted in the Holy Family fleeing before the Magi had arrived, which was unsuitable for an oratorio evidently planned as a coherent whole. Bach removed the content for the Third Day of Christmas (27 December), John's Gospel, and split the story of the two groups of visitors - Shepherds and Magi - into two. This resulted in a more understandable exposition of the Christmas story:
#The Adoration of the Shepherds

#The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
<br />1. The Birth
<br />2. The Annunciation to the Shepherds
#The Journey of the Magi
<br />3. The Adoration of the Shepherds
#The Adoration of the Magi
<br />4. The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
<br />5. The Journey of the Magi
<br />6. The Adoration of the Magi

The sixth part finishes with the Flight into Egypt.
The sixth part finishes with the Flight into Egypt.


That Bach saw the six parts as comprising a greater, unified whole is evident both from the surviving printed text and from the structure of the music itself. The edition has not only a title - 'Weihnachtsoratorium' - connecting together the six sections, but these sections are also numbered consecutively. As John Butt has pointed out <ref name = "Pickett1">cited in the sleeve notes to Philip Pickett's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Decca, 458 838, 1997)</ref> this points, as with the [[Mass in B Minor]] to a unity beyond the performance constraints of the church year.
That Bach saw the six parts as comprising a greater, unified whole is evident both from the surviving printed text and from the structure of the music itself. The edition has not only a title —"Weihnachtsoratorium"— connecting together the six sections, but these sections are also numbered consecutively. As John Butt has mentioned,<ref name="Pickett">Sleeve notes to [[Philip Pickett]]'s recording of the Christmas Oratorio ([[Decca Records|Decca]], 458 838, 1997)</ref> this points, as with the [[Mass in B Minor]] to a unity beyond the performance constraints of the church year.



==Performance==
==Performance==
The oratorio was written for performance on six feast days of Christmas during the winter of 1734 and 1735. The original score also contains details of when each part was performed. It was incorporated within services of the two most important churches in [[Leipzig]], [[St. Thomas Church, Leipzig|St. Thomas]] and [[St. Nicholas' Church, Leipzig|St. Nicholas]]. As can be seen below, the work was only performed in its entirety at the Nikolaikirche.

[[Image:Leipzig Nikolaikirche.jpg|thumb|St. Nicholas' Church, Leipzig]]
The oratorio was written for performance on six feast days of Christmas during the winter of 1734 and 1735. The original score also contains details of when each part was performed. It was incorporated within services of the two most important churches in [[Leipzig]], [[St. Thomas Church, Leipzig|St Thomas]] and [[St. Nicholas' Church, Leipzig|St Nicholas]]. As can be seen below, the work was only performed in its entirety at the Nikolaikirche.

First performances:
First performances:
*25 December 1734: Part I - 'early in the morning' at St. Nicholas; 'in the afternoon' at St. Thomas

<br />25 December 1734: Part I - 'early in the morning' at St Nicholas; 'in the afternoon' at St Thomas
*26 December 1734: Part II - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas
<br />26 December 1734: Part II - morning at St Thomas; afternoon at St Nicholas
*27 December 1734: Part III - morning at St. Nicholas
<br />27 December 1734: Part III - morning at St Nicholas
*1 January 1735: Part IV - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas
<br />1 January 1735: Part IV - morning at St Thomas; afternoon at St Nicholas
*2 January 1735: Part V - morning at St Nicholas
<br />2 January 1735: Part V - morning at St Nicholas
*6 January 1735: Part VI - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas
<br />6 January 1735: Part VI - morning at St Thomas; afternoon at St Nicholas



==Music==
==Music==
Bach expresses the unity of the whole work within the music itself, in part through his use of [[key signature]]s. Parts I to III are written in the keys of [[D major]], its [[subdominant]] key [[G major]] and then D again. Parts I and III are similarly scored for exuberant [[trumpet]]s, while the [[Pastoral#Pastoral music|Pastoral]] Part II (referring to the Shepherds) is, by contrast, scored for [[woodwind instrument]]s and does not include an opening chorus. Part IV is written in [[F major]] (the [[relative key]] to [[D minor]]) and marks the furthest musical point away from the oratorio's opening key. Bach then embarks upon a journey back to the opening key, via the [[Dominant (music)|dominant]] [[A major]] of Part V to the jubilant re-assertion of D major in the final part, lending an overall arc to the piece. To reinforce this connection, between the beginning and the end of the work, Bach re-uses the [[chorale]] melody of Part I's ''Wie soll ich dich empfangen?'' in the final chorus of Part VI, ''Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen''.

Bach expresses the unity of the whole work within the music itself, in part through his use of keys. Parts I to III are written in the keys of D, G and then D again. Parts I and III are similarly scored for exuberant trumpets, while the [[Pastoral#Pastoral_music|Pastoral]] Part II (referring to the Shepherds) is, by contrast, scored for woodwinds and does not include an opening chorus. Part IV is written in F major and marks the furthest musical point away from the oratorio's opening key. Bach then embarks upon a journey back to the opening key, via the A major of Part V to the jubilant re-assertion of D major in the final part, lending an overall arc to the piece. To reinforce this connection, between the beginning and the end of the work, Bach re-uses the [[Chorale]] melody of Part I's 'Wie soll ich dich empfangen?' in the final chorus of Part VI, 'Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen'.


The music represents a particularly sophisticated expression of the parody technique, by which existing music is adapted to a new purpose. Bach took the majority of the choruses and arias from works which had been written some time earlier. Most of this music was 'secular', that is written in praise of royalty or notable local figures, outside the tradition of performance within the church.
The music represents a particularly sophisticated expression of the parody technique, by which existing music is adapted to a new purpose. Bach took the majority of the choruses and arias from works which had been written some time earlier. Most of this music was 'secular', that is written in praise of royalty or notable local figures, outside the tradition of performance within the church.


These secular cantatas which provide the basis for the Christmas Oratorio, are:
These secular cantatas which provide the basis for the Christmas Oratorio, are:
*BWV 213 - ''Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen'' (''Hercules at the Crossroads'')

**Performed on 5 September 1733 for the eleventh birthday of [[Frederick Christian, Elector of Saxony|Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony]].
'''BWV 213 - 'Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen' ('Hercules at the Crossroads')'''
*BWV 214 - ''[[Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!]]''
<br />Performed on 5 September 1733 for the eleventh birthday of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony.
**Performed on 8 December 1733 for the birthday of [[Maria Josepha of Austria|Maria Josepha]], Queen of Poland and Electress of Saxony.

