Leeds Minster

Saturday 22 November 7.30pm

Note: This is an annotated form of the programme notes for this recital, exploiting web technologies to allow readers to delve deeper into the biographies of the composers and the meaning of musical and religious terms as they wish.

• Welcome
• Overview
• About the Christmas Oratorio
• German text and English translation
• Tonight’s artists

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Weihnachtsoratorium

(Christmas Oratorio)

BWV 248

Cantatas I-III

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Robert Ulrich tenor, Evangelist

Vocal soloists from St Peter’s Singers

18^th Century Sinfonia

David Lewis leader

St Peter’s Singers

Alexander Woodrow conductor

We would like to thank Canon Paul Maybury, Rector, and the Churchwardens of Leeds Minster for their support for St Peter’s Singers

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Welcome

Welcome to St Peter’s Singers’ performance of the first three parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, performed with the 18th Century Sinfonia on period instruments. Leeds Minster provides a beautiful setting for this music, and we are delighted to share it with you this evening.

These first three parts tell the story of the Nativity: the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the angels’ announcement to the shepherds, and the shepherds’ journey to adore the newborn. The music is sung in German, and an English translation is provided to help you follow the story if you wish.

We invite you to listen in the way that feels most engaging — whether following the text, observing the performers, or simply letting the music fill the space around you.

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Some practical information

There will be an interval after Cantata II, during which wine and juice will be available in the Lady Chapel. This can be reached by heading towards the altar, turning left at the steps, and going through the door.

We hope very much that you enjoy the music you hear today. If you do, and you wish to applaud, that will be very welcome just before the interval, and at the end.

Toilets can be found in the cafe, which is the room immediately on your right as you entered the church. You can reach it from the porch or from the back right corner of the main part of the church.

We welcome any comments or feedback you may wish to make after the concert. Please use our contact form.

Please note that audio and video recording of this concert is not permitted.

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Programme

Weihnachtsoratorium

Cantata I

Joanna Gamble alto
Richard Pascoe bass

Cantata II

10	Sinfonia
11	Recitative Evangelist: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend
12	Chorale: Brich an, O schönes Morgenlicht
13	Recitative Evangelist: Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen
14	Recitative Bass: Was Gott dem Abraham verheissen
15	Aria Tenor: Frohe Hirten, eilt
16	Recitative Evangelist: Und das habt zum Zeichen
17	Chorale: Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall
18	Recitative Bass: So geht denn hin, ihr Hirten, geht
19	Aria Alto: Schlafe, mein Liebster, geniesse der Ruh
20	Recitative Evangelist: Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel
21	Chorus: Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe
22	Recitative Bass: So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet
23	Wir singen dir in deinem Heer

Sarah Rushton soprano
Constanze Hartley alto
John Scholey tenor
Quentin Brown bass

Interval

Wine and Juice will be available in the Lady Chapel

Cantata III

24	Chorus: Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen
25	Recitative Evangelist: Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren
26	Chorus: Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem
27	Recitative Bass: Er hat sein Volk getröst
28	Chorale: Dies hat er alles uns getan
29	Aria Duet Soprano and Bass: Herr, dein Mitleid
30	Recitative Evangelist: Und sie kamen eilend
31	Aria Alto: Schliesse, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder
32	Recitative Alto: Ja ja, mein Herz soll es bewahren
33	Chorale: Ich will dich mit Fleiss bewahren
34	Recitative Evangelist: Und die Hirten kehrten wieder um
35	Chorale: Seid froh dieweil
35a	Chorus: Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen

Debbie Trigg soprano
Lucy Appleyard alto
Quentin Brown bass

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About the Christmas Oratorio

A performance of JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio rarely fails to lift the spirits. The music is by turn festive, energised, reflective and tender, and Bach deploys it with great skill both to tell the story and to reflect on its meaning. Whether it be the expression of a parent’s wonder at their child’s birth, the exquisite harmonisation of simple hymn tunes, the adrenaline that laces some of the choruses, or the majestic thrill of the high trumpets, there is a wide range of emotions to be experienced and musical delights to be enjoyed.

