WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT Christmas... · Sein Strahl bricht schon hervor. ... Den Schönsten, den Liebsten bald bei dir zu sehn! ... Wir stimmen mit euch ein, Uns kann es so wie euch

CELEBRATION: CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

NATIONAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | WASHINGTON, DC SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017, AT 6:00 P.M.

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT DR . J. REILLY LEWIS , FOUNDER

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT

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2017–2018 SEASON NATIONAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | WASHINGTON, DC

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017, AT 6:00 PM


Dana Marsh, conductor & artistic director candidate Kate Vetter Cain, soprano

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, mezzo-soprano Robert Petillo, tenor Steven Combs, bass

Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248: Parts I, II, V and VI Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

I. Cantata for the First Day of Christmas: Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage

II. Cantata for the Second Day of Christmas: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend

V. Cantata for the Sunday after New Years: Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen

VI. Cantata for Epiphany: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben

Mary Ann Gardner, underwriter

TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS

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Part I

1. Chor Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage, Rühmet, was heute der Höchste getan! Lasset das Zagen, verbannet die Klage, Stimmet voll Jauchzen und Fröhlichkeit an! Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören, Laßt uns den Namen des Herrschers verehren! 2. Evangelist T Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit, daß ein Gebot von dem Kaiser Augusto ausging, daß alle Welt geschätzet würde. Und jedermann ging, daß er sich schätzen ließe, ein jeglicher in seine Stadt. Da machte sich auch auf Joseph aus Galiläa, aus der Stadt Nazareth, in das jüdische Land zur Stadt David, die da heißet Bethlehem; darum, daß er von dem Hause und Geschlechte David war: auf daß er sich schätzen ließe mit Maria, seinem vertrauten Weibe, die war schwanger. Und als sie daselbst waren, kam die Zeit, daß sie gebären sollte. 3. Rezitativ A Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam, Nun wird der Held aus Davids Stamm Zum Trost, zum Heil der Erden Einmal geboren werden. Nun wird der Stern aus Jakob scheinen, Sein Strahl bricht schon hervor. Auf, Zion, und verlasse nun das Weinen, Dein Wohl steigt hoch empor! 4. Arie A Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben, Den Schönsten, den Liebsten bald bei dir zu sehn! Deine Wangen Müssen heut viel schöner prangen, Eile, den Bräutigam sehnlichst zu lieben! 5. Choral Wie soll ich dich empfangen Und wie begegn' ich dir? O aller Welt Verlangen,

1. Chorus Celebrate, rejoice, rise up and praise these days, glorify what the Highest has done today! Abandon despair, banish laments, sound forth full of delight and happiness! Serve the Highest with glorious choruses, let us honor the name of the Supreme Ruler! 2. Evangelist T It came to pass at that time, however, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be appraised. And everyone went to be appraised, each to his own city. So Joseph also went out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into the Jewish territory to the city of David, which was called Bethlehem; since he was of the house and race of David; so that he might be appraised with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her to deliver. –Luke 2:1, 3-6 3. Recitative A Now my dearest Bridegroom, now the hero from David's branch, for the comfort, for the salvation of the earth, will be born at last. Now the Star out of Jacob will shine, its light already breaks forth. Arise, Zion, and give up your weeping now, your happiness rises high above you! 4. Aria A Prepare yourself, Sion, with tender efforts to behold your lovely one, your beloved, near you soon! Your cheeks must now glow much more radiantly, hurry to love the Bridegroom with passion! 5. Chorale How shall I embrace You, and how encounter You? O desire of the whole world,


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O meiner Seelen Zier! O Jesu, Jesu, setze Mir selbst die Fackel bei, Damit, was dich ergötze, Mir kund und wissend sei! 6. Evangelist Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn und wickelte ihn in Windeln und legte ihn in eine Krippen, denn sie hatten sonst keinen Raum in der Herberge. 7. Choral & Rezitativ, S & B Soprano: Wer will die Liebe recht erhön, Die unser Heiland vor uns hegt? Ja, wer vermag es einzusehen, Wie ihn der Menschen Leid bewegt? Des Höchsten Sohn kömmt in die Welt, Weil ihm ihr Heil so wohl gefällt, So will er selbst als Mensch geboren warden. Bass: Er ist auf Erden kommen arm, Daß er unser sich erbarm, Und in dem Himmel mache reich, Und seinen lieben Engeln gleich. Kyrieleis! 8. Arie B Großer Herr, o starker König, Liebster Heiland, o wie wenig Achtest du der Erden Pracht! Der die ganze Welt erhält, Ihre Pracht und Zier erschaffen, Muß in harten Krippen schlafen. 9. Choral Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein, Mach dir ein rein sanft Bettelein, Zu ruhn in meines Herzens Schrein, Daß ich nimmer vergesse dein!

