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Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend BWV 248 II / BC D 7 II
Christmas Oratorio II, December 26, 1734
The second cantata of the Christmas Oratorio, Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend BWV 248 II (And there were shepherds in the same area), shares with its five sibling works the genesis, performance history, and other aspects of the entire cycle. The cantata was performed for the first time on December 26, 1734, early in the day at St. Thomas Church; it was repeated in the afternoon at St. Nicholas. This cantata is peculiar in that instead of the Gospel reading of the day, the account of the shepherds at the manger in Bethlehem in Luke 2, it presents the second half of the reading from the first day of Christmas, also from Luke 2:
And there were shepherds in the same area on the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold, the angel of the Lord approached them, and the brilliance of the Lord illuminated them, and they were very fearful. And the angel spoke to them: Do not be afraid, behold, I announce to you great joy, which will affect all people. For unto you today the savior is born, who is Christ, the Lord, in the city of David. And this is the sign to you: you will find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And at once there was beside the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts, who praised God and spoke: Honor to God in the highest and peace on Earth and goodwill to everyone. (8–14)
This Gospel reading is presented in four sections of varying lengths within the cantata, each time either answered by a chorale strophe or commented upon with free poetry in the form of a recitative and aria. The appearance of the angel is followed by the ninth strophe from Johann Rist’s hymn Ermuntre dich, mein schwacher Geist (Take courage, my weak spirit), whose text begins, “Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht, / Und laß den Himmel tagen” (Break forth, O fair morning light, / And let the heavens dawn). The reference to the manger is followed by the eighth strophe from Paul Gerhardt’s hymn Schaut, schaut, was ist für Wunder dar (Look, look, what sort of wonder is this), whose text begins, “Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall” (Look, there lies in the dark stable). The cantata closes with the second strophe from Gerhardt’s hymn Wir singen dir, Immanuel (We sing to you, Immanuel):
Wir singen dir in deinem Heer
Aus aller Kraft Lob, Preis und Ehr,
Daß du, o lang gewünschter Gast,
Dich nunmehr eingestellt hast.
We sing to you within your host
With all our power: blessing, praise, and honor,
That you, O long-desired guest,
Have finally revealed yourself.
The elements of free poetry do not seem as compellingly motivated as the interpolated chorale strophes, at least as far as the second aria is concerned. As early as 1880, Philipp Spitta took note of the incongruity and was not at a loss for a quick explanation. Referring to the folk-like features of the musical parts of the Christmas Oratorio, he remarked:
Wherever it was possible, reference has been had in the words as well as in the music to the traditional ceremonies connected with the Christmas plays and hymns. The custom of cradling the Child was reflected in the cradle song of part II, “Slumber, beloved,” a composition of enchanting grace and the sweetest melody. It does not certainly fill its proper place, which is in part III; but musical considerations must have prevented Bach’s inserting it there. In part II its introduction is led up to by a bass voice, which delivers the call to the shepherds and charges them when they are come to Bethlehem to sing “in sweet harmonious tone and all with one accord”; the following song, however, is certainly not appropriate in any way for choral singing. The only thing needed here was to supply a reason for its introduction; Bach has by preference given the song itself to the Virgin Mary, since it is written for an alto voice.1
More recent research no longer agrees with this allocation of roles but sees the alto as representative of the “the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking within faithful hearts.”2
The first aria is better suited. According to Spitta, “In the Christmas dramas and pastorals it was a stereotyped detail that after the appearance of the angels the shepherds should be encouraged to go to Bethlehem. . . . If we compare these with the text of the tenor aria: ‘Haste, ye shepherds, haste to meet him, / Why should you delay to greet him? / Haste the gracious Child to see,’ we cannot doubt their association.”3 However, Spitta views the associated bass recitative critically:
Was Gott dem Abraham verheißen,
Das läßt er nun dem Hirtenchor
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 to Abraham revealed,
He now lets the choir of shepherds
Be shown to be fulfilled.
A shepherd was certainly first of all
To learn all this from God.
And now as well, the act
That God had once promised
A shepherd must be first to see fulfilled.
According to Spitta, “This text also seems to contain an obscure reference. The insipid antithesis of Abraham as a shepherd and the shepherds of Bethlehem can hardly have been the whole motive of the poem; the author must rather have had in his mind an idea of praising the shepherd’s calling generally.”4Once again, folk traditions are invoked for a justification (the boastful self-congratulation of the shepherds at particular points of repose in the action of the Christmas play), yet it remains unclear that reference to these traditions brings us any closer to resolving the riddle of what is in fact peculiar recitative poetry.5
Musically, on the other hand, the cantata’s outward appearance is unproblematic. Except for two arias, all vocal movements are newly composed: the evangelist recitative, together with the angel’s announcement, given to the soprano; the densely worked chorus of angels that concludes it; the three bass recitatives; the chorales. Both arias come from secular cantatas. The tenor aria with obbligato flute comes from the Queen’s Cantata (Tönet ihr Pauken BWV 214 [Sound, you drums]) of 1733; the movement, very similar to the minuet dance type, was there set for oboe d’amore and alto to be performed by Pallas Athena, the guardian of the arts. The alto aria “Schlafe, mein Liebster” (Sleep, my beloved) goes back to the Hercules Cantata (Laßt uns sorgen BWV 213 [Let us care for]), also of 1733, where it was set for soprano and accompanied only by strings.
Our cantata begins with a work of singular rank, a sinfonia in G major, which introduces the nighttime scene with shepherds in the fields, and the angel’s proclamation. Here, in a realism that approaches the naive, the elated music of the angel, with violins and flutes in a
8 meter symbolizing completeness, alternates with the reed instruments in timid stepwise descending tones evoking shepherds’ pipes. This constant interchange of light and shadow becomes increasingly interwoven, with both instrumental choirs ultimately uniting in a sublime eight-part texture. This movement has no peer anywhere in music literature. In view of this work’s intensity and inwardness, it is difficult to avoid making comparisons: were it possible to compare all the movements of the Christmas Oratorio, newly composed and repurposed, with one another, the shepherds’ sinfonia would have to take the crown.
Footnotes
- Spitta (1899, 2:577–78).—Trans.↵
- “im glaubenden Herzen sprechenden Stimme des Heiligen Geistes” (Koch 1995).↵
- Spitta (1899, 2:578).—Trans.↵
- Spitta (1899, 2:580).—Trans.↵
- Markus Rathey argues that “the purpose of the allusion comes in sharper relief if we consider the understanding of the shepherds in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century religious discourses. The text follows the theological model of promise and fulfillment. The new covenant (with Christ) is understood as the fulfillment of the old covenant (beginning with Abraham)” (Rathey 2016a, 220).—Trans.↵