It is not hard to see why this work enjoys a similar profile in the affections of German choirs and music lovers to that enjoyed by Handel’s Messiah in this country. Whether this is your first encounter with Bach or one of many, the music communicates clearly through energy, emotion, and narrative; we hope you enjoy the performance and experience the vivid storytelling, expressive music, and rich textures.

These first three parts set the scene for the Nativity, inviting listeners into a story told through both narrative and reflection. The music captures the wonder and intimacy of these events with clarity and emotional depth.

Composed in 1734 during Bach’s Leipzig years, the Christmas Oratorio demonstrates his skill at combining expressive vocal writing with imaginative orchestration. Bach reworked earlier music into these cantatas, re-shaping it to serve the sacred story with dramatic and emotional impact.

In Parts 1–3, you will hear:

• Choruses: complex music sung by the whole choir representing the church or collective characters such as the shepherds
• The Evangelist: a tenor soloist who tells the story
• Vocal soloists reflecting on the story and expressing human interest
• Trumpets and timpani, bringing brightness and celebration
• Flutes and oboes, evoking pastoral scenes
• Strings and continuo, providing warmth and continuity
• Chorales, familiar hymn tunes harmonized with clarity and richness

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History and Creation of the Christmas Oratorio

The Christmas Oratorio was first performed in the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas in Leipzig, where Bach was Kantor, over the Christmas and New Year period of 1734–35. The performance was spread out over the six services prescribed by the Lutheran Church for the Feast Days of Christmas. It is structured as six cantatas, one for each service, and would have been performed as follows:

25 December: Cantata I – The Birth of Christ
26 December: Cantata II – The Angels tell the Shepherds about Christ’s birth
27 December: Cantata III – The Adoration of the Shepherds
1 January: Cantata IV – The Circumcision and Naming of Christ
5 January: Cantata V – The Journey of the Wise Men
6 January (Epiphany): Cantata VI – The Adoration of the Wise Men

Four of the six cantatas were performed twice on the appointed day, in what must have been an extraordinarily tiring period for both Bach and his performers. These days, the economics of music production ensure that this is never likely to be repeated!

But the work’s genesis is not all that it seems at first sight. First, it is not entirely clear why Bach wrote it, as he had already composed plenty of cantatas for the Christmas period that could have been performed; and second, Bach ‘recycled’ much of the music from other works (mostly secular cantatas), raising the question of what his creative intentions really were.

There are a number of indicators that Bach may have envisaged a future in which it would be performed as a single work in its entirety. In his autograph, the movements are numbered sequentially throughout the entire work (the numeration adopted in this programme). Moreover, the texts chosen for the cantatas do not faithfully match those prescribed for the services, but they do comprise the full Christmas narrative, ensuring there are no gaps in the story that would compromise a full performance. The year 1734 also saw the composition of the St. Mark Passion, the Ascension Oratorio, and the Easter Oratorio, so he may have had in mind the creation of a set of oratorios based on the life of Christ.

If performance as a single work was Bach’s intention, his success was only partial. After its first hearing in 1734, it did not receive another complete performance until 1857. At about three hours, a full performance makes considerable demands on both performers and audience, so performances are usually truncated, as tonight, to just three or possibly four of the cantatas, with both economics and logistics making it increasingly challenging to put on two concerts covering the entire work.

Bach and the Use of Parody

The Christmas Oratorio is notable for its use of a technique known as Parody, where existing music is repurposed for use in a different context. In its most basic form, Bach had been a parodist all his life, copying and then extending existing music as a way of learning—his reworking of Vivaldi’s violin concertos for keyboard being a good example.