'''BWV 214 - 'Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!''''
*BWV 215 - ''Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen''
<br />Performed on 7 December 1733 for the birthday of [[Maria Josepha of Austria|Maria Josepha]], Queen of Poland and Electress of Saxony.
**Performed on 5 October 1734 for the coronation of the Elector of Saxony [[Augustus III of Poland|August III]] as King of Poland.
In addition to these sources, the sixth cantata is thought to have been taken almost entirely from a now-lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The trio aria in Part V ''Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen?'' is believed to be from a similarly lost source, and the chorus from the same section ''Wo ist der neugeborne König'' is from the 1731 [[St Mark Passion (Bach)|St Mark Passion]] (BWV 247).<ref name="Breig">Werner Breig, sleeve notes to [[John Eliot Gardiner]]'s recording of the Christmas Oratorio ([[Deutsche Grammophon]] Archiv, 4232322, 1987)</ref>

'''BWV 215 - 'Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen''''
<br />Performed on 5 October 1734 for the coronation of the Elector of Saxony [[Augustus III of Poland|August III]] as King of Poland.

In addition to these sources, the sixth cantata is thought to have been taken almost entirely from a now-lost church cantata, BWV 248a, the trio aria in Part V 'Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen?' is believed to be from a similarly lost source and the chorus from the same section 'Wo ist der neugeborne König' is from the 1731 St Mark Passion (BWV 247)<ref name = "Breig">Werner Breig, sleeve notes to John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, 4232322, 1987).</ref>.



==Instrumentation==
==Instrumentation==
The scoring below<ref name="Pickett" /> refers to parts, rather than necessarily to individual players. Adherents of theories specifying small numbers of performers (even to [[OVPP|'One Voice Per Part']] may however choose to use numbers approaching one instrument per named part.


;Part I: 3 [[trumpet]]s, [[timpani]], 2 [[Transverse flute|transverse flutes]], 2 [[oboe]]s, 2 [[Oboe d'amore|oboes d'amore]], 2 [[violin]]s, [[viola]], [[Figured bass|continuo group]]{{#tag:ref|The continuo part is open to some interpretation in matters of scoring. For his groundbreaking 1973 recording, Nikolaus Harnoncourt employed bassoon, [[Cello|violoncello]], [[Violone|violone]] (double bass) and organ<ref name=harnoncourt248_1>Das Alte Werk (Warner), 2564698540 (1973, re-released 2008)</ref>. Peter Schreier in 1987 used violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ and harpsichord<ref name=schreier248>Decca (Philips), 4759155 (1987, re-released 2007)</ref>. René Jacobs in 1997 chose violoncello, double bass, lute, bassoon, organ and harpsichord<ref name=jacobs248>Harmonia Mundi, HMX 2901630.31 (1997, re-released 2004)</ref>. And Jos van Veldhoven in 2003 opted for violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ, harpsichord and [[Theorbo|theorbo]].<ref name=veldhoven248>Channel Classics Records, CCS SA 20103 (2003)</ref>|group=I}}{{#tag:ref|The different types of oboes referred to above are mostly called for at different points in each section. However, numbers 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 and 21 in Part II call for 2 oboes d'amore and 2 oboes da caccia. This scoring was intended to symbolise the shepherds who are the subject of the second part. It is a reference to the pastoral music tradition of shepherds playing [[Shawm|shawm]]-like instruments at Christmas. Similarly, the pastoral sinfony in Handel's [[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]] (1741) is known as the 'Pifa' after the Italian [[Piffero|piffero or piffaro]], similar to the shawm and an ancestor of the oboe.|group=I}}
The scoring below<ref name=pickett>From the sleeve notes to Philip Pickett's 1999 recording of the work, Decca, 4588382 (1999)</ref> refers to parts, rather than necessarily to individual players. Adherents of theories specifying small numbers of performers (even to [[OVPP|'One Voice Per Part']] may however choose to use numbers approaching one instrument per named part.
;Part II: 2 flutes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 [[Oboe da caccia|oboes da caccia]], 2 violins, viola, continuo
;Part III: 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo
;Part IV: 2 [[Horn (instrument)|horns]], 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola, continuo
;Part V: 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo
;Part VI: 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo


===Notes===
'''Part I'''
<references group=I />
<br />3 trumpets, timpani, 2 [[Transverse flute|transverse flutes]], 2 oboes, 2 [[Oboe d'amore|oboes d'amore]], 2 violins, viola
<br />[[Figured bass|continuo group]] (see below)


==Text==
'''Part II'''
The ease with which the new text fits the existing music is one of the indications of how successful a parody the Christmas Oratorio is of its sources. Musicologist Alfred Dürr<ref name="Dürr">Alfred Dürr, sleeve notes to [[Nikolaus Harnoncourt]]'s first recording of the Christmas Oratorio ([[Warner Music Group|Warner]] Das Alte Werk, 2564698540, 1972, p. 10) & repeated in the notes to Harnoncourt's 2nd recording of the work ([[Sony BMG|Deutsche Harmonia Mundi]], 88697112252, 2007, p. 22)</ref> and others, such as Christoff Wolf<ref name="Wolf">Christoff Wolf, sleeve notes to [[Ton Koopman]]'s recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Warner [[Erato Records|Erato]], 0630-14635-2, 1997)</ref> have suggested that Bach's sometime collaborator Picander (the pen name of Christian Friedrich Henrici) wrote the new text, working closely with Bach to ensure a perfect fit with the re-used music. It may have even been the case that the Christmas Oratorio was already planned when Bach wrote the secular cantatas BWV 213, 214 and 215, given that the original works were written fairly close to the oratorio and the seamless way with which the new words fit the existing music.<ref name="Wolf" />
<br />2 flutes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 [[Oboe da caccia|oboes da caccia]], 2 violins, viola
<br />continuo


Nevertheless, on two occasions Bach abandoned the original plan and was compelled to write new music for the Christmas Oratorio. The [[alto]] aria in Part III, ''Schließe, mein Herze'' was originally to have been set to the music for the aria ''Durch die von Eifer entflammten Waffen'' from BWV 215. On this occasion, however, the parody technique proved to be unsuccessful and Bach composed the aria afresh. Instead, he used the model from BWV 215 for the [[Bass (voice type)|bass]] aria ''Erleucht' auch meine finstre Sinnnen'' in Part V. Similarly, the opening chorus to Part V, ''Ehre sei dir Gott!'' was almost certainly intended to be set to the music of the chorus ''Lust der Völker, Lust der Deinen'' from BWV 213, given the close correspondence between the texts of the two pieces. The third major new piece of writing (with the notable exception of the [[recitative]]s), the sublime pastoral Sinfonia which opens Part II, was composed from scratch for the new work.
'''Part III'''
<br />3 trumpets, timpani, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola
<br />continuo