O adornment of my soul! O Jesus, Jesus, place the torch near me Yourself, so that what gives You pleasure be known and familiar to me! 6. Evangelist And she bore her first son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, since there was no other room in the inn. –Luke 2:7 7. Chorale & Recitative, S & B Soprano: Who can rightly exalt this love, that our Savior harbors for us? Indeed, who could possibly have predicted how the sorrow of humanity moved Him? The Son of the Highest came into the world, since its salvation pleased Him so much, thus He Himself will be born a human. Bass: He came to earth poor, So that He might have sympathy for us, And make us rich in heaven, and be equal to His dear angels. Kyrie eleison! (Lord have mercy!) 8. Aria B Great Lord, o powerful King, dearest Savior, o how little you care about the glories of the earth! He who sustains the entire world, who created its magnificence and beauty, must sleep in a harsh manger. 9. Chorale Ah, my heart's beloved little Jesus, make Yourself a pure, soft little bed within my heart's chamber in which to rest, so that I never forget You!


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1. Sinfonia 2. Evangelist Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend auf dem Felde bei den Hürden, die hüteten des Nachts ihre Herde. Und siehe, des Herren Engel trat zu ihnen, und die Klarheit des Herren leuchtet um sie, und sie furchten sich sehr. 3. Choral Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht, Und laß den Himmel tagen! Du Hirtenvolk, erschrecke nicht, Weil dir die Engel sagen, Daß dieses schwache Knäbelein Soll unser Trost und Freude sein, Dazu den Satan zwingen Und letztlich Friede bringen! 4. Rezitativ, Evangelist T & Engel S Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen: Engel: Fürchtet euch nicht, siehe, ich verkündige euch große Freude, die allem Volke widerfahren wird. Denn euch ist heute der Heiland geboren, welcher ist Christus, der Herr, in der Stadt David. 5. Rezitativ B 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. 6. Arie T Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet, Eh ihr euch zu lang verweilet, Eilt, das holde Kind zu sehn! Geht, die Freude heißt zu schön,

2. Evangelist And there were shepherds in the same region in the fields near the sheepfolds, who guarded their flock at night. And behold, the angel of the Lord approached them, and the brilliance of the Lord shone around them and they were very afraid. –Luke 2:8-9 3. Chorale Break forth, o lovely light of morning, and let heaven dawn! You shepherd-folk, do not fear, for the angel tells you that this weak little boy shall be our comfort and joy, compelling Satan as well and bringing peace at last! 4. Recitative, Evangelist T & Engel S And the angel said to them: Angel: Do not be afraid; behold, I proclaim great joy for you, which will occur for all people. For today the Savior is born for you, which is Christ, the Lord, in the city of David. –Luke 2: 10-11 5. Recitative B What God promised to Abraham, now, fulfilled, He has had announced to the group of shepherds. A shepherd, then, first of all, had experience of God. And now, also, a shepherd is first of all to know the fulfillment of what once was promised. 6. Aria T Happy shepherds, hurry, ah hurry, before you delay too long, hurry to see the lovely Child! Go, this joy is so exquisite,

Part II


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Sucht die Anmut zu gewinnen, Geht und labet Herz und Sinnen! 7. Evangelist Und da habt zum Zeichen: Ihr werdet finden das Kind in Windeln gewickelt und in einer Krippe liegen. 8. Choral Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall, Des Herrschaft gehet überall! Da Speise vormals sucht ein Rind, Da ruhet itzt der Jungfrau'n Kind. 9. Rezitativ B So geht denn hin, ihr Hirten, geht, Daß ihr das Wunder seht: Und findet ihr des Höchsten Sohn Un einer harten Krippe liegen, So singet ihm bei seiner Wiegen Aus einem süßen Ton Und mit gesamtem Chor Dies Lied zur Ruhe vor! 10. Arie A Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh, Wach nach diesem vor aller Gedeihen! Labe die Brust, Empfinde die Lust, Wo wir unser Herz erfreuen! 11. & 12. Evangelist & Chor Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel die Menge der himmlischen Heerscharen, die lobten Gott und sprachen: Chor (Die Engel): Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe und Friede auf Erden und den Menschen ein Wohlgefallen. 13. Rezitativ B So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet, Daß es uns heut so schön gelinget! Auf denn! Wir stimmen mit euch ein, Uns kann es so wie euch erfreun.

