Scan 84
The American history and encyclopedia of music, 1908
10 lines. Read by computer on 9 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1("Schlaf mein Liebster"), which is addressed by the Virgin Mary to the sleeping child. This, too, is for the contralto voice, and its enchanting melody steals through a harmony of instruments equally lovely. So celestial is the song in its tenderness that we half regret to find that Bach wrote it originally as a lullaby for the crown prince. Probably no aria ever written by Bach surpasses this. This part usually ends with the chorale, "With all Thy hosts, O Lord we sing."
3The third part resumes the cheerful character of the first, the opening chorus, "Hear, King of angels," having been transferred from the previously mentioned "Drama per Musica," composed for the Queen's birthday.
5A duet for soprano and bass voices, "Lord, Thy mercy, Thy compassion," is notable for its skilful construction. The aria, "Keep, O my heart," in combination with a solo violin is another example of the composer's sympathetic treatment of the contralto voice. The music of the third day opens as it began with the festive sound of trumpets and drums.
7The fourth part is possibly the least interesting and the least appropriate in spirit, as no Christmas hymn or true chorale appears in it. One number which has excited much comment is the soprano aria, "Ah! my Savior, I entreat Thee," with a double echo device of a second soprano and an oboe. This is one of the pieces transferred from the "Choice of Hercules," being that part indeed which deals with the choice of the hero between vice and virtue.
9The fifth and sixth parts are by no means inferior to the first half. Notable among the numbers are, in the fifth part, a terzett for soprano, alto and tenor, "Ah! when shall we see Salvation?" and just before the concluding chorale in the last part, a beautiful arioso for four solo voices. Again in the number which closes the work, "Now vengeance hath been taken," we find the now well known Passion chorale, used so often in the "Passion according to St. Matthew," and previously in the work as a greeting to the Babe, but now by glowing counterpoint and festive flourishes of trumpets and drums metamorphosed into a hymn of triumph.
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