Bach/ Oberfrank/ Fco - Christmas Oratorio

1 - The first part of the oratorio opens with a jubilant D major chorus, accompanied by an orchestra of three trumpets and timpani, pairs of flutes and of oboes, strings and organ continuo. The chorus, Jauchzet, frohlocket (Christians, be joyful) is adapted from a secular cantata for the birthday of the Princess Electress of Saxony and Queen of Poland, Maria Josepha, first performed on 8th December 1733, Tönet, ihr Pauken! (Sound, ye drums!). This triumphant introduction is followed by the words of the Evangelist, taken from the second chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, introducing the Christmas story. These narrative tenor recitatives from the biblical text serve to link arias, meditative recitatives and choral interludes, with words probably chiefly by Picander, author of the texts of a number of Bach cantatas. The Evangelist's words, accompanied by organ continuo and bass instruments only, are followed by a recitative for alto, accompanied by two oboi d'amore, and a da capo aria, Bereite dich, Zion (Prepare thyself, Sion), for alto with violin and oboe d'amore obbligato, a form in which a repeated first section frames a contrasting central section. The aria is adapted from the secular cantata Hercules auf dem Scheidewege (Hercules at the Crossroads), written in 1733 for the eleventh birthday of Prince Friedrich Christian, son of the Elector of Saxony, whose favor Bach was anxious to court in his differences with the Leipzig city authorities, his employers. The succeeding chorale, Wie soll ich dich empfangen (How should I receive Thee), uses Hans-Leo Hassler's Herzlich tut mich verlangen, with woodwind, strings and organ doubling the voices. The Evangelist announces the birth of Christ in a brief recitative, followed by a chorale, Er ist auf Erden kommen arm (He has come to earth in poverty), to the melody of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (Praise to Thee, Jesus Christ), sung by the soprano soloist, accompanied by two oboi d'amore, a hymn to which the bass soloist adds his own recitative comments. The succeeding da capo aria, Grosser Herr, o starker König, liebster Heiland (Great Lord, mighty King, beloved Saviour), adapted from the secular cantata Tönet, ihr Pauken, is sung by the bass, with an accompanying part for trumpet, as well as flute, strings and continuo. The first part of the oratorio ends with the chorale Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein (Ah my heart's beloved little Jesus), to the well known melody of Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (From Heaven above I come here), which appears twice again in the second part. 2 - The G major Sinfonia that opens the second part is a traditional pastorale, in the rhythm of the Siciliana, a shepherd dance that had come to be associated with Christmas. The Sinfonia employs pairs of transverse flutes, oboi d'amore and oboi da caccia, with strings and continuo. The Evangelist tells how shepherds were in the fields, watching their flocks, and his brief narrative leads to the chorale Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht (Break now, o beautiful morning-light). The Evangelist resumes the Gospel narrative, joined by the soprano recitative of the Angel, bidding the shepherds not to fear. A bass recitative adds a meditation on the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. An elaborately ornamented E minor tenor aria with flute obbligato, adapted from the cantata Tönet, ihr Pauken, urges the shepherds to make haste, after which the Evangelist tells them how to recognize the Holy Child. To the appropriate melody of Vom Himmel hoch, there is a further chorale, Schaut hin, dort liegt i'm finstern Stall, (See, there lies in dark stable) in the lower register of C major, and a meditative bass recitative accompanied by pairs of oboi d'amore and oboi da caccia, with more elaborate continuo bass. A G major da capo alto aria, Schlafe, mein Liebster, (Sleep, my beloved) precedes the Evangelist's resumption of the story, introducing the G major chorus of the heavenly host, Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe (Glory to God in the highest), with flutes and oboi d'amore and da caccia. A short bass recitative of comment leads to a final chorale, Wir singen dir in deinem Heer (We sing to Thee in Thy host), with a pastoral accompaniment from flutes and oboes. 3 - The third day of Christmas is celebrated in an opening D major chorus, with trumpets, timpani, flutes, oboes and strings, drawn from the cantata Tönet, ihr Pauken. The Evangelist introduces the chorus of shepherds, Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem (Let us go now even to Bethlehem). The A major chorus, possibly drawn from the lost St. Mark Passion, has an obbligato for flute and violino Bass comment in recitative leads to the chorale Dies hat er alles uns getan (All this hath He done for us), again to the melody Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ. The succeeding A major duet for soprano and bass, Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen (Lord, Thy mercy, Thy pity), in da capo form, with a pair of oboi d'amore in accompaniment, taken from the cantata Hercules auf dem Scheidewege, offers a meditation. The Evangelist tells how the shepherds found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in a manger. A violin obbligato introduces the B minor alto aria, Schliesse, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder (Enclose, my heart, this holy wonder), with a following brief and meditative recitative. The chorale Ich will dich mit Fleiss bewahren (I will keep Thee faithfully) is linked by a short continuation of the story from the Evangelist, telling of the return of the shepherds to their fields. The third part ends with another chorale, Seid froh (Now rejoice), to the melody Wie Christenleut, after which the opening chorus of the third part is repeated. 4 - The chorus that opens the fourth part of the oratorio, to be performed on the Feast of the Circumcision, Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (Fall down in thanks, fall down in praise), is scored for pairs of corni da caccia and oboes, strings and continuo, the first appearing here for the first time in the work, to be used on I y once again, in the final chorale of this part of the work. The chorus is in the key of F major and is adapted from the secular cantata Hercules auf dem Scheidewege. The Evangelist continues the narrative of the Circumcision and naming of the Child and this is followed by a recitative and chorale in which the bass is entrusted with the meditative recitative, while the soprano sings the chorale words Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben (Jesu, Thou my dearest life) to an arioso, the chorale here serving as comment on the bass meditation. The whole is accompanied only by strings and continuo and leads to a soprano echo aria, with solo oboe and continuo, Flösst, mein Heiland, flösst dein Namen (Can Thy name, my Savior), the second echo soprano offering monosyllabic agreement to the statements of the other singer. The echo aria is also adapted from Hercules auf dem Scheidewege. The recitative and chorale now continue, the latter again sung by the soprano to an arioso, with the words Jesu, meine Freud und Wonne (Jesu, my joy and delight), while the bass continues his recitative, the whole still accompanied only by strings and continuo. Two solo violins offer a busier accompaniment, with a bass line of complementary character, to the succeeding D minor da capo tenor aria, Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben (I will now live only for Thy honor), still drawing on the same secular cantata. Horns and oboes reappear, with strings and continuo, for the more elaborate accompaniment of the final chorale of the fourth part, Jesus richte mein Beginnen (Jesus direct my actions). 5 - In the fifth part, for the first Sunday of the New Year, there is an immediate return to the sharp key of A major for the opening chorus, scored for a pair of oboi d'amore, strings and continuo, with the words Ehre sei dir, Gott (Honour to Thee, God). The chorus is in da capo form. The Evangelist prepares the way for the coming of the Wise Men, whose words, following again the old tradition of allocatin