Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, A Holiday Season Bombshell

Description
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was a huge hit at the time. But did you know that most of it was cobbled together from previous writings? Take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
The Christmas Oratorio is in six parts, each of them being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. The first part - for Christmas Day - describes the Birth of Jesus, the second - for 26 December - the annunciation to the shepherds, the third - 27 December - the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth - New Year's Day - the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth - for the first Sunday after New Year - the journey of the Magi, and the sixth - for Epiphany - the adoration of the Magi.
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About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
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Transcript

In 1734, the Baroque maestro, J.S. Bach dropped a Christmas bombshell. His Christmas Oratorio, a choral masterpiece lasting a whopping three hours. 

For the Christmas Oratorio, Bach cleverly used music he had already composed, adapting it for a new purpose. He took the majority of the choruses and arias from earlier secular works and gave them new words.

The Oratorio, in six parts, takes you on a holiday journey, narrating everything from Jesus' birth to the Magi's adoration.

Now, about those chorales – Luther's brainchild, chorales are hymn-like melodies meant for congregation participation. In fact, of the 64 movements across the six cantatas, 14 are chorales. Bach, the master harmonizer, didn't create new chorale melodies but sprinkled his magic on existing ones. Imagine the congregation belting out Christmas tunes with Bach's signature harmonies!

Hopefully this holiday season you can catch a rendition of Bach Christmas Oratorio.