seek to achieve this loveliness, go and delight heart and senses! 7. Evangelist And there you will have as a sign: you will find the Child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. –Luke 2:12 8. Chorale Look there, there He lies in a dark stall, whose majesty encompasses everything! Where once an ox searched for food, now the Child of the Virgin rests. 9. Recitative B Then go there, you shepherds, go, so that you see the miracle: and when you find the Son of the Highest lying in a harsh manger, then sing to Him by His cradle in a sweet tone and with full chorus this lullaby! 10. Aria A Sleep, my beloved, enjoy Your rest, and awaken after it for all the fortunate! Let your heart delight, experience the joy that rejoices our hearts! 11. & 12. Evangelist & Chorus And immediately, with the angel, there was a throng of the heavenly hosts, who praised God and said: Chorus (the Angels): Glory be to God in the highest and peace on earth and a happy occurrence for humanity. –Luke 2:13-14 13. Recitative B Thus rightly, you angels, rejoice and sing, that it works out so beautifully for us today! Up then! We play along with you; we can celebrate just as you do.


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1. Chor Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen, Dir sei Lob und Dank bereit'. Dich erhebet alle Welt, Weil dir unser Wohl gefällt, Weil anheut Unser aller Wunsch gelungen, Weil uns dein Segen so herrlich erfreut. 2. Evangelist Da Jesus geboren war zu Bethlehem im jüdischen Lande zur Zeit des Königes Herodis, siehe, da kamen die Wei-sen vom Morgenlande gen Jerusalem und sprachen: 3. Chor (Die Weisen) & Rezitativ A Die Weisen: Wo ist der neugeborne König der Jüden? Alto: Sucht ihn in meiner Brust, Hier wohnt er, mir und ihm zur Lust! Die Weisen: Wir haben seinen Stern gesehen im Morgen-lande und sind kommen, ihn anzubeten. Alto: Wohl euch, die ihr dies Licht gesehen, Es ist zu eurem Heil geschehen! Mein Heiland, du, du bist das Licht, Das auch den Heiden scheinen sollen, Und sie, sie kennen dich noch nicht, Als sie dich schon verehren wollen. Wie hell, wie klar muß nicht dein Schein, Geliebter Jesu, sein! 4. Choral Dein Glanz all Finsternis verzehrt, Die trübe Nacht in Licht verkehrt. Leit uns auf deinen Wegen,

1. Chorus Let honor be sung to You, o God, praise and thanks be prepared for You. All the world exalts You, since our well-being was Your pleasure, since today all our wishes have come to pass, since Your blessing so gloriously delights us. 2. Evangelist When Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the Jewish lands at the time of King Herod, behold, there came sages from the east towards Jerusalem and said: 3. Chorus (Wise Men) & Recitative A Wise men: Where is the new-born King of the Jews? Alto: Seek Him within my breast, He lives here, to His and my delight! Wise men: We have seen His star in the east and have come to make our devotions to Him. Alto: Happy are you, who have seen this light, it has appeared for your salvation! My Savior, You, You are the light, that shall shine also for the heathens, and they, they do not yet know You, yet they already wish to honor You. How bright, how clear must your radiance be, beloved Jesus! –Matthew 2:1-2 4. Chorale Your radiance destroys all darkness, the troubled night is transfigured with light. Lead us on Your paths,

Part V

14. Choral Wir singen dir in deinem Heer Aus aller Kraft Lob, Preis und Ehr, Daß du, o lang gewünschter Gast, Dich nunmehr eingestellet hast.

14. Chorale We sing to You in Your host with all our might praise, glory and honor, since You, o long-awaited guest, from now on have become present.


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Daß dein Gesicht Und herrlichs Licht Wir ewig schauen mögen! 5. Arie B Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen, Erleuchte mein Herze Durch der Strahlen klaren Schein! Dein Wort soll mir die hellste Kerze In allen meinen Werken sein; Dies lässet die Seele nichts Böses beginnen. 6. Evangelist Da das der König Herodes hörte, erschrak er und mit ihm das ganze Jerusalem. 7. Rezitativ A Warum wollt ihr erschrecken? Kann meines Jesu Gegenwart euch solch Furcht erwecken? O! Solltet ihr euch nicht Vielmehr darüber freuen, Weil er dadurch verspricht, Der Menschen Wohlfahrt zu verneuen. 8. Evangelist Und ließ versammlen alle Hohepriester und Schrift-gelehrten unter dem Volk und erforschete von ihnen, wo Christus sollte geboren werden. Und sie sagten ihm: ‘Zu Bethlehem im jüdischen Lande,’ denn also stehet geschrieben durch den Proph-

eten: ‘Und du Bethlehem im jüdischen Lande bist mitnichten die kleinest unter den Fürsten Juda; denn aus dir soll mir kommen der Herzog, der über mein Volk Israel ein Herr sei.’ 9. Arie (Terzett, S A T) Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen? Ach, wenn kömmt der Trost der Seinen? —Schweigt, er ist schon würklich hier!— Jesu, ach so komm zu mir!

