Johann Sebastian Bach Christmas Oratorio
Programme Notes
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was composed in 1734. The title page of the printed libretto, prepared for the congregation, notes “Oratorio performed over the holy festival of Christmas in the two chief churches in Leipzig.” The oratorio was divided into six parts, each part to be performed at one of the six services held during the Lutheran celebration of the Twelve Nights of Christmas. Parts I, II, IV and VI were each performed twice, at St. Thomas and St. Nicholas in alternate morning and afternoon services. Parts III and V, written for days of lesser significance in the festival, were performed only once at St. Nicholas. The music would have served as the “principal music” for the day, replacing the cantata that would otherwise have been performed. The structure of the Christmas Oratorio is similar to that of Bach’s Passions: Bach presents a dramatic rendering of a biblical text, largely in the form of secco recitative (recitative with simple continuo accompaniment) sung by an Evangelist, and adds to it comments and reflections of both an individual and congregational nature, in the form of arias, choruses, and chorales. The biblical text in question is the story of the birth of Jesus through to the arrival of the three Wise Men, drawn from the Gospels according to Luke and Matthew. The narrative is by its very nature less dramatic than that of the Passions, so Bach introduces a number of arioso passages: accompanied recitatives in which the spectator enters the story. The bass soloist, for example, speaks to the shepherds, and the alto to Herod and to the Wise Men, outside the narrative proper, yet intimately involved with it.
Bach supplies each part of the Christmas Oratorio with its own orchestration. Part I opens with the glorious sound of trumpets and drums as all are invited to rejoice in the arrival of the Christ child. Flutes and a quartet of oboes d’amore and oboes da caccia paint a pastoral scene as the angel approaches the shepherds in Part II. The trumpets return to celebrate the shepherds’ arrival in Bethlehem in Part III. Parts IV, V, and VI present the story of the christening of Jesus, the journey of the three Wise Men and their meeting with Herod, and finally their arrival in Bethlehem and presentation of gifts. The narrative is complemented by reflections on the name of Jesus, accompanied by uplifting horns (Part IV), on the Light of Christ and the prophecy of His coming, accompanied by brilliant strings (Part V), and on Christ’s victory over His foes, marked by the return of the trumpets (Part VI). A performance of all six cantatas in one evening is too lengthy to be practical, so we have chosen to shorten these reflective portions. We will omit Part IV altogether, and have combined Parts V & VI. The Christmas Oratorio is to a large extent a parody work, that is, previously composed music was compiled and adapted to new texts. Although the recitatives, both secco and accompanied, and most of the chorales and chorale-based movements were newly composed, all but one of the choruses and one of the arias are parodies. The main sources for these are three secular cantatas written in 1733 and 1734 for members of the electoral house of Saxony:
Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen (BWV 213), written for the eleventh birthday of Prince Friedrich
Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! (BWV 214), written for the birthday of the Electress Maria Josepha
Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen (BWV 215), written for the first anniversary of the Coronation of the Saxon King-Elector Friedrich August II as King August III of Poland
It is also thought that Part VI was a parody of a lost church cantata, now known as BWV 248a.
Although we tend now to look disparagingly upon the principle of parody, seeing it as a mere shortcut, or even as “cheating,” it was a highly respected skill in earlier times, and Bach one of its undisputed masters. It has been suggested that Bach had a particular interest in adapting his occasional works, works whose texts made reference to a particular celebration such as a birthday, making them unsuitable for repeat performances. By revising such works with new texts they had greater potential for gaining a permanent place in the repertoire. The decision to compose the Christmas Oratorio may well have been inspired by the very existence of the models on which it is based: Bach had a wealth of magnificent music on hand inspired by texts related to the themes of birth and celebration. It is thought that Bach worked closely with his librettist (unnamed in the libretto, but most likely Picander) to select, adapt, and create texts and music for the oratorio. That the result is remarkably unified and original is a testament to Bach’s abilities.
The single most unifying feature of the Christmas Oratorio, apart from the continuous narrative, is in the use of chorales, the distinctive Lutheran hymns. At least two chorales are heard in each part in a variety of settings, from “simple” four-part harmonizations, to chorale-based choruses, to reflective quotes in accompanied recitatives. All of the chorales used by Bach would have been very familiar to the congregations hearing the Christmas Oratorio in 1734. Chorales were fundamental to Lutheran worship, used throughout the church year and sung from memory by the congregation. When hearing chorale melodies in the context of a cantata, oratorio, or passion, Bach’s audience would have understood their significance on a visceral as well as intellectual level.