In addition to the new compositions listed above, special mention must go to the recitatives, which knit together the oratorio into a coherent whole. In particular, Bach made particularly effective use of recitative when combining it with chorales in no. 7 of part I (''Er ist auf Erden kommen arm'') and even more ingeniously in the recitatives nos. 38 and 40 which frame the "Echo Aria" (''Flößt, mein Heiland''), no. 39 in part IV.
'''Part IV'''
<br />2 horns, 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola
<br />continuo


==Parts and numbers==
'''Part V'''
Each section combines choruses (a pastoral sinfonia opens Part II instead of a chorus), chorales and from the soloists recitatives, ariosos and arias.
<br />2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola
<br />continuo


The tables below do not show a key signature or a time signature for recitatives because they are all (nominally) in the key of that part and in common time. The exceptions are No. 18 which starts in [[C major]] and then [[Modulation (music)|modulates]] to G major, and No. 27 which continues in the A major of the previous movement. In any case, a key and time signatures for a recitative are merely [[musical notation]].
'''Part VI'''
===Part I===
<br />3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola
[[Image:Soest-Geburt-Christi.jpg|thumb|[[Conrad von Soest]]: ''Birth of Christ'' (1404)]]
<br />continuo
{| class="wikitable"
|+Part I: For the First Day of Christmas
!No.!!&nbsp;!![[Key signature|Key]]!![[Time signature|Time]]!!First line!!Source
|-
|1||Chorus||[[D major]]||[[Triple meter|3/8]]||''Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage''||BWV 214: Chorus, ''[[Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!|Tönet, ihr Pauken!]]''
|-
|2||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, [[tenor]])||''Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=1|range=-6}}
|-
|3||colspan=3|Recitative ([[alto]])||''Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam''||&nbsp;
|-
|4||Aria (alto)||[[A minor|A min]]/[[C major|C maj]]||3/8||''Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben''||BWV 213: Aria, ''Ich will dich nicht hören''
|-
|5||Chorale||A minor||Common||''Wie soll ich dich empfangen''||&nbsp;
|-
|6||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=7}}
|-
|7||Chorale ([[soprano]]s)<br>Recitative ([[Bass (voice type)|bass]])||D major||3/4<br>Common||''Er ist auf Erden kommen arm<br>Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhn''||&nbsp;
|-
|8||Aria (bass)||D major||2/4||''Großer Herr und starker König''||BWV 214: Aria, ''Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen''
|-
|9||Chorale||D major||Common||''Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein!''||&nbsp;
|}


===Part II===
[[Image:Georges de La Tour 001.jpg|thumb|[[Georges de La Tour]]: Adoration of the shepherds (1644)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Part II: For the Second Day of Christmas
!No.!!&nbsp;!!Key!!Time!!First line!!Source
|-
|10||Sinfonia||[[G major]]||[[Compound meter (music)|12/8]]||—||&nbsp;
|-
|11||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=8|range=-9}}
|-
|12||Chorale||G major||Common||''Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht''||&nbsp;
|-
|13||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; Angel, soprano)||''Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen<br>Fürchtet euch nicht''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=10|range=-11}}
|-
|14||colspan=3|Recitative (bass)||''Was Gott dem Abraham verheißen''||&nbsp;
|-
|15||Aria (tenor)||G major||3/8||''Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet''||BWV 214: Aria, ''Fromme Musen! meine Glieder''
|-
|16||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und das habt zum Zeichen''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=12}}
|-
|17||Chorale||C major||Common||''Schaut hin! dort liegt im finstern Stall''||&nbsp;
|-
|18||Recitative (bass)||C maj/G maj||&nbsp;||''So geht denn hin!''||&nbsp;
|-
|19||Aria (alto)||G maj/[[E minor|E min]]||2/4||''Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh'''||BWV 213: Aria, ''Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh''
|-
|20||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=13}}
|-
|21||Chorus||G major||Common||''Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=14}}
|-
|22||colspan=3|Recitative (bass)||''So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet''||&nbsp;
|-
|23||Chorale||G major||12/8||''Wir singen dir in deinem Heer''||&nbsp;
|}


===Part III===
The continuo part is open to some interpretation in matters of scoring. For his groundbreaking 1973 recording, Nikolaus Harnoncourt employed bassoon, [[Cello|violoncello]], [[Violone|violone]] (double bass) and organ<ref name=harnoncourt248_1>Das Alte Werk (Warner), 2564698540 (1973, re-released 2008)</ref>. Peter Schreier in 1987 used violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ and harpsichord<ref name=schreier248>Decca (Philips), 4759155 (1987, re-released 2007)</ref>. René Jacobs in 1997 chose violoncello, double bass, lute, bassoon, organ and harpsichord<ref name=jacobs248>Harmonia Mundi, HMX 2901630.31 (1997, re-released 2004)</ref>. And Jos van Veldhoven in 2003 opted for violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ, harpsichord and [[Theorbo|theorbo]]<ref name=veldhoven248>Channel Classics Records, CCS SA 20103 (2003)</ref>.
[[Image:Giotto - Scrovegni - -17- - Nativity, Birth of Jesus.jpg|thumb|[[Giotto di Bondone]]: Angels at the nativity (c. 1300)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Part III: For the Third Day of Christmas
!No.!!&nbsp;!!Key!!Time!!First line!!Source
|-
|24||Chorus||D major||3/8||''Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen''||BWV 214: Chorus, ''Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern''
|-
|25||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=15}}
|-
|26||Chorus||[[A major]]||3/4||''Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem''||&nbsp;
|-
|27||Recitative (bass)||A major||&nbsp;||''Er hat sein Volk getröst't''||&nbsp;
|-
|28||Chorale||D major||Common||''Dies hat er alles uns getan''||&nbsp;
|-
|29||[[Duet (music)|Duet]] (soprano, bass)||A major||3/8||''Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen''||BWV 213: Aria, ''Ich bin deine, du bist meine''
|-
|30||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und sie kamen eilend''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=16|range=-19}}
|-
|31||Aria (alto)||D maj/[[B minor|B min]]||2/4||''Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder''||&nbsp;
|-
|32||colspan=3|Recitative (alto)||''Ja, ja! mein Herz soll es bewahren''|&nbsp;
|-
|33||Chorale||G major||Common||''Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren''||&nbsp;
|-
|34||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und die Hirten kehren wieder um''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=20}}
|-
|35||Chorale||[[F-sharp minor|F{{Music|#}} minor]]||Common||''Seid froh, dieweil''||&nbsp;
|-
|24||Chorus da capo||D major||3/8||''Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen''||BWV 214: Chorus, ''Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern''
|}