Bach’s astonishing output in his first years after arriving in Leipzig in 1723—five annual cycles of weekly cantatas, plus the St. John and St. Matthew Passions—involved the composition of mostly new music. But from 1729, Bach shifted his creative focus from church to secular music, investing time in directing the student Collegium Musicum and in writing secular cantatas praising worldly princes, probably in the hope of gaining employment as a Court Composer. At the same time, he became a prolific and sophisticated parodist of his own music, particularly when producing music for the church.

Late in 1733 came the composition of two secular cantatas (BWV 213 and BWV214), from which he was to borrow extensively for the Christmas Oratorio. Of tonight’s music, no fewer than seven substantive numbers (Nos. 1, 4, 8, 15, 19, 24, 29) were parodies, drawn from these two cantatas. Secular cantatas were strictly one-offs written for specific occasions, and there is clearly a temptation, voiced by Alfred Dürr in his foreword to the Bärenreiter edition in use tonight, to think that even as Bach composed them, he may have been considering how he could transfer the music to a place in the Church’s calendar where it would be heard more often.

The question that may arise for some is whether secular and sacred music are not so intrinsically different as to make such repurposing impossible. For Bach, this issue clearly didn’t arise, but he was incredibly thoughtful about how he reused the music.

The text is clearly the major factor in determining whether a piece of music is secular or sacred, and there are signs that Bach may have planned very carefully with his (unknown) librettist which movements from the secular cantatas were to be used and how—necessary, of course, to allow the librettist to prepare new and suitable texts.

Given the right text, Bach could, with minimal changes, effect a complete transformation in how the music was played and heard. In his book Music in the Castle of Heaven, John Eliot Gardiner observes how, while retaining exactly the same notes but making just a few changes to their articulation and adding an oboe d’amore, Bach completely transforms Aria No. 4 from the “indignant mood of Hercules berating Lust” in BWV 213 to the Oratorio’s “tender, almost erotic exhortation to Zion to prepare herself for the coming of the Messiah”.

Bach’s choice of instrumentation also shows how carefully the Parody was planned. Take, for instance, the use of trumpets—an instrument associated at that time purely with regal affairs and kings. BWV 214 contained an aria featuring a spectacular trumpet obbligato that praised the Queen of Poland. Bach repurposed it as tonight’s Bass Aria No. 8 to drive home the theologically central message of the Christmas story: that the object of all the kingly pomp and splendour was, in fact, a lowly baby born in a manger. The reuse of trumpet music in Cantatas I and III is then offset by the reuse, in Cantata II, of music for the more pastoral flutes and oboes to portray the annunciation to the shepherds in their fields.

But well as the planning worked for the most part, there are also signs that Bach abandoned some of his plans when the intended Parody didn’t work: for instance, Mary’s intense reflection on the wonders surrounding her child’s birth (No. 31) was originally to have been a Parody, but in the end, Bach composed new music for it and used the intended music for a bass aria on a rather different theme in Cantata V instead.

Chorales

The Christmas Oratorio is notable in two ways for its chorales—the well-known hymns that appear at intervals throughout the work and, as with all Bach’s church cantatas, close each Cantata. The curiosity is that Bach never wrote an original hymn tune, preferring instead to harmonise well-known tunes (many composed by Martin Luther himself), presumably so that the congregation could join in the singing. The harmonisations in this work are particularly warm and also sophisticated in the way passing dissonances emerge from the intersection of the different voice parts.

The Christmas Oratorio is exceptional in that it provides the earliest known version of a number of hymn tunes. But Bach also uses Luther’s tune Vom Himmel hoch three times (Nos. 9, 17, 23), as well as the tune used repeatedly in both Passions and known as the Passion Chorale (No. 5). It may be of interest to some to note that in No. 9, the text is also Luther’s, and one that has found its way into the English-speaking world as a Scottish lullaby we now know as the carol Balulalow. (see the anglicised version in the translation below).