so that Your face and glorious light might always be visible to us! 5. Aria B Illumine my dark thoughts as well, illumine my heart through the rays of your clear brilliance! Your word shall be the brightest candle for me in all my doings; this will never let my soul initiate evil. 6. Evangelist When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and with him all of Jerusalem. –Matthew 2:3 7. Recitative A Why are you afraid? Can the presence of my Jesus awaken such fear in you? O! Should you not rather much more rejoice over this, since He has promised through this to renew the happy destiny of humanity. 8. Evangelist And he had all the high priests and interpreters of Scripture among the people gathered together, and inquired of them where Christ was supposed to be born. And they answered him: ‘In Bethlehem in the Jewish lands,’ for thus it is written through the Prophets: ‘and you, Bethlehem, in the Jewish lands, are by no means the least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come the leader to me, who shall be a Lord over my people Israel.’ –Matthew 2:4-6 9. Aria (Trio, S A T) Ah, when will the time appear? Ah, when will the comfort of the faithful come? —Hush, He is truly already here!— Jesus, ah, then come to me!


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1. Chor Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben, So gib, daß wir im festen Glauben Nach deiner Macht und Hülfe sehn! Wir wollen dir allein vertrauen, So können wir den scharfen Klauen Des Feindes unversehrt entgehn. 2. Evangelist T & Herodes B Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich und erlernet mit Fleiß von ihnen, wenn der Stern erschienen wäre. Und weiset sie gen Bethlehem und sprach: Herodes: Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig nach dem Kindlein, und wenn ihr's findet, sagt mir's wieder, daß ich auch komme und es anbete. 3. Rezitativ S Du Falscher, suche nur den Herrn zu fällen, Nimm alle falsche List, Dem Heiland nachzustellen; Der, dessen Kraft kein Mensch ermißt, Bleibt doch in sichrer Hand. Dein Herz, dein falsches Herz ist schon, Nebst aller seiner List, des Höchsten Sohn, Den du zu stürzen suchst, sehr wohl bekannt.

1. Chorus Lord, when our proud enemies snarl, then grant that, in firm faith, we can look for Your help and strength! We will trust in You alone, thus we can escape the sharp claws of the enemy unscathed. 2. Evangelist T & Herodes B Then Herod summoned the sages secretly and cleverly discovered from them when the star had appeared. And he directed them towards Bethlehem and said: Herodes: Go there and seek diligently for the infant, and when you find it, report to me, so that I can also come and pay my devotions to it. –Matthew 2:7-8 3. Recitative S Liar, you seek only to destroy the Lord; You employ all false trickery to supplant the Savior; yet He, whose power no man can measure, remains in secure hands. Your heart, your false heart is already, with all its deceit, very well known to the Son of the Highest whom you seek to crush.

Part VI

10. Rezitativ A Mein Liebster herrschet schon. Ein Herz, das seine Herrschaft liebet Und sich ihm ganz zu eigen gibet, Ist meines Jesu Thron. 11. Choral Zwar ist solch Herzensstube Wohl kein schöner Fürstensaal, Sondern eine finstre Grube; Doch, sobald dein Gnadenstrahl In denselben nur wird blinken, Wird es voller Sonnen dünken.

10. Recitative A My beloved already reigns. A heart that loves His governance and gives itself utterly to Him as His own, is my Jesus’ throne. 11. Chorale Indeed such a heart's closet may be no ornate princely chamber, rather a dark pit; yet, as soon as Your beams of grace only peep within it, it seems to be full of sunshine.