===Part IV===
The different types of oboes referred to above are mostly called for at different points in each section. However, numbers 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 and 21 in Part II call for 2 oboes d'amore and 2 oboes da caccia. This scoring was intended to symbolise the shepherds who are the subject of the second part. It is a reference to the pastoral music tradition of shepherds playing [[Shawm|shawm]]-like instruments at Christmas. Similarly, the pastoral sinfony in Handel's [[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]] (1741) is known as the 'Pifa' after the Italian [[Piffero| piffero or piffaro]], similar to the shawm and an ancestor of the oboe.
[[Image:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 017.jpg|thumb|[[Rembrandt]]: Circumcision of Christ (1661)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Part IV: For [[New Year's Day]] ([[Feast of the Circumcision of Christ|Feast of the Circumcision]])
!No.!!&nbsp;!!Key!!Time!!First line!!Source
|-
|36||Chorus||[[F major]]||3/8||''Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben''||BWV 213: Chorus, ''Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen)''
|-
|37||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und da acht Tage um waren''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=21}}
|-
|38||colspan=3|Recitative (bass)<br>Arioso (sopr./bass)||''Immanuel, o süßes Wort<br>Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben''||&nbsp;
|-
|39||Aria (soprano <br>& 'Echo' soprano)||C major||6/8||''Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen''||BWV 213: Aria, ''Treues Echo dieser Orten''
|-
|40||colspan=3|Recitative (bass)<br>Arioso (soprano)||''Wohlan! dein Name soll allein<br>Jesu, meine Freud' und Wonne''||&nbsp;
|-
|41||Aria (tenor)||F major||Common||''Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben''||BWV 213: Aria, ''Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben''
|-
|42||Chorale||F major||3/4||''Jesus richte mein Beginnen''||&nbsp;
|}


===Part V===
[[Image:Magi Herod MNMA Cl23532.jpg|thumb|[[Magi]] before [[Herod the Great|Herod]]; France, early 15th century]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Part V: For the First Sunday in the New Year<ref group=V>Part V is to meant to be performed on the first Sunday in the New Year, but before the feast of [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]] on 6 January. In some years, there no such day, e.g in 2007/2008.</ref>
!No.!!&nbsp;!!Key!!Time!!First line!!Source
|-
|43||Chorus||A maj/F{{Music|#}} min||3/4||''Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen''||&nbsp;
|-
|44||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Da Jesus geboren war zu Bethlehem''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=1}}
|-
|45||Chorus<br>Recitative&nbsp;(alto)<br>Chorus||D major||Common||''Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden''<ref group=V>{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=2}}</ref><br>''Sucht ihn in meiner Brust<br>Wir haben seinen Stern gesehen''||BWV 247: ''St Mark Passion'', Chorus,<br>''Pfui dich, wie fein zerbrichst du den Tempel''<ref name="Breig" />
|-
|46||Chorale||A major||Common||''Dein Glanz all' Finsternis verzehrt''||&nbsp;
|-
|47||Aria (bass)||F{{Music|#}} minor||2/4||''Erleucht' auch meine finstre Sinnen''||BWV 215: Aria, ''Durch die von Eifer entflammeten Waffen''
|-
|48||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Da das der König Herodes hörte''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=3}}
|-
|49||colspan=3|Recitative (alto)||''Warum wollt ihr erschrecken''||&nbsp;
|-
|50||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und ließ versammeln alle Hohenpriester''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=4|range=-6}}
|-
|51||Trio<br>(sopr., alto, ten.)||D major||2/4||''Ach! wann wird die Zeit erscheinen?''||unknown
|-
|52||colspan=3|Recitative (alto)||''Mein Liebster herrschet schon''||&nbsp;
|-
|53||Chorale||A major||Common||''Zwar ist solche Herzensstube''||&nbsp;
|}
<references group=V />


==Text==
===Part VI===
[[Image:Rogier van der Weyden 009.jpg|thumb|[[Rogier van der Weyden]]: Adoration of the Magi (c. 1430–60)]]

[[Image:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 052.jpg|thumb|Rembrandt: Flight into Egypt (1627)]]
The ease with which the new text fits the existing music is one of the indications of how successful a parody the Christmas Oratorio is of its sources. Musicologist Alfred Dürr <ref name = "Dürr">Alfred Dürr, sleeve notes to Nikolaus Harnoncourt's first recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Warner Das Alte Werk, 2564698540, 1972, p. 10) & repeated in the notes to Harnoncourt's 2nd recording of the work (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 88697112252
{| class="wikitable"
, 2007, p. 22)</ref> and others, such as Christoff Wolf <ref name = "Wolf">Christoff Wolf, sleeve notes to Ton Koopman's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Warner Erato, 0630146352, 1997, p. 10)</ref> have suggested that Bach's sometime collaborator Picander (the pen name of Christian Friedrich Henrici) wrote the new text, working closely with Bach to ensure a perfect fit with the re-used music. It may have even been the case that the Christmas Oratorio was already planned when Bach wrote the secular cantatas BWV 213, 214 and 215, given that the original works were written fairly close to the oratorio and the seamless way with which the new words fit the existing music<ref name = "Wolf2">Wolf, ibid.</ref>.
|+Part VI - For the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Feast of Epiphany]]

!No.!!&nbsp;!!Key!!Time!!First line!!Source
Nevertheless, on two occasions, Bach abandoned the original plan and was compelled to write new music for the Christmas Oratorio. The alto aria in Part III, 'Schliesse, mein Herz...' was originally to have been set to the music for the aria 'Durch die von Eifer entflammten Waffen' from BWV 215. On this occasion, however, the parody technique proved to be unsuccessful and Bach composed the aria afresh. Instead, he used the model from BWV 215 for the bass aria 'Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnnen' in Part V. Similarly, the opening chorus to Part V, 'Ehre sei die, Gott, gesungen' was almost certainly intended to be set to the music of the chorus 'Lust der Völker, Lust der Deinen' from BWV 213, given the close correspondence between the texts of the two pieces. The third major new piece of writing (with the notable exception of the recitatives), the sublime pastoral Sinfonia which opens Part II, was composed from scratch for the new work.
|-

|54||Chorus||D major||3/8||''Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
In addition to the new compositions listed above, special mention must go to the recitatives, which knit together the oratorio into a coherent whole. In particular, Bach made particularly effective use of recitative, incorporating this with chorales in the 7th movement (Part I) and even more ingeniously in the recitatives (38th & 40th movements) which frame the 'Echo' aria, the 39th movement (Part IV).
|-

