Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas oratorio : music, theology, culture

433 Pages·2016·15.871 MB·English

by  Rathey, Markus

Johann Sebastian Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio

Johann Sebastian Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio
Music, Theology, Culture
MARKUS RATHEY
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Rathey, Markus.
Title: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio : music, theology, culture/ Markus Rathey.
Description: New York : Oxford University Press, [2016] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015049008 (print) | LCCN 2015049271 (ebook) | 
ISBN 9780190275259 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780190275266 (e- book)
Subjects:  LCSH: Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685– 1750. Weihnachts- Oratorium.
Classification: LCC ML410.B13 R287 2016 (print) | LCC ML410.B13 (ebook) | DDC
782.23— dc23
LC record available at http:// lccn.loc.gov/ 2015049008
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Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
Tell me where is fancy bred/ Or in the heart, or in the head?
William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, III, 2
Perché s'è ver, che nel tuo cor io sia,
Entro al tuo sen celata,
Non posso da' tuoi lumi esser mirata.
Claudio Monteverdi, L'incoronazione di Poppea, I, 3
God's love and grace are not just mathematical or mechanical relations,
but have their true seat and origin in the movement of the heart of God.
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics II, 1, 370

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
A Note on Translations xi
Abbreviations xiii
1. Prologue 1
2. Redefining Christmas 13
3. Layers of Time: The Theology of the Christmas Oratorio 50
4. Bach’s Oratorio Concept 85
5. Planning the Oratorio 110
6. Dichotomies (Part I) 144
7. Mundane and Celestial Harmonies (Part II) 191
8. Inward Mobility (Part III) 239
9. “What’s in a Name?” (Part IV) 271
10. Paths of Enlightenment (Part V) 306
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11. The Bridegroom and the Enemy (Part VI) 349
12. Looking Ahead: An Epilogue 380
Bibliography 391
Index 409
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My first words of thanks go to my graduate students who have, in several seminars,
discussed Bach and his vocal music, the interpretation of Bach sources, the history
of the oratorio in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the religious and
devotional landscape in Germany in the eighteenth century. I have learned a lot
from the keen eyes of music theorists, conductors, singers, music historians, and
theologians. The unique mixture of talents and interests at Yale has left its mark on
the multifaceted approach to Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and is reflected in this book.
I would also like to thank my colleagues at Yale, the School of Music, the
Department of Music, the Divinity School, and in particular my colleagues and
friends at the Institute of Sacred Music for their encouragement and the valuable
advice. It has been inspiring for me as a scholar to prepare performances of Bach’s
works with my colleagues Marguerite Brooks, Simon Carrington, David Hill, and
Masaaki Suzuki. Having one of my favorite Bach-t enors, James Taylor, as a friend
and colleague also provided inspiration. His warm voice on the Rilling recording of
the oratorio from 2000 accompanied me through the process of writing this book.
My colleague Ellen Rosand’s book on Monteverdi’s Venetian Trilogy (2007) encour-
aged me to bridge the gulf between philology and semantics, between details of the
compositional process and the religious and dramatic function of the music.
A large number of friends and colleagues were kind enough to read all or parts
of the manuscript at various stages of its development: Danielle Annett, Eric Chafe,
Ellen Exner, Bruce Gordon, and Robin Leaver. My thanks go especially to Michael
Marissen, who meticulously read the final draft and made numerous suggestions
that improved both the style as well as the content of the book. Other colleagues
who have lent me their ears and their advice during the genesis of the book were
Stephen Crist, Don Franklin, Andreas Glöckner, Michael Maul, Daniel Melamed,
Mark Peters, and Thomas Troeger.
Some of my current and former students have aided me in my research: Kathryn
Aaron, Blenda Bo Kyung Im, Katharine Arnold Luce; my research assistant, Emily
Coakley, meticulously edited the manuscript.
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