Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63
Encyclopedia
Christen, ätzet diesen Tag (Christians, engrave this day) , BWV 63, is a church cantata
by Johann Sebastian Bach
. Bach composed the cantata for the First Day of Christmas
, possibly in 1713.
, the Nativity
, Annunciation to the shepherds
and the angels' song
The text of the cantata, echoes of theologians in Halle, suggests that it was composed with Halle's Liebfrauenkirche in mind, possibly in 1713, when Bach applied to be organist of this church, or 1716, when he was involved in rebuilding its organ. The text is possibly by that church's 'Pastor primarius' Johann Michael Heineccius
, who also wrote the libretti
s for other Bach cantatas definitely written for Halle.
The musicologist Philipp Spitta
's theory that it was written for a 1723 premiere in Leipzig
probably originated in several revivals of it by Bach, including one in Leipzig in 1723, Bach's first Christmas as cantor of the Thomaskirche.
Bach cantata
Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. Bach composed the cantata for the First Day of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, possibly in 1713.
History and words
The prescribed readings for the feast day were , "God's mercy appeared" (or , "Unto us a child is born") and from the Gospel of LukeGospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
, the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, Annunciation to the shepherds
Annunciation to the shepherds
The Annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus...
and the angels' song
The text of the cantata, echoes of theologians in Halle, suggests that it was composed with Halle's Liebfrauenkirche in mind, possibly in 1713, when Bach applied to be organist of this church, or 1716, when he was involved in rebuilding its organ. The text is possibly by that church's 'Pastor primarius' Johann Michael Heineccius
Johann Michael Heineccius
Johann Michael Heineccius was a well-known German preacher and theologian, the brother of Johann Gottlieb Heineccius. He was born in Eisenberg, Thuringia....
, who also wrote the libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
s for other Bach cantatas definitely written for Halle.
The musicologist Philipp Spitta
Philipp Spitta
Julius August Philipp Spitta was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Biography:...
's theory that it was written for a 1723 premiere in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
probably originated in several revivals of it by Bach, including one in Leipzig in 1723, Bach's first Christmas as cantor of the Thomaskirche.
External links
- Christen, ätzet diesen Tag on the International Music Score Library ProjectInternational Music Score Library ProjectThe International Music Score Library Project , also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain music scores, based on the wiki principle...
- Cantata BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag on the bach cantatas website
- German text and English translation, Emmanuel MusicEmmanuel MusicEmmanuel Music is a Boston-based collective group of singers and instrumentalists founded in 1970 by Craig Smith. It was created specifically to perform the complete cycle of over 200 sacred cantatas of J.S. Bach in the liturgical setting for which they were intended, an endeavor twice completed...
- Christen, ätzet diesen Tag on the Bach website
- BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag text, structure, instrumentation, University of AlbertaUniversity of AlbertaThe University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
- BWV 63 Christen, ätzet diesen Tag English text, University of VermontUniversity of VermontThe University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...