|55||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; [[Herod the Great|Herod]], bass)||''Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich<br><br>Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=7|range=-8}}
Each section combines choruses (a pastoral sinfonia opens Part II instead of a chorus), chorales and from the soloists recitatives, ariosos and arias:
|-
<br />
|56||colspan=3|Recitative (soprano)||''Du Falscher, suchet nur den Herrn zu fällen''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />
|-
'''Part I: For the First Day of Christmas'''
|57||Aria (soprano)||A maj/<br>F{{Music|#}} min/A maj||3/4||''Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />1. Chorus - Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage
|-
<br />''(source: BWV 214 - Chorus - Tönet, ihr Pauken!)''
<br />2. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit
|58||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=9|range=-11}}
|-
<br />3. Recitative, accompanied (alto) - Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam
|59||Chorale||G major||Common||''Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier''||&nbsp;
<br />4. Aria (alto) - Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben
|-
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Aria - Ich will dich nicht hören)''
|60||colspan=3|Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)||''Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum'''||{{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Matthew|chapter=2|verse=12}}
<br />5. Chorale - Wie soll ich dich empfangen
|-
<br />6. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn
|61||colspan=3|Recitative (tenor)||''So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />7. Chorale (sopranos) - Er ist auf Erden kommen arm
|-
<br />Recitative (bass) - Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhn
|62||Aria (tenor)||F{{Music|#}} minor||2/4||''Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />8. Aria (bass) - Großer Herr und starker König
|-
<br />''(source: BWV 214 - Aria - Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen)''
|63||colspan=3|Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)||''Was will der Höllen Schrecken nun''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />9. Chorale - Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein
|-
<br />
|64||Chorale||D major||Common||''Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen''||BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
<br />
|}
'''Part II: For the Second Day of Christmas'''
{{H:title|Sola Dei Gloria|''S. D. Gl.''}}
<br />10. Sinfonia
<br />11. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend
<br />12. Chorale - Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht
<br />13. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Under der Engel sprach zu ihnen
<br />Angel (soprano) - Fürchtet euch nicht
<br />14. Recitative (bass) - Was Gott dem Abraham verheißen
<br />15. Aria (tenor) - Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet
<br />''(source: BWV 214 - Aria - Fromme Musen! meine Glieder)''
<br />16. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und das habt zum Zeichen
<br />17. Chorale - Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall
<br />18. Recitative (bass) - So geht denn hin
<br />19. Aria (alto) - Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Aria - Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh)''
<br />20. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel
<br />21. Chorus - Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe
<br />22. Recitative (bass) - So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet
<br />23. Chorale - Wir singen dir in deinem Heer
<br />
<br />
'''Part III: For the Third Day of Christmas'''
<br />24. Chorus - Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen
<br />''(source: BWV 214 - Chorus - Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern)''
<br />25. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren
<br />26. Chorus - Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem
<br />27. Recitative (bass) - Er hat sein Volk getröst'
<br />28. Chorale - Dies hat er alles uns getan
<br />29. Duet (soprano, bass) - Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Aria - Ich bin deine, du bist meine)''
<br />30. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und sie kamen eilend
<br />31. Aria (alto) - Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder
<br />32. Recitative (alto) - Ja, ja, mein Herz soll es bewahren
<br />33. Chorale - Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren
<br />34. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und die Hirten kehren wieder um
<br />35. Chorale - Seid froh dieweil
<br />24. Chorus da capo - Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen
<br />
<br />
'''Part IV: For New Year's Day (Feast of the Circumcision)'''
<br />36. Chorus - Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Chorus - Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen)''
<br />37. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und da acht Tage um waren
<br />38. Recitative (bass) - Immanuel, o süßes Wort
<br />Arioso (sopranos, bass) - Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben (chorale)
<br />39. Aria (soprano & 'echo' soprano) - Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Aria - Treues Echo dieser Orten)''
<br />40. Recitative (bass) - Wohlan, dein Name soll allein
<br />Chorale (sopranos) - Jesu, meine Freud und Wonne
<br />41. Aria (tenor) - Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben
<br />''(source: BWV 213 - Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben)''
<br />42. Chorale - Jesus richte mein Beginnen
<br />
<br />
'''Part V: For the First Sunday in the New Year'''
<br />43. Chorus - Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen
<br />44. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Da Jesus geboren war zu Bethlehem
<br />45. Chorus - Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden
<br />''(source: BWV 247 - St Mark Passion - Chorus - Pfui dich, wie fein zerbrichst du den Tempel<ref name = "Breig">Werner Breig, sleeve notes to John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, 4232322, 1987).</ref>)''
<br />Recitative (alto) - Sucht ihn in meiner Brust
<br />46. Chorale - Dein Glanz all Finsternis verzehrt
<br />47. Aria (bass) - Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen
<br />''(source: BWV 215 - Durch die von Eifer entflammeten Waffen)''
<br />48. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Da das der König Herodes hörte
<br />49. Recitative (alto) - Warum wollt ihr erschrecken
<br />50. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und ließ versammeln alle Hohenpriester
<br />51. Trio (soprano, alto, tenor) - Ach, wann wird die Zeit erscheinen?
<br />''(source: unknown)''
<br />52. Recitative (alto) - Mein Liebster herrschet schon
<br />53. Chorale - Zwar ist solche Herzensstube
<br />
<br />
'''Part VI - For the Feast of Epiphany'''
<br />54. Chorus - Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />55. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich
<br />Herod (bass) - Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig
<br />56. Recitative (soprano) - Du Falscher, suchet nur den Herrn zu fällen
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />57. Aria (soprano) - Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />58. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten
<br />59. Chorale - Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier
<br />60. Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) - Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum
<br />61. Recitative (tenor) - So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />62. Aria (tenor) - Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />63. Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) - Was will der Höllen Schrecken nun
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''
<br />64. Chorale - Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen
<br />''(source: lost church cantata BWV 248a)''


==Recordings==
*1964: {{Imdb title|0227467|Selections from the Christmas Oratorio|(1964)}}, Glenn Schnittke (tenor), [[Maureen Forrester]] (alto), Jan Simons (bass)
*1973: [[:de:Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden|Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden]], [[:de:Theo Altmeyer|Theo Altmeyer]] (tenor), Andreas Stein (alto), [[Barry McDaniel]] (baritone), Hans Buchhierl (soprano), [[Tölzer Knabenchor]], [[:de:Collegium Aureum|Collegium Aureum]]. [[Sony BMG|Deutsche Harmonia Mundi]] GD77046. This recording uses a tuning where the [[Pitch (music)|pitch]] of the note [[A (musical note)|A]] is set to a [[semitone]] below today's standard of [[A440|A=440]] [[Hertz|Hz]].
*1973: [[Nikolaus Harnoncourt]], Kurt Equiluz (tenor), [[Paul Esswood]] ([[countertenor]]), [[Siegmund Nimsgern]] (bass), [[Vienna Boys' Choir|Wiener Sängerknaben]], [[Concentus Musicus Wien]]. [[Teldec]] — Das Alte Werk 9031-77610-2
*1987: [[John Eliot Gardiner]], [[Anthony Rolfe Johnson]] (tenor, Evangelist), [[Anne Sofie von Otter]] (alto), [[Olaf Bär]] (bass), Hans Peter Blochwitz (tenor), [[Nancy Argenta]] (soprano), [[Monteverdi Choir]], [[English Baroque Soloists]]. [[Deutsche Grammophon]] [[:de:Archiv Produktion|Archiv]] 4232322
*1989: [[Philippe Herreweghe]], [[Howard Crook]] (tenor), [[Michael Chance]] (alto), Peter Kooy (bass), Barbara Schlick (soprano), [[Collegium Vocale Gent]]. [[Virgin Veritas|Virgin Classics Veritas]] 90781 or 0777 7595302 2
*1996: [[Ton Koopman]], [[Christoph Prégardien]] (tenor), Elisabeth von Magnus (alto), Lisa Larson (soprano), Klaus Mertens (bass), [[Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir]]. [[Erato Records]] 0630-14635-2
*1997: [[Philip Pickett]], New London Consort; [[Paul Agnew]] (tenor, Evangelist), Michael Chance (countertenor), Michael George (bass), Andrew King (tenor), [[Catherine Bott]] (soprano); plus 7 other soloists making up the chorus. [[Decca Records|Decca]] 458 838
*1997: [[René Jacobs]], Werner Güra (tenor), [[Andreas Scholl]] (alto), Klaus Häger (bass), [[Dorothea Röschmann]] (soprano) [[:de:RIAS-Kammerchor|RIAS-Kammerchor]], [[Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin]]. [[Harmonia Mundi]], 2901630.31
*1999: John Eliot Gardiner, [[:de:Christoph Genz|Christoph Genz]] (tenor), Bernarda Fink (alto), [[:de:Dietrich Henschel|Dietrich Henschel]] (bass), [[Claron McFadden]] (soprano), Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists. [[Naxos Records|Arthaus Musik]] TDK DVD-BACHHO. This recording is used in the the film ''[[:sv:Juloratoriet (film)|Juloratoriet]]'' (1996) (English title: ''Christmas Oratorio'').<ref>{{Imdb title|0116725|Juloratoriet|(1996)}}</ref>
*2003: [[Jos van Veldhoven]], Gerd Türk (tenor), Annette Markert (alto), Peter Harvey (bass), Johanette Zomer (soprano), [[:nl:De Nederlandse Bachvereniging|De Nederlandse Bachvereniging]]. [[:nl:Channel Classics Records|Channel Classics Records]] CCS SA 20103
*2005: [[:de:Martin Flämig|Martin Flämig]], [[Peter Schreier]] (tenor), Annelies Burmeister (alto), [[Arleen Auger|Arleen Augér]] (soprano), Theo Adam (bass), [[Dresdner Kreuzchor]], [[Dresden Philharmonic]]. Berlin Classics BER 183892
*2007: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, [[:de:Werner Güra|Werner Güra]] (tenor), [[Bernarda Fink]] ([[mezzo-soprano]]), [[Gerald Finley]] ([[baritone]]), [[:de:Christian Gerhaher|Christian Gerhaher]] (baritone), [[Christine Schäfer]] (soprano), [[Arnold Schoenberg Choir|Arnold Schönberg Choir]], Concentus Musicus Wien. Recorded at the [[Musikverein|Wiener Musikverein]]; [[Sony BMG|Deutsche Harmonia Mundi]], 8869 711225 2


==References==
==References==
<references />
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*Complete text (in German) and instrumentation: [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248I.html Part I], [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248II.html Part II], [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248III.html Part III], [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248IV.html Part IV], [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248V.html Part V], [http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/248VI.html Part VI]
* [http://christmasmatters.org/music-bach-oratorio.html Introduction and Survey of Selected Recordings]<br />
*[http://christmasmatters.org/music-bach-oratorio.html Introduction and Survey of Selected Recordings]
* [http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV248.htm Bach Cantatas Website]
*[http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV248.htm Bach Cantatas Website] Details, recordings & reviews
* {{IMSLP2|id=Christmas_Oratorio%2C_BWV_248_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29|cname=Christmas Oratorio}}
*[http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/XO-Satz.htm Donald Satz: ''A Bottomless Bucket of Bach – Christmas Oratorio'' (April 2000)] Details & comparison of four recordings
*{{IMSLP2|id=Christmas_Oratorio%2C_BWV_248_%28Bach%2C_Johann_Sebastian%29|cname=Christmas Oratorio}}


[[Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Oratorio}}
[[Category:Oratorios]]
[[Category:Oratorios]]
[[Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach]]
[[Category:1734 works]]
[[Category:Christmas music]]


{{Link FA|nl}}
{{Link FA|nl}}

[[bg:Коледна оратория]]
[[bg:Коледна оратория]]
[[ca:Oratori de Nadal]]
[[ca:Oratori de Nadal]]

Revision as of 12:43, 10 November 2008

Birth of Christ (anonymous, Italy, 18th century)

The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium) BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The date is confirmed in Bach's autograph manuscript. The next performance was not until 17 December 1857 by the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin under Eduard Grell. The Christmas Oratorio is a particularly sophisticated example of the parody technique. The author of the text is unknown, although a likely collaborator was Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander). It is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections.

It belongs to a group of three oratorios written towards the end of Bach's career in 1734 and 1735 for major feasts, the others being the Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) and the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249). All include a tenor Evangelist as narrator and parody earlier compositions, although the Christmas Oratorio is by far the longest and most complex work.

The oratorio is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections. In a similar fashion to Bach's other oratorios, a tenor Evangelist narrates the story.

The first part (for Christmas Day) describes the Birth of Jesus, the second (for December 26) the annunciation to the shepherds, the third (for December 27) the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth (for New Year's Day) the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the Magi, and the sixth (for Epiphany) the adoration of the Magi.

Narrative structure

The structure of the story is defined to a large extent by the particular requirements of the church calendar for Christmas 1734/35. Bach abandoned his usual practice when writing church cantatas of basing the content upon the Gospel reading for that day in order to achieve a coherent narrative structure. Were he to have followed the calendar, the story would have unfolded as follows:

  1. Birth and Annunciation to the Shepherds
  2. The Adoration of the Shepherds
  3. Prologue to the Gospel of John
  4. Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
  5. The Flight into Egypt
  6. The Coming and Adoration of the Magi

This would have resulted in the Holy Family fleeing before the Magi had arrived, which was unsuitable for an oratorio evidently planned as a coherent whole. Bach removed the content for the Third Day of Christmas (December 27), John's Gospel, and split the story of the two groups of visitors —Shepherds and Magi— into two. This resulted in a more understandable exposition of the Christmas story:

  1. The Birth
  2. The Annunciation to the Shepherds
  3. The Adoration of the Shepherds
  4. The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus
  5. The Journey of the Magi
  6. The Adoration of the Magi

The sixth part finishes with the Flight into Egypt.

