Christmas Oratorio

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio began life in 1734 as a set of related cantatas composed for the six major Lutheran church services from Christmas Day to the feast of the Epiphany. He recycled 18 of its 64 movements from secular pieces he had written for special occasions, one to celebrate the birthday of the Electress of Saxony, another to mark the anniversary of the election of her husband, an act of shrewd self-borrowing that gave a higher purpose to some of the composer’s finest vocal music. Its text was crafted from biblical verses and spiritual texts by the Leipzig poet Christian Friedrich Henrici, better known as Picander, who also wrote the libretto for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. The work, first performed as six separate cantatas at the Leipzig churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas in the winter of 1734-35, opens with a flourish of trumpets and kettle drums, symbols of royal power used here to herald the birth of Jesus, king of kings, the dancing preface to an exultant choral hymn of praise. The Nativity story, drawn from the gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew, is told in recitative by a solo tenor, while solo arias and chorales stand as moments for reflection on the holy saviour’s entry into the world in a state of abject poverty. Each cantata explores events in Jesus’ early life, including the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds, the flight into Egypt and the pilgrimage of the three wise men. Bach’s music, whether drawn from existing sources or freshly composed, projects a profound sense of wonder at the miracle of Christ’s coming, feelings of unconditional love and tenderness for an innocent child, and a joy that transcends earthly cares.