Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Cantata 5

Cantata 5 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio - Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen (Let your glory, God, be sung out) - is for the first Sunday after the New Year, but this year that Sunday is after the end of Christmastide at Epiphany, so I'm sneaking it into the middle of the week so we can listen to all six cantatas in the proper order. This one deals with the beginning of the story of the Magi, of their discovery of the new star in the sky and the beginning of their journey. Here's Simon Crouch again:

The fifth part of the Christmas Oratorio opens with a chorus that is not directly traceable as a parody and opinion seems split as to whether there was a lost model for this movement. Whatever, the music survives in this fine and lively piece. The first recitative introduces the Wise Men and the following recitative/chorus sees them asking where to find Jesus and receiving the answer "in my breast". This piece is thought to be a parody of a movement from the lost St. Mark Passion BWV 247 (whose text survives, but not the music) and reconstructions of the latter work call upon this movement (and sometimes elsewhere in the Christmas Oratorio) for guidance in the de-parody. A chorale is followed by a recitative which leads into a simple bass aria asking for the enlightenment of the radiance of Christ. Two recitatives follow; the first scolding the people for their fear, the second relating Herod's receiving of counsel upon Christ birth. The following trio, probably a parody but whose parody model is lost, sees the soprano and tenor asking when salvation will come; answered by the alto telling them that it is here now. Simple, not outstanding perhaps, but effective. A final recitative praising Jesus leads into the closing, starightforward chorale setting.

Copyright © 1999, Simon Crouch.

Today's video is a live performance from 2012 by the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam under the direction of Jan Willem de Vriend. Enjoy!

  

Photo © 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger