(The newborn little Child), BWV 122, is a

church cantata A church cantata or sacred cantata is a cantata intended to be performed during Christian liturgy. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, with many composers writing an extensive output: Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. Bach composed the

chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chor ...

in six movements in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

for the Sunday after Christmas and first performed it on 31 December 1724. It is based on a 1597

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

of the same name by

Cyriakus Schneegaß Cyriakus Schneegass (; , 5 October 1546 – 23 October 1597) was a German Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor, hymn writer, composer and music theorist. Life Schneegass was born in 1546 in the village of Bufleben, north of Gotha. He came from a peasant ...

. The work is part of Bach's

chorale cantata cycle Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale cantata cycle is the Cantata cycle (Bach), year-cycle of Church cantata (Bach), church cantatas he started composing in Leipzig from the first Sunday after Trinity Sunday, Trinity in 1724. It followed the cantata cyc ...

; in the format of this cycle, the text of the first and last

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

s of the hymn is retained unchanged while the text of the inner stanzas was paraphrased by an unknown

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

into a sequence of alternating

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

s and

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...

s. The cantata is opened by a

chorale fantasia Chorale fantasia is a type of large composition based on a chorale melody, both works for Pipe organ, organ, and vocal settings, for example the opening movements of Chorale cantata (Bach), Bach's chorale cantatas, with the chorale melody as a can ...

and closed by a

chorale setting Chorale settings refer to a wide variety of musical compositions, almost entirely of Protestant origin, which use a chorale as their basis. A chorale is a simple melody, often based on Gregorian chant, written for congregations to sing hymns. Chor ...

. It is scored for four vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a

Baroque instrument Musical instruments used in Baroque music were partly used already before, partly are still in use today, but with no technology. The movement to perform music in a historically informed way, trying to recreate the sound of the period, led to the ...

al ensemble of recorders,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s, strings and

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

History, hymn and text

Bach composed the cantata in his second year as in Leipzig for the Sunday after Christmas. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the

Epistle to the Galatians The Epistle to the Galatians is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul the Apostle to a number of Early Christian communities in Galatia. Scholars have suggested that this is either the Galatia (Roman province), Roman pro ...

, "through Christ we are free from the law" (), and from the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

Simeon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew, Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated in English as Shimon. In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Sy ...

and

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

talking to

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

(). The chorale cantata is based on a

with the same title by

(1597). This hymn is extremely short, with three

s of only four lines each, and reflects the turn of the year more prominently than the

birth of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...

mentioned in the first line. This was suitable as the Sunday after Christmas fell on the last day of the calendar year in 1724. The unknown

made no effort to connect to the Gospel reading. Bach first performed the cantata on 31 December 1724.

Music

Structure and scoring

Bach structured the cantata in six movements, beginning with a

, followed by a series of alternating arias and recitatives, and concluded by a chorale. He scored it for four vocal soloists (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

(S),

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

(A),

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

(T) and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

(B)), and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of three

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

s (Rc), two

taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was paid directly to the state. History Originally ...

(Ta), two

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

parts (Vl), a

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

part (Va), and

(Bc) with

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. In the following table of the movements, the scoring,

keys Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * ...

and

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

s are taken from

Alfred Dürr Alfred Dürr (3 March 1918 – 7 April 2011) was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Professional career Dürr studied musicology and Clas ...

's standard work , using the symbol for common time (4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

Movements

The opening chorus is a

with a long opening and closing

ritornello A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage in Renaissance music and Baroque music for orchestra or chorus. Early history The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century ...

framing a chorale theme with four entries and lengthy interspersed

episodes Episodes may refer to: * Episode, a part of a dramatic work * Episodes (TV series), ''Episodes'' (TV series), a British/American television sitcom which premiered in 2011 * Episodes (journal), ''Episodes'' (journal), a geological science journal ...

. The three lower voices imitate the soprano thrice in the chorale phrases and then move into a fast ascending figure. The second movement is a long and

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, es ...

bass aria discussing (sinning). This is the longest movement of the cantata. The continuo accompanying the vocal line was described as "tortuous and chromatically convoluted". The soprano

is accompanied by a simple recorder trio, a combination designed to represent the "aura of the angels". As this is the only movement to include the recorders, the parts were likely performed by the oboe and taille players. The fourth movement is a trio of the soprano, alto and tenor voices; the alto sings the chorale line with the strings while the soprano and tenor perform a duet aria. The movement is in

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed ...

and time. The bass recitative begins in major before modulating to the

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...

of the final movement. It is accompanied by high chordal strings and a continuo line. The closing chorale is fast and short. It is in block form. The "rather muted" music of the first chorus and the bass aria (the opening line of which translates as "O mortals, ye who sin daily") have been described by one writer as giving listeners a "moral hangover" after the possible overindulgence of the Christmas holidays.

Publication

The cantata was published in 1878 with other church cantatas as part of the first complete edition of Bach's works (

Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke () is the Bach Gesellschaft's collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions, published in 61 volumes in the second half of the 19th century. The series is also known as Bach-Gesellschaft edition (; BGA), or as ''B ...

). The editor was

Alfred Dörffel Alfred Dörffel (24 January 1821 – 22 January 1905) was a German pianist, music publisher and librarian. Career Dörffel was born in Waldenburg, Saxony, the son of August Friedrich Dörffel and his wife Christiane Charlotte, née Kröhne. H ...

Recordings

* Wiener Kammerchor /

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

Orchestra. ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 122 and BWV 133''. Vanguard Bach Guild, 1952.

Series

The cantata is available as part of series:

Recordings of the complete Bach cantatas

* Frankfurter Kantorei / Bach-Collegium Stuttgart. ''Die Bach Kantate''.

Hänssler Hänssler-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1919 as Musikverlag Hänssler by (died 1972) to publish church music. In 1941 the Nazi government shut down the publishing house. It was allowed by the West German authorities to reo ...

. 1972 (rereleased as part of a 6-CD set "Advent and Christmas Cantatas" in 2009).

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography Helen Erwin was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with ...

Helen Watts Helen Watts (7 December 19277 October 2009) was a Welsh contralto. Early life Helen Josephine Watts was born in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Her father was a pharmacist, Tom Watts and moved to live above his shop at 26 Market Street, Ha ...

Adalbert Kraus Adalbert Kraus (born 27 April 1937) is a German tenor in opera and concert, known for singing the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Career Kraus was born in Aschaffenburg. He first graduated in German studies, theology, and philosophy and in 196 ...

, Niklaus Tuller. * the pioneering set using period instruments on Teldec ( Vol. 30, ''Das Kantatenwerk'').

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, known for his historically informed performances. He specialized in music of the Baroque period, but later extended his repertoire to include Classical ...

. 1981 * the set conducted by Ton Koopman ( Vol. 13, Bach cantatas. 2003) * the projected set on

ATMA Classique ATMA Classique is an independent classical record label based in Montreal, and welcomes artists from Quebec, across Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territorie ...

(Bach: ''Cantates pour la Nativité / Intégrale des cantates sacrées Vol. 4''). Eric J. Milnes,

Montréal Baroque The Montreal Baroque Orchestra () is an early music ensemble based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1989 by conductor Joël Thiffault. Discography * ''Francesco Geminiani - Concertos grossos'' (1997) Harmonia Mundi - Internati ...

Monika Mauch Monika Mauch (Geislingen an der Steige, Baden-Württemberg) is a German soprano. Mauch specializes in early music, studied singing with Richard Wistreich at the Institute for Early Music of Trossingen conservatory where she obtained her diploma. S ...

, Matthew White, Charles Daniels,

Harry van der Kamp Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher. Singing career Born in Kampen, va ...

. 2007

Recordings of several cantatas

* Christmas contatas (''J. S. Bach: Cantates de Nöel'').

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from ...

. Collegium Vocale Gent.

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

, 1995.

Notes

References

External links

*
BWV 122 Das neugeborne Kindelein
English translation,

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

* * Luke Dahn
BWV 122.6
bach-chorales.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Neugeborne Kindelein Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach 1724 compositions Chorale cantatas