Soprano solo voice, alto solo voice, tenor solo voice, bass solo voice, SATB choir and piano accompaniment (Soprano Voice Solo, Alto Voice Solo, Tenor Voice Solo, Bass Voice Solo, SATB Choir , 2 Fl, 2 Ob(2 Ob-dam), 2 Ob-dacc, 2 Cor-dacc, 3Trp, timpani, 2 V, Va, Continuo(bassoon, Vc, Vo, Org)) - Difficulty: medium-difficult to difficult
SKU: BA.BA05014-90
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Edited by Alfred Durr and Walter Blankenburg. This edition: urtext edition. Paperback. Barenreiter Urtext. Baroque, Sacred and Christmas. Vocal score. With choral notation, piano reduction and introductory text. BWV 248. 234 pages. Baerenreiter Verlag #BA05014-90. Published by Baerenreiter Verlag (BA.BA05014-90).
ISBN 9790006461660. 7.5x10.5 inches. Text Language: German, English. Preface: Dürr, Alfred.
Bach's Christmas Oratorio, composed in 1734, narrates the story of the birth of Jesus in a cycle of six cantatas with a text probably by Christian Friedrich Henrici (known as Picander) who provided several libretti for Bach during his Leipzig period.
Like the St. Matthew and St. John Passions, the Christmas Oratorio is narrated by an Evangelist and includes devices from Italian opera such as the recitative and aria. It was written to be performed during the thirteen days of Christmas of the Lutheran Church calendar (25 December - 6 January) allowing the wondrous story of the Gospel to gradually unfold.
