Epiphany is the culmination of the Advent/Christmas season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, usually counted from the evening of December 25 to the morning of January 6, the Twelfth Day.
[The Adoration of the Magi by Edward Burne-Jones]
The term Epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal. In Western churches, it commemorates the coming of the wise men with gifts to visit the Christ child, thus "revealing" Jesus as Lord and King to the world, the revelation of the incarnation of the Christ child.
There are three cantatas for this day, including the last part of the Christmas Oratorio.
Readings:
Isaiah 60:1–6, the heathen will convert
Matthew 2:1–12, the Wise Men From the East
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bach Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
[Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]
Cantatas for this day:
- Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, 6 January 1724
Coro: Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen
Chorale: Die Kön'ge aus Saba kamen dar
Recitativo (bass): Was dort Jesaias vorhergesehn
Aria (bass, oboes da caccia): Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht
Recitativo (tenor): Verschmähe nicht, du, meiner Seele Licht
Aria (tenor, all instruments): Nimm mich dir zu eigen hin
Chorale: Ei nun, mein Gott, so fall ich dir
"All those from Sheba shall come"
Text & translation
Scored for two vocal soloists (tenor and bass), a four-part choir, two horns, two recorders, two oboes da caccia, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
This is an impressive, festive cantata with a dance-like rhythm throughout. Bach composed it in 1724 for his first Leipzig cantata cycle. It concluded his first Christmas season, which had included five cantatas, the Magnificat, and a new Sanctus. The text, by an anonymous author, combines the prescribed readings from the prophecy of Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew about the Magi. Bach emphasized their exotic origins with "oriental" sounds. He chose a colorful instrumentation: strings, horns, recorders, and oboes da caccia, and seems to enjoy the exotic sounds. It is as if a caravan is approaching in twelve-eight time. The opening chorus features a pair of dramatic horns and interesting fugal writing. The librettist begins with the final verse of the epistle reading, Isaiah's prophecy "All they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and frankincense." He juxtaposes the prediction by a chorale, stanza 4 of the old anonymous Christmas carol "Ein Kind geborn zu Bethlehem" ("Puer natus in Bethlehem" 1543), which describes the arrival of the Kings from Sheba, related to the epistle.
The first recitative proclaims that it is the Christian's duty to bring his heart as a gift to Jesus, and this idea is also the subject of the following bass aria with two oboes da caccia, creating a pastoral rather than exotic atmosphere. The librettist also uses a verse from the early anonymous Christmas carol "A Child Was Born in Bethlehem" to show the fulfillment of prophecy.
The second recitative equates the gold given by the Magi with faith, their frankincense with prayer, and their myrrh with patience, which is again commented upon in the highly charged tenor aria that follows. The entire orchestra accompanies this aria.
The cantata ends with a chorale, verse 10 of Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn".
Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann /
J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Explanation "Bach Factory" (in English) - Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123, 6 January 1725
Coro: Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen
Recitativo (alto): Die Himmelssüßigkeit, der Auserwählten Lust
Aria (tenor): Auch die harte Kreuzesreise
Recitativo (bass): Kein Höllenfeind kann mich verschlingen
Aria (bass): Laß, o Welt, mich aus Verachtung
Chorale: Drum fahrt nur immer hin, ihr Eitelkeiten
"Beloved Emmanuel, Lord of the righteous"
Text & translation
Scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor, and bass), a four-part choir, two flauto traverso, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
This is a chorale cantata that Bach composed for his second Leipzig cycle. It is based on a hymn by Ahasverus Fritsch (1679). The unknown poet retained the first and last stanzas and paraphrased the inner stanzas into a sequence of as many recitatives and arias. The text has no specific reference to the readings, but refers to the naming of Jesus celebrated on January 1. The poet inserts "Heil und Licht" as a possible reference to the Epiphany and alludes to Christmas with "Jesus, der ins Fleisch gekommen". Otherwise, the text of the cantata follows the idea of the chorale: hatred and rejection in the world cannot harm those who believe.
The opening movement of this cantata is one of the most beautiful pieces Bach ever wrote, a graceful melody in a pastoral 9/8 rhythm, with prominent woodwinds, two flutes and two oboes d'amore. There is an extended orchestral ritornello before the chorus enters.
Also beautiful is the slow but expressive tenor aria with oboe d'amore accompaniment. It speaks of the "hard journey of the cross," illustrated by a four-bar chromatic ritornello in constant modulation. In the middle section, thunderstorms are depicted "allegro" in "exuberant passagework" of the voice, calming to "adagio" on "Heil und Licht".
The following aria for bass speaks of great loneliness. The voice is accompanied only by a single flute and a "staccato" continuo. The cantata concludes with an unusual four-part chorale; the last lines are sung softly: "My whole life be to Thee surrendered, 'til I am laid in the grave."
Audio: Koopman Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben, BWV 248 VI, 6 January 1735 (Christmas Oratorio Part VI)
Chorus: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben
Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; Herod, bass): Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich
Recitative (soprano): Du Falscher, suchet nur den Herrn zu fällen
Aria (soprano): Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen
Recitative (Evangelist, tenor): Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten
Chorale: Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier
Recitative (Evangelist, tenor): Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum'
Recitative (tenor): So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier
Aria (tenor): Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken
Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass): Was will der Höllen Schrecken nun
Chorale: Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen
"Lord, when our arrogant enemies snort with rage"
Text & translation
Scored for soloists SATB, chorus SATB, 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violin parts, 1 viola part and continuo.
The sixth part of the Christmas Oratorio opens with a majestic chorus accompanied by trumpets and drums, setting a triumphant - and even martial - tone. This section continues the narrative focused on Herod's attempt to locate Jesus through the Three Kings, making up the second half of the story. The Three Wise Men, guided by a star from the east in search of a newborn king, inquire of Herod, the Roman ruler of Palestine. Herod, threatened by the prospect of a rival king, attempts to eliminate the infant. In the libretto of the cantata, Herod symbolizes the adversaries and challenges that Christians face and that they can overcome with divine help. The failure of Herod's plan serves as a paradigm for the triumphs of Christ's followers. As a result, the final Christmas cantata adopts a more assertive tone in its choral passages and arias.
The first recitative depicts Herod summoning the wise men and instructing them to find the Messiah so that he can worship him. The following recitative condemns Herod's insincere intentions. A graceful soprano aria in triple meter follows, effectively conveying the omnipotence of God.
In the following recitative, the wise men, guided by the star, begin their journey and find Jesus. They pay homage to him, followed by a chorale when they pray at the manger. Another recitative recounts the wise men's dream warning them to avoid Herod and flee.
A long and poignant recitative reflects on the bond between the soul and Jesus, leading into a tenor aria extolling the strength of faith. A final recitative, in which all the soloists take turns, precedes the magnificent final chorus, accompanied by jubilant trumpets and percussion. The final chorale is the fourth verse of Georg Werner's 1648 hymn, "Ihr Christen auserkoren." Bach sets the hymn to Hans Leo Hassler's melody, which he used in Part I for the opening chorale of the Christmas Oratorio, "Wie soll ich dich empfangen," thus creating a thematic unity throughout the oratorio.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)