The Complete Weihnachts-oratorium of JS Bach, Part II:II-VIII

2. Recitativo (T)

[Evangelist]

Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend

auf dem Felde bei den Hürden,

die hüteten des Nachts ihre Herde.

Und siehe, des Herren Engel trat zu ihnen,

und die Klarheit des Herren leuchtet um sie,

und sie furchten sich sehr.

~

And there were shepherds in that very region

in the field nearby their sheepfolds,

who kept their watch by night over their flocks.

And see now, the angel of the Lord came before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them,

and they were sore afraid.

~~~~~

3. Choral

Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht,
Und lass den Himmel tagen!
Du Hirtenvolk, erschrecke nicht,
Weil dir die Engel sagen,
Dass dieses schwache Knäbelein
Soll unser Trost und Freude sein,
Dazu den Satan zwingen
Und letztlich Friede bringen!

~

Break forth, O beauteous morning light,
And bring day to the heavens!
Thou shepherd folk, be not afraid,
For thee the angel telleth
That this the helpless little boy
Shall be our comfort and our joy,
Here for to conquer Satan
And peace at last to bring us!

~~~~~

4. Recitativo (T, S)

[Evanglist]

Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen:

[Engel]

Fürchtet euch nicht, siehe,

ich verkündige euch große Freude,

die allem Volke widerfahren wird.

Denn euch ist heute der Heiland geboren,

welcher ist Christus, der Herr,

in der Stadt David.

~

[Evangelist]

And the angel spake unto them:

[Angel]

Be not afraid, see now,

I proclaim to you news of great gladness,

which all the nations of the world will learn.

For to you today is the Savior born,

who is Christ, the Lord,

in the city of David.

~~~~~

5. Recitativo (B)

Was Gott dem Abraham verheißen,
Das lässt er nun dem Hirtenchor
Erfüllt erweisen.
Ein Hirt hat alles das zuvor
Von Gott erfahren müssen.
Und nun muss auch ein Hirt die Tat,
Was er damals versprochen hat,
Zuerst erfüllet wissen.

~

What God to Abraham did promise,
This hath he to the shepherd choir
Revealed and proven.
A shepherd all this once before
Of God to learn was destined;
And now as well a shepherd must
The deed of yore he promised us
Be first to see completed.

~~~~~

6. Aria (T)

Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet,
Eh ihr euch zu lang verweilet,
Eilt, das holde Kind zu sehn!
Geht, die Freude heißt zu schön,
Sucht die Anmut zu gewinnen,
Geht und labet Herz und Sinnen!

~

Joyful shepherds, haste, ah hasten,
Ere ye here too long should tarry,
Haste, the gracious child to visit!
Go, your gladness is too fair,
Seek his grace's inspiration,
Go and comfort heart and spirit.

~~~~~

7. Recitativo (T)

[Evangelist]

Und das habt zum Zeichen:

Ihr werdet finden das Kind in Windeln gewickelt

und in einer Krippe liegen.

~

And let this be your sign:

ye will discover the babe in swaddling clothes there wrapped

and in a manger lying.

~~~~~

8. Choral (S, A, T, B)

Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall,
Des Herrschaft gehet überall!
Da Speise vormals sucht ein Rind,
Da ruhet itzt der Jungfrau'n Kind.

~

Look there, he lies in manger drear
Whose power reacheth ev'rywhere!
Where fodder once the ox did seek,
There resteth now the Virgin's child.

~~~~~

~~~~~

The complete Christmas Oratorio is featured on All for Hymn
beginning at 6:00 PM ET on December 24, 2011
and running every 3 hours.

English Translation © Z. Philip Ambrose, translator,

Web publication: http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach.

Used by permission.

Special thanks to counterpoint85 over on youtube
for posting the complete work.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part VI: The Fifth Reading

The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.

LUKE 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed
to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
And the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And he came to her and said,
“Greetings, O favored one,
the Lord is with you!”

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying,
and tried to discern what sort of greeting
this might be.

30 And the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.

32 He will be great
and will be called the Son
of the Most High.
And the Lord God will give to him
the throne of his father David,

33 and he will reign
over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel,
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born
will be called holy—the Son of God.

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth
in her old age has also conceived a son,
and this is the sixth month with her
who was called barren.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 And Mary said,
“Behold, I am the servant
of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”

And the angel departed from her.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Basque Carol, "Gabriel's Message"

The angel Gabriel from Heaven came,
His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
"All hail," said he, "thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

"For know a blessèd mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify His holy name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say—
"Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

~~~~~


Britten, "Ceremony of Carols"

05. AS DEW IN APRILLE

I sing of a maiden that is makèles [matchless]:
King of all kings to her son she ches [chose]

He came also stille there his moder [mother] was,
As dew in Aprille [April] that falleth on the grass.

He came also stille to his moder's bour [bower],
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the flour.

He came also stille there his moder lay,
As dew in Aprille that falleth on the spray.

Moder and mayden was never none but she:
Well may such a lady Goddes moder be.

06. THIS LITTLE BABE

This little Babe so few days old,
Is come to rifle Satan's fold;
All hell doth at His presence quake,
Though He Himself for cold do shake;
For in this weak unarmed wise
the gates of hell He will surprise.

With tears He fights and wins the field,
His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shot are babish cries,
His arrows looks of weeping eyes,
His martial ensigns Cold and Need,
And feeble Flesh His warrior's steed.

His camp is pitched in a stall,
His bulwark but a broken wall;
The crib His trench, haystalks His stakes;
Of shepherds He his muster makes;
And thus, as sure His foe to wound,
The angels' trumps alarum sound.

My soul, with Christ join thou in fight;
Stick to the tents that he hath pight [pitched].
Within His crib is surest ward;
This little Babe will be thy guard.
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy,
Then flit not from this heavenly Boy.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Part V: The Fourth Reading

The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown.

ISAIAH 11:1-9 (ESV):

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

THANKS BE TO GOD.

~~~~~


Otto Goldschmidt, "A Tender Shoot"

A tender shoot has started up
From a root of grace,
As ancient seers imparted
From Jesse’s holy race;
It blooms without a blight,
Blooms in the cold bleak winter,
Turning our darkness into light.

This shoot, Isaiah taught us,
From Jesse’s root should spring;
The Virgin Mary brought us
The branch of which we sing:
Our God of endless might
Gave her this child to save us,
Thus turning darkness into light.

~~~~~


Jan Sandström, Det är en ros utsprungen

Det är en ros utsprungen
av Jesse rot och stam.
Av fädren ren besjungen
den står i tiden fram,
En blomma skär och blid,
Mitt i den kalla vinter
i midnatts mörka tid.

~~~~~


Michael Praetorius, "Lo, How a Rose"

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
as men of old have sung.
It came a floweret bright
amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
the rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

Christmas Dawn: He is Alpha and Omega

~~~~~

Christmas Dawn Surprise!

The tune comes in at about 45 minutes.

Christmas Dawn: Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising

Lutheran Service Book, Hymn 374

The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn 90

The first tune you hear is the correct tune, but the choir is singing
"He Whom Shepherds Once Were Raising."

The text in LSB and TLH is under copyright.

The faint sound of the boy sopranos in the distance is because each of the four boys is placed at the four corners of the sanctuary.   They each alternate a line from the song.  The choir comes in with the second tune.  Finally, the congregation joins in this refrain while the boys rotate to the next corner of the sanctuary:

God's own Son is born a child, is born a child,
God in sinners is reconciled, is reconciled.