That Bach saw the six parts as comprising a greater, unified whole is evident both from the surviving printed text and from the structure of the music itself. The edition has not only a title —"Weihnachtsoratorium"— connecting together the six sections, but these sections are also numbered consecutively. As John Butt has mentioned,[1] this points, as with the Mass in B Minor to a unity beyond the performance constraints of the church year.

Performance

The oratorio was written for performance on six feast days of Christmas during the winter of 1734 and 1735. The original score also contains details of when each part was performed. It was incorporated within services of the two most important churches in Leipzig, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas. As can be seen below, the work was only performed in its entirety at the Nikolaikirche.

St. Nicholas' Church, Leipzig

First performances:

  • 25 December 1734: Part I - 'early in the morning' at St. Nicholas; 'in the afternoon' at St. Thomas
  • 26 December 1734: Part II - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas
  • 27 December 1734: Part III - morning at St. Nicholas
  • 1 January 1735: Part IV - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas
  • 2 January 1735: Part V - morning at St Nicholas
  • 6 January 1735: Part VI - morning at St. Thomas; afternoon at St. Nicholas

Music

Bach expresses the unity of the whole work within the music itself, in part through his use of key signatures. Parts I to III are written in the keys of D major, its subdominant key G major and then D again. Parts I and III are similarly scored for exuberant trumpets, while the Pastoral Part II (referring to the Shepherds) is, by contrast, scored for woodwind instruments and does not include an opening chorus. Part IV is written in F major (the relative key to D minor) and marks the furthest musical point away from the oratorio's opening key. Bach then embarks upon a journey back to the opening key, via the dominant A major of Part V to the jubilant re-assertion of D major in the final part, lending an overall arc to the piece. To reinforce this connection, between the beginning and the end of the work, Bach re-uses the chorale melody of Part I's Wie soll ich dich empfangen? in the final chorus of Part VI, Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen.

The music represents a particularly sophisticated expression of the parody technique, by which existing music is adapted to a new purpose. Bach took the majority of the choruses and arias from works which had been written some time earlier. Most of this music was 'secular', that is written in praise of royalty or notable local figures, outside the tradition of performance within the church.

These secular cantatas which provide the basis for the Christmas Oratorio, are:

In addition to these sources, the sixth cantata is thought to have been taken almost entirely from a now-lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The trio aria in Part V Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen? is believed to be from a similarly lost source, and the chorus from the same section Wo ist der neugeborne König is from the 1731 St Mark Passion (BWV 247).[2]

Instrumentation

The scoring below[1] refers to parts, rather than necessarily to individual players. Adherents of theories specifying small numbers of performers (even to 'One Voice Per Part' may however choose to use numbers approaching one instrument per named part.

Part I
3 trumpets, timpani, 2 transverse flutes, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo group[I 1][I 2]
Part II
2 flutes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 oboes da caccia, 2 violins, viola, continuo
Part III
3 trumpets, timpani, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo
Part IV
2 horns, 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola, continuo
Part V
2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo
Part VI
3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola, continuo

Notes

  1. ^ The continuo part is open to some interpretation in matters of scoring. For his groundbreaking 1973 recording, Nikolaus Harnoncourt employed bassoon, violoncello, violone (double bass) and organ[3]. Peter Schreier in 1987 used violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ and harpsichord[4]. René Jacobs in 1997 chose violoncello, double bass, lute, bassoon, organ and harpsichord[5]. And Jos van Veldhoven in 2003 opted for violoncello, double bass, bassoon, organ, harpsichord and theorbo.[6]
  2. ^ The different types of oboes referred to above are mostly called for at different points in each section. However, numbers 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 and 21 in Part II call for 2 oboes d'amore and 2 oboes da caccia. This scoring was intended to symbolise the shepherds who are the subject of the second part. It is a reference to the pastoral music tradition of shepherds playing shawm-like instruments at Christmas. Similarly, the pastoral sinfony in Handel's Messiah (1741) is known as the 'Pifa' after the Italian piffero or piffaro, similar to the shawm and an ancestor of the oboe.

Text

The ease with which the new text fits the existing music is one of the indications of how successful a parody the Christmas Oratorio is of its sources. Musicologist Alfred Dürr[7] and others, such as Christoff Wolf[8] have suggested that Bach's sometime collaborator Picander (the pen name of Christian Friedrich Henrici) wrote the new text, working closely with Bach to ensure a perfect fit with the re-used music. It may have even been the case that the Christmas Oratorio was already planned when Bach wrote the secular cantatas BWV 213, 214 and 215, given that the original works were written fairly close to the oratorio and the seamless way with which the new words fit the existing music.[8]

Nevertheless, on two occasions Bach abandoned the original plan and was compelled to write new music for the Christmas Oratorio. The alto aria in Part III, Schließe, mein Herze was originally to have been set to the music for the aria Durch die von Eifer entflammten Waffen from BWV 215. On this occasion, however, the parody technique proved to be unsuccessful and Bach composed the aria afresh. Instead, he used the model from BWV 215 for the bass aria Erleucht' auch meine finstre Sinnnen in Part V. Similarly, the opening chorus to Part V, Ehre sei dir Gott! was almost certainly intended to be set to the music of the chorus Lust der Völker, Lust der Deinen from BWV 213, given the close correspondence between the texts of the two pieces. The third major new piece of writing (with the notable exception of the recitatives), the sublime pastoral Sinfonia which opens Part II, was composed from scratch for the new work.

In addition to the new compositions listed above, special mention must go to the recitatives, which knit together the oratorio into a coherent whole. In particular, Bach made particularly effective use of recitative when combining it with chorales in no. 7 of part I (Er ist auf Erden kommen arm) and even more ingeniously in the recitatives nos. 38 and 40 which frame the "Echo Aria" (Flößt, mein Heiland), no. 39 in part IV.

Parts and numbers

Each section combines choruses (a pastoral sinfonia opens Part II instead of a chorus), chorales and from the soloists recitatives, ariosos and arias.

The tables below do not show a key signature or a time signature for recitatives because they are all (nominally) in the key of that part and in common time. The exceptions are No. 18 which starts in C major and then modulates to G major, and No. 27 which continues in the A major of the previous movement. In any case, a key and time signatures for a recitative are merely musical notation.

