Amid a sea of Nutcrackers, Messiahs, and TV specials, one of the best Christmas pieces gets lost in the mix. Bach‘s Christmas Oratorio is a piece which, while not ignored, does not get the recognition it deserves. It is overshadowed even by Bach’s own Advent & Christmas music (namely, Wachet Auf and the Magnificat.)
The Oratorio is actually six different cantatas strung together into one longer work. The six cantatas were not originally performed all at once; instead, they were spread apart and performed as part of six separate church services marking the important feast days of the Christmas season. Nowadays, they are almost exclusively heard as one large concert work.
Here is the opening chorus, “Jauchzet, frohlocket!” Merry Christmas!
The Magnificat, or Song of Mary, has been set by countless composers. This is partly because this canticle is used in the daily office – fixed prayers said or sung throughout the day. It is also because the text is so potent and stirring – the song of a humble girl whom God had chosen for things beyond her imagination.
One of my favorites has to be Giovanni Gabrieli‘s Magnificat a 33. That is, for 33 musicians – 33 individual independent parts. These musicians were grouped into “choirs” and placed around St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, where Gabrieli was principal organist and composer. The effect was the various phrases of the text would come to you from different locations, with different musical colors. Sadly, a stereo recording loses this grand effect; to hear it in that massive cathedral must have been magnificent!
The Hanukkah story comes from the Biblical books of First and Second Maccabees. If you don’t know the story, and have about three hours to spare, I’d highly recommend (besides reading these short books) going to a performance of George Frederic Handel’s “Judas Maccabaeus.” Unlike Handel’s “Messiah,” (which gets plenty of plays this month), this oratorio tells like a regular story with a plot. While it isn’t exactly fast-actioned, it does has dramatic elements – something which was easy for a composer of over 40 operas!
Recent Comments