Johann Sebastian Bach Nun komm der Heiden Heiland

Come now, God's chosen saviour,
of a virgin you were born,
what surprise to all the earth:
God would choose such means of birth.

The Lord has come from heaven,
incarnate deity,
adoption could be given,
and now all those who come to him are free.
O you, the most high good,
have shown us greatest charity
and still do grant it
daily to your servants?
You come and bring your light
to us in fullest radiance.

Come, Jesus, come unto your people
and grant your blessings for the year!
Lift up your name in ev'ry nation,

...

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,
der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt,
des sich wundert alle Welt,
Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt.

Der Heiland ist gekommen,
hat unser armes Fleisch
und Blut an sich genommen
und nimmet uns zu Blutsverwandten an.
O, allerhöchstes Gut,
was hast du nicht an uns getan?
Was tust du nicht
noch täglich an den Deinen?
Du kömmst und lässt dein Licht
mit vollem Segen scheinen.

Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche
und gib ein selig neues Jahr!
Befördre deines Namens Ehre,

...

Ulrich Leisinger
Translation: John Coombs

The cantata Nun komm der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach for the first Sunday in Advent 1714 in Weimar, where he performed it for the first time on the 2nd December of that year. This cantata is a setting of a libretto by Erdmann Neumeister, which opened the fourth annual cycle of his cantata libretti and which was also set by Georg Philipp Telemann.1 The opening chorus uses the first verse of the old plainsong hymn Veni redemptor gentium, which in the paraphrase by Martin Luther (1524) has become the most important Advent hymn of the Protestant Church.

Bach introduces the traditional plainsong melody in the form of a French overture, here symbolizing the entry of the King of Heaven, thus creating an unusual and splendid opening piece for the beginning of the church year. The deliberate reference to the French style is also indicated by the use of a five-part string ensemble with two violas. With the exception of the bass recitative No. 4, whose words are taken directly from the Bible (Revelation 3, 20), all the other movements are expressions of the idea of the coming of the Saviour. The 2nd and 3rd

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