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German text and English translation

1 Chorus Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage, rühmet, was heute der Höchste getan! Lasset das Zagen, verbannet die Klage, stimmet voll Jauchzen und Fröhlichkeit an! Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören, lasst uns den Namen des Herrschers verehren!	Shout for joy, exult, rise up, praise the day, extol what the Highest has done today! Stop being faint-hearted, banish lamentation, strike up, full of rejoicing and exultation! Serve the Highest with splendid choirs, let us revere the name of the sovereign!
2 Recit Evangelist Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit, dass ein Gebot von dem Kaiser Augusto ausging, dass alle Welt geschätzet würde. Und jedermann ging, dass er sich schätzen liesse, ein jeglicher in seine Stadt. Da machte sich auch auf Joseph aus Galiläa, aus der Stadt Nazareth, in das jüdische Land zur Stadt David, die da heisset Bethlehem; darum, dass er von dem Hause und Geschlechte David war: auf dass er sich schätzen liesse mit Maria, seinem vertrauten Weibe, die war schwanger. Und als sie daselbst waren, kam die Zeit, dass sie gebären sollte.	The time came when a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that an assessment should be made of the whole world. And everyone went to be assessed, each to his own city. Then Joseph went up out of Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into the land of Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem – for he was of the house and lineage of David – to be assessed with his betrothed Mary, who was pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
3 Recit Alto Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam, nun wird der Held aus Davids Stamm zum Trost, zum Heil der Erden einmal geboren werden. Nun wird der Stern aus Jakob scheinen, sein Strahl bricht schon hervor. Auf, Zion, und verlasse nun das Weinen, dein Wohl steigt hoch empor!	Now my dearest bridegroom, now the strong man of David’s stock, for the comfort and salvation of the earth, shall at last be born. Now the star out of Jacob shall shine, its rays already break forth. Rise up, Zion, and stop weeping now: Your welfare climbs on high!
4 Aria Alto Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben, den Schönsten, den Liebsten bald bei dir zu sehn! Deine Wangen müssen heut viel schöner prangen, eile, den Bräutigam sehnlichst zu lieben!	Make ready, Zion, with tender desire to see the fairest, the dearest with you soon! Your cheeks must today look much lovelier, hasten, to love the bridegroom most longingly!
5 Chorale Wie soll ich dich empfangen und wie begegn’ ich dir? O aller Welt Verlangen, o meiner Seelen Zier! O Jesu, Jesu, setze mir selbst die Fackel bei, damit, was dich ergötze, mir kund und wissend sei!	How should I receive you and how encounter you? O longing of all the world, O ornament of my soul! O Jesus, Jesus, place your lamp by me yourself, so that whatever delights you may be known and understood by me!
6 Recit Evangelist Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn und wickelte ihn in Windeln und legte ihn in eine Krippen, denn sie hatten sonst keinen Raum in der Herberge.	And she gave birth to her first son and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes and laid him in a manger, for otherwise they had no room in the lodgings.
7 Chorale with Recit Soprano Er ist auf Erden kommen arm, dass er unser sich erbarm, und in dem Himmel mache reich, und seinen lieben Engeln gleich. Kyrieleis! Bass Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhn, die unser Heiland für uns hegt? Ja, wer vermag es einzusehen, wie ihn der Menschen Leid bewegt? Des Höchsten Sohn kömmt in die Welt, weil ihm ihr Heil so wohl gefällt,  so will er selbst als Mensch geboren werden.	He has come on earth poor, to be merciful to us, and make us rich in heaven and like his beloved angels. Lord, have mercy! Who would rightly extol the love that our Saviour feels for us? Indeed, who is able to appreciate how man’s suffering moves him?  The Highest’s Son comes into the world because its salvation pleases him so well that he himself would be born as man.
8 Aria Bass Grosser Herr, O starker König, liebster Heiland, O wie wenig achtest du der Erden Pracht! Der die ganze Welt erhält, ihre Pracht und Zier erschaffen,  muss in harten Krippen schlafen.	Great lord, O mighty king, dearest Saviour, O how little you respect earthly splendour! He who preserves the whole world and created its splendour and adornment must sleep in a hard crib.
9 Chorale Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein Mach dir ein rein sanft Bettelein Zu ruhn in meines Herzens Schrein Dass ich nimmer vergesse dein!	Ah my dear heart, young Jesus sweet Prepare a cradle in thy spirit And I shall rock thee in my heart And nevermore from thee depart! (anglicised 1st verse of carol Balulalow; see notes)
10 Sinfonia
11 Recit 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 the same region keeping watch in the fields over their flocks by night. And see, the Angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
12 Chorale 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 let the heavens dawn! You shepherd folk, do not fear, for the angels tell you that this weak little boy shall be our comfort and joy, overcome Satan, and finally bring peace!
13 Recit Evangelist: Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen: Angel, soprano: 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.	And the angel said to them: Be not afraid! For behold, I bring you joyful news, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born today in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
14 Recit Bass Was Gott dem Abraham verheissen, dass lässt er nun dem Hirten Chor 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 once promised to Abraham, he now fulfils in the sight of a choir of shepherds.  A shepherd once learnt all this from God, and now a shepherd is the first to know that what was promised then has now been fulfilled.
15 Aria Tenor 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.	Haste, joyful shepherds, do not linger, haste to see the sweet child; Go, such joy awaits you, seek for yourselves his grace, refresh your heart and senses.
16 Recit Evangelist Und das habt zum Zeichen: Ihr werdet finden das Kind in Windeln gewickelt und in einer Krippe liegen.	And this shall be a sign to you: you shall find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
17 Chorale Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall Des Herrschaft gehet überall! Da Speise vormals sucht ein Rind, Da ruhet itzt der Jungfrau’n Kind.	See, in yon gloomy stable lies  He who rules the earth and skies, Where once the hungry oxen fed, The virgin finds her child a bed.
18 Recit Bass So geht denn hin, ihr Hirten, geht, dass ihr das Wunder seht, Und findet ihr des Höchsten Sohn in einer harted Krippe liegen. So singet ihm bei seiner Wiegen aus einem süssen Ton und mit gesamten Chor dies Lied zur Ruhe vor.	So go, shepherds, go there, to see this wonder, And find the son of the Most High lying in a hard crib. So stand beside his cradle, and in sweet tones and with the whole choir, sing him this soothing song.
19 Aria Alto Schlafe, mein Liebster, geniesse der Ruh, wache nach diesem vor aller Gedeihen! Labe die Brust, empfinde die Lust, wo wir unser Herz erfreuen!	Sleep, my most beloved, enjoy your rest, then awake, and in all things thrive! Comfort the breast, feel the pleasure with which we gladden our hearts!
20 Recit Evangelist Und alsobald war bei dem Engel die Menge der himmlischen Heerscharen, die lobten Gott und sprachen:	And suddenly there was with the Angel the multitude of the Heavenly Host, praising God and saying:
21 Chorus Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe, Und Friede auf Erden, Und den Menschen ein Wohlgefallen	Glory to God in the highest, And Peace on earth, Goodwill to all people
22 Recit Bass So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet, Dass es uns heut so schön gelinget, Auf denn! Wir stimmen mit euch ein, uns kann es so wie euch erfreun.	Tis right, you Angels, rejoice and sing, Today is born our Lord and King,  Sing then, we all will raise our voice And with the Angels all rejoice.
23 Chorale Wir singen dir in deinem Heer Aus aller Kraft Lob, Preis und Ehr Dass du, O lang gewünschter Gast, Dich nunmehr eingestellet hast.	In chorus now to thee we raise With all our might our songs of praise That you, O long-awaited guest  Has come at last, beloved and blest.
24 Chorus Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen, Lass dir die matten Gesänge gefallen, Wenn dich dein Zion mit Psalmen erhört. Höre der Herzen frohlockendes Preisen Wenn wir dir itzo die Ehrfurcht erweisen, Weil user Wohlfahrt befestiget steht.	Ruler of Heaven, give ear to our babbling, Let our songs be pleasing to you  When Zion praises you in Psalms.  Hear the joyful praise of our rejoicing hearts When we show how we revere you,  Because our welfare is assured.
25 Recit Evangelist Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren, sprachen die Hirten untereinander:	And as the angels went from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other:
26 Chorus Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem und die Geschichte sehen, die da geschehen ist, die uns der Herr kundgetan hat.	Let us now go to Bethlehem and see the event that has happened there, which the Lord has made known to us.
27 Recit Bass Er hat sein Volk getröst’, er hat sein Israel erlöst, die Hülf aus Zion hergesendet und unser Leid geendet. Seht, Hirten, dies hat er getan; geht, dieses trefft ihr an!	He has comforted his people, he has redeemed his Israel, sent salvation out of Zion, and ended our sorrow. See, shepherds, this he has done; go, this is what you shall find!
28 Chorale Dies hat er alles uns getan, sein groß Lieb zu zeigen an; des freu sich alle Christenheit und dank ihm des in Ewigkeit. Kyrieleis!	All this he has done for us to show his great love; for which let all Christendom rejoice and thank him in eternity. Lord, have mercy!
29 Aria Soprano and Bass Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen, Tröstet uns und macht uns frei. Deine holde Gunst und Liebe, Deine wundersamen Triebe, Machen deine Vatertreu wieder neu.	Lord, your mercy, your pity Comforts us and sets us free. Your gracious favour and love, Your wondrous desires Ever renew your fatherly faithfulness.
30 Recit Evangelist Und sie kamen eilend und funden beide, Mariam und Joseph, dazu das Kind in der Krippe liegen. Da sie es aber gesehen hatten, breiteten sie das Wort aus, welches zu ihnen von diesem Kind gesaget war. Und alle, für die es kam, wunderten sich der Rede, die ihnen die Hirten gesaget hatten. Maria aber behielt alle diese Worte und bewegte sie in ihrem Herzen.	And they came in haste and found both Mary and Joseph, with the child lying in the crib. But when they had seen it, they spread abroad the words that were spoken to them of this child. And all those to whom it came wondered at the speech that the shepherds had delivered to them. But Mary kept all these words and set them astir in her heart.
31 Aria Alto Schliesse, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder fest in deinem Glauben ein! Lasse dies Wunder, die göttlichen Werke, immer zur Stärke deines schwachen Glaubens sein!	Enclose, my heart, this blessed miracle firmly within your faith! Let this miracle, these divine deeds ever serve to strengthen your weak faith!
32 Recit Alto Ja, ja, mein Herz soll es bewahren, was es an dieser holden Zeit zu seiner Seligkeit für sicheren Beweis erfahren.	Yes, yes, my heart shall preserve what at this propitious time, for its salvation, it has known as certain proof.
33 Chorale Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren, ich will dir leben hier, dir will ich abfahren, mit dir will ich endlich schweben voller Freud ohne Zeit dort im andern Leben.	I will diligently keep you in mind; I will live here for you, to you will I depart, with you will I finally hover, full of joy, beyond time, there in the other life.
34 Recit  Evangelist Und die Hirten kehrten um, preiseten und lobten Gott, um alles, das sie gesehen und gehörten hatten, wie denn zu ihnen gesaget war.	And the shepherds returned, praising and glorifying God for all that they had seen and heard, as had been told to them.
35 Chorale Seid froh dieweil, seid froh dieweil, Dass euer Heil ist hie ein Gott und auch ein Mensch geboren, der, welcher ist der Herr und Christ in Davids Stadt Aus vielen auserkoren.	Rejoice, rejoice That your salvation has been born here as God and human, He who is the Lord and Christ in David’s city Chosen from many.
Repeat No 24

The above translation is derived mainly from the Bach Archiv, but also occasionally from Henry Drinker’s work in the Bärenreiter edition.

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