Part I

Conrad von Soest: Birth of Christ (1404)
Part I: For the First Day of Christmas
No.   Key Time First line Source
1 Chorus D major 3/8 Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage BWV 214: Chorus, Tönet, ihr Pauken!
2 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit Luke 2:1-6
3 Recitative (alto) Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam  
4 Aria (alto) A min/C maj 3/8 Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben BWV 213: Aria, Ich will dich nicht hören
5 Chorale A minor Common Wie soll ich dich empfangen  
6 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn Luke 2:7
7 Chorale (sopranos)
Recitative (bass)		 D major 3/4
Common		 Er ist auf Erden kommen arm
Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhn		  
8 Aria (bass) D major 2/4 Großer Herr und starker König BWV 214: Aria, Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen
9 Chorale D major Common Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein!  

Part II

Georges de La Tour: Adoration of the shepherds (1644)
Part II: For the Second Day of Christmas
No.   Key Time First line Source
10 Sinfonia G major 12/8 —  
11 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend Luke 2:8-9
12 Chorale G major Common Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht  
13 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; Angel, soprano) Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen
Fürchtet euch nicht		 Luke 2:10-11
14 Recitative (bass) Was Gott dem Abraham verheißen  
15 Aria (tenor) G major 3/8 Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet BWV 214: Aria, Fromme Musen! meine Glieder
16 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und das habt zum Zeichen Luke 2:12
17 Chorale C major Common Schaut hin! dort liegt im finstern Stall  
18 Recitative (bass) C maj/G maj   So geht denn hin!  
19 Aria (alto) G maj/E min 2/4 Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh' BWV 213: Aria, Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh
20 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel Luke 2:13
21 Chorus G major Common Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe Luke 2:14
22 Recitative (bass) So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet  
23 Chorale G major 12/8 Wir singen dir in deinem Heer  

Part III

Giotto di Bondone: Angels at the nativity (c. 1300)
Part III: For the Third Day of Christmas
No.   Key Time First line Source
24 Chorus D major 3/8 Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen BWV 214: Chorus, Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern
25 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren Luke 2:15
26 Chorus A major 3/4 Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem  
27 Recitative (bass) A major   Er hat sein Volk getröst't  
28 Chorale D major Common Dies hat er alles uns getan  
29 Duet (soprano, bass) A major 3/8 Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen BWV 213: Aria, Ich bin deine, du bist meine
30 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und sie kamen eilend Luke 2:16-19
31 Aria (alto) D maj/B min 2/4 Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder  
32 Recitative (alto)  
33 Chorale G major Common Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren  
34 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und die Hirten kehren wieder um Luke 2:20
35 Chorale F♯ minor Common Seid froh, dieweil  
24 Chorus da capo D major 3/8 Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen BWV 214: Chorus, Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern

Part IV

Rembrandt: Circumcision of Christ (1661)
Part IV: For New Year's Day (Feast of the Circumcision)
No.   Key Time First line Source
36 Chorus F major 3/8 Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben BWV 213: Chorus, Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen)
37 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und da acht Tage um waren Luke 2:21
38 Recitative (bass)
Arioso (sopr./bass)		 Immanuel, o süßes Wort
Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben		  
39 Aria (soprano
& 'Echo' soprano)		 C major 6/8 Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen BWV 213: Aria, Treues Echo dieser Orten
40 Recitative (bass)
Arioso (soprano)		 Wohlan! dein Name soll allein
Jesu, meine Freud' und Wonne		  
41 Aria (tenor) F major Common Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben BWV 213: Aria, Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben
42 Chorale F major 3/4 Jesus richte mein Beginnen  

Part V

Magi before Herod; France, early 15th century
Part V: For the First Sunday in the New Year[V 1]
No.   Key Time First line Source
43 Chorus A maj/F♯ min 3/4 Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen  
44 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Da Jesus geboren war zu Bethlehem Matthew 2:1
45 Chorus
Recitative (alto)
Chorus		 D major Common Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden[V 2]
Sucht ihn in meiner Brust
Wir haben seinen Stern gesehen		 BWV 247: St Mark Passion, Chorus,
Pfui dich, wie fein zerbrichst du den Tempel[2]
46 Chorale A major Common Dein Glanz all' Finsternis verzehrt  
47 Aria (bass) F♯ minor 2/4 Erleucht' auch meine finstre Sinnen BWV 215: Aria, Durch die von Eifer entflammeten Waffen
48 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Da das der König Herodes hörte Matthew 2:3
49 Recitative (alto) Warum wollt ihr erschrecken  
50 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und ließ versammeln alle Hohenpriester Matthew 2:4-6
51 Trio
(sopr., alto, ten.)		 D major 2/4 Ach! wann wird die Zeit erscheinen? unknown
52 Recitative (alto) Mein Liebster herrschet schon  
53 Chorale A major Common Zwar ist solche Herzensstube  
  1. ^ Part V is to meant to be performed on the first Sunday in the New Year, but before the feast of Epiphany on 6 January. In some years, there no such day, e.g in 2007/2008.
  2. ^ Matthew 2:2

Part VI

Rogier van der Weyden: Adoration of the Magi (c. 1430–60)
Rembrandt: Flight into Egypt (1627)
Part VI - For the Feast of Epiphany
No.   Key Time First line Source
54 Chorus D major 3/8 Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
55 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; Herod, bass) Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich

Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig		 Matthew 2:7-8
56 Recitative (soprano) Du Falscher, suchet nur den Herrn zu fällen BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
57 Aria (soprano) A maj/
F♯ min/A maj		 3/4 Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
58 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten Matthew 2:9-11
59 Chorale G major Common Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier  
60 Recitative (Evangelist, tenor) Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum' Matthew 2:12
61 Recitative (tenor) So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
62 Aria (tenor) F♯ minor 2/4 Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
63 Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) Was will der Höllen Schrecken nun BWV 248a (lost church cantata)
64 Chorale D major Common Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen BWV 248a (lost church cantata)

Sola Dei Gloria

Recordings

References

  1. ^ a b Sleeve notes to Philip Pickett's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Decca, 458 838, 1997)
  2. ^ a b Werner Breig, sleeve notes to John Eliot Gardiner's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Deutsche Grammophon Archiv, 4232322, 1987)
  3. ^ Das Alte Werk (Warner), 2564698540 (1973, re-released 2008)
  4. ^ Decca (Philips), 4759155 (1987, re-released 2007)
  5. ^ Harmonia Mundi, HMX 2901630.31 (1997, re-released 2004)
  6. ^ Channel Classics Records, CCS SA 20103 (2003)
  7. ^ Alfred Dürr, sleeve notes to Nikolaus Harnoncourt's first recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Warner Das Alte Werk, 2564698540, 1972, p. 10) & repeated in the notes to Harnoncourt's 2nd recording of the work (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 88697112252, 2007, p. 22)
  8. ^ a b Christoff Wolf, sleeve notes to Ton Koopman's recording of the Christmas Oratorio (Warner Erato, 0630-14635-2, 1997)
  9. ^ Juloratoriet (1996) at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata

External links

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