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discovered from them when the star had appeared. And

4. Arie S Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen Stürzt ohnmächtger Menschen Macht. Hier wird alle Kraft verlacht! Spricht der Höchste nur ein Wort, Seiner Feinde Stolz zu enden, O, so müssen sich sofort Sterblicher Gedanken wenden. 5. Evangelist Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten, zogen sie hin. Und siehe, der Stern, den sie im Morgenlande gesehen hatten, ging für ihnen hin, bis daß er kam und stund oben über, da das Kindlein war. Da sie den Stern sahen, wurden sie hoch erfreuet und gingen in das Haus und funden das Kindlein mit Maria, seiner Mutter, und fielen nieder und beteten es an und täten ihre Schätze auf und schenkten ihm Gold, Weihrauch und Myrrhen. 6. Choral Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier, O Jesulein, mein Leben; Ich komme, bring und schenke dir, Was du mir hast gegeben. Nimm hin! Es ist mein Geist und Sinn, Herz, Seel und Mut, nimm alles hin, Und laß dirs wohlgefallen! 7. Evangelist Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum, daß sie sich nicht sollten wieder zu Herodes lenken, und zogen durch einen andern Weg wieder in ihr Land. 8. Rezitativ T So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier, Er bleibet da bei mir, Ich will ihn auch nicht von mir lassen. Sein Arm wird mich aus Lieb Mit sanftmutsvollem Trieb Und größter Zärtlichkeit umfassen; Er soll mein Bräutigam verbleiben, Ich will ihm Brust und Herz verschreiben.

4. Aria S Only a wave of His hands topples the impotent power of humans. Here all strength is laughable! If the Highest speaks only a word, to terminate the pride of His enemies, o, then how immediately must the thoughts of mortals be turned aside! 5. Evangelist When they had heard the King, they went away. And behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them until it came and stood over where the infant was. When they saw the star, they were highly delighted, and went into the house, and found the infant with Mary, His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him and presented their treasures; and they gave Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. –Matthew 2:9-11 6. Chorale I stand here by Your cradle, o little Jesus, my life; I come, I bring and give to You, what You have given to me. Take it! It is my spirit and mind, heart, soul, and will, take all of it, and let it be pleasing to You! 7. Evangelist And God commanded them in a dream that they should not journey back to Herod, and they travelled by another way back to their own land. –Matthew 2:12 8. Recitative T Go then! It is enough, my treasure does not leave here, He remains here with me, I also will not let Him leave me. His arm will, out of love, embrace me with tender emotions and the greatest gentleness; He shall remain my bridegroom, I will dedicate my heart and breast to Him.


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Ich weiß gewiß, er liebet mich, Mein Herz liebt ihn auch inniglich Und wird ihn ewig ehren. Was könnte mich nun für ein Feind Bei solchem Glück versehren! Du, Jesu, bist und bleibst mein Freund; Und werd ich ängstlich zu dir flehn: Herr hilf!, so laß mich Hülfe sehn! 9. Arie T Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken; Was könnt ihr mir für Furcht erwecken? Mein Schatz, mein Hort ist hier bei mir. Ihr mögt euch noch so grimmig stellen, Droht nur, mich ganz und gar zu fällen, Doch seht! Mein Heiland wohnet hier. 10. Rezitativ S A T B Was will der Höllen schrecken nun, Was will uns Welt und Sünde tun, Da wir in Jesu Händen ruhn? 11. Choral Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen An eurer Feinde Schar, Denn Christus hat zerbrochen, Was euch zuwider war. Tod, Teufel, Sünd und Hölle Sind ganz und gar geschwächt; Bei Gott hat seine Stelle Das menschliche Geschlecht.

I surely know that He loves me, my heart loves Him inwardly as well and will always honor Him. What kind of enemy now, amid such happiness, could harm me! You, Jesus, are and remain my Friend; and if I will beseech you anxiously: Lord, help! then let me see assistance! 9. Aria T Now, you arrogant enemies, you may tremble; what kind of fear can you arouse in me? My treasure, my sanctuary is here with me. You may seem still so horrible, threatening to defeat me once and for all, yet see! My Savior lives here. 10. Recitative S A T B How can hell frighten now, what can the world and sin do to us,

since we are safe in Jesus’ hands? 11. Chorale Now you are well avenged upon the horde of your enemies, since Christ has pulverized what was contrary to you. Death, devil, sin and hell are weakened once and for all; the place of the human race is next to God.

Translations ©Pamela Dellal, courtesy of Emmanuel Music, Boston, MA www.emmanuelmusic.org


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About the Music: How shall I receive you? Modern interest in J. S. Bach as a composer of church music owes a great deal to one celebrated moment: the Berlin performance of a version of his St. Matthew Passion in 1829 under the musical direction of Felix Mendelssohn. The context was a concert, not a liