What is an Oratorio?

An oratorio is a large-scale piece for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. Most are sacred and tell long-form stories from the Bible or religious traditions, but there are also oratorios that tell secular stories. Oratorios resemble operas, but without staging or sets; and generally there is more commentary on the action than in an opera.

What part of the Christmas story does Bach’s oratorio tell?

Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is organized into six “scenes” or sections; since it was originally presented on separate Sundays during the Christmas season, it provides a series of vignettes of the major events of Christ’s birth: the prophecy, the birth, the shepherds’ worship, the naming of Jesus, the visit of the Wise Men, and the flight into Egypt. We have a narrator who links the story together; various moments depicted by the chorus; and arias that reflect on the emotional high points. Each section is framed by an opening and closing chorus.

What/Who is an “Evangelist”?

In our society we think of an evangelist as someone who advocates for something, or more specifically a person who spreads the message in the Christian gospels. In the Bach oratorios, the words taken directly from the Bible are sung by a solo voice, a tenor, who narrates the action in the story, including even “he said” “they replied” etc. The singer portraying the Evangelist has a very important role in holding the entire narrative together and he provides important musical cues to link ensemble movements. Although he sings only plain recitative (a style of singing very close to speech) he is second only to the conductor in importance.

Are there familiar Christmas carols in the Christmas Oratorio?

Bach placed stanzas of familiar Lutheran chorales at many key moments in the piece. While some tunes might be familiar to us, they were all well-known and beloved to Bach’s congregation, and provided the same type of comfort and seasonal joy that we find in our favorite holiday music.

What’s special about Bach’s Christmas Oratorio?
Since the piece is in shorter sections, in contrast to his other great oratorios, listening to the whole work at once is like binge-watching your favorite series: you can enjoy each section on its own terms, and also appreciate how the story builds and how musical elements are echoed from one section to another. Bach uses many wonderful instrumental colors; from trumpets to horns; flutes, oboes, and a wonderful choir of oboes for shepherd’s music. Even though we are hearing about events from Biblical times, the piece continually reminds us how we are a part of the miracle in the present day.

©Pamela Dellal