Johann Sebastian Bach Christmas Oratorio (Part I-III)

Shout ye exultant this Day of Salvation,
glory to God in the highest today!
Fear ye no longer, forsake lamentation,
sing ye with gladness, exultant and gay!
Worship the Master and bow ye before him.
Come all ye faithful with song to adore him.

And in those same days it came to pass, that there went out a decree from Augustus Caesar, that all the world enroll for taxes, and ev’ryone went, that he might be reborded, each going into his own city. And also there went up Joseph from Galilee up out of Nazareth, to the city of David, in Judea, which is called Bethlehem, for Joseph was of the house and of the lineage of David; that there might be enrolled for tax with Mary, Mary, his wedded wife, being great with child. And while they yet were there it came the time that she should be delivered.

At last, beloved Saviour mine,
at last, thou Child of David’s line
art come, our consolation,
to compass man’s salvation.
At last is Jacob’s star fair shining,
behold its glorious ray.
Up Zion, put away from thee repining,
for all is well today.

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Jauchzet, frohlocket! auf, preiset die Tage,
rühmet, was heute der Höchste getan!
Lasset das Zagen, verbannet die Klage,
stimmet voll Jauchzen und Fröhlichkeit an!
Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören,
lasst uns den Namen des Herrschers verehren!

Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit, dass ein Gebot von dem Kaiser Augusto ausging, dass alle Welt geschätzet würde. Und jedermann ging, dass er sich schätzen ließe, ein jeglicher in seine Stadt. Da machte sich auch auf Joseph aus Galiläa, aus der Stadt Nazareth, in das jüdische Land zur Stadt David, die da heißet Bethlehem; darum, dass er von dem Hause und Geschlechte David war, auf dass er sich schätzen ließe mit Maria, seinem vertrauten Weibe, die war schwanger. Und als sie daselbst waren, kam die Zeit, dass sie gebären sollte.

Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam,
nun wird der Held aus Davids Stamm
zum Trost, zum Heil der Erden,
einmal geboren werden.
Nun wird der Stern aus Jakob scheinen,
sein Strahl bricht schon hervor.
Auf, Zion, und verlasse nun das

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Meinrad Walter
Translation: Erik Dorset

What would Christmas be without music? The angles in the Bible do not merely speak the divine message of peace; they sing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” Songs such as O du fröhliche (O, how joyful) or Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her (From Heaven above to Earth I come) are simply part of the Christmas holiday season. But the epitome of Christmas music is Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which opens with a drum roll. Tönet, ihr Pauken! (Sound, you drums!) was the title of the cantata that paid homage to the Saxon Electress and Polish Queen Maria Josepha, the music of which Bach reworked to make one of the most successful pieces of Christmas music of all time. And maybe even the composer suspected that although that very Queen would disappear silently and wordlessly, Christmas, as a multifaceted subject for which the Bach invented great music, was to stay.

Let us now move over to the Advent season in 1734 in Leipzig. On the first Sunday of Advent, the Thomaskantor performed Telemann’s cantata Machet die Tore weit (Lift up your heads, you gates) in the main worship service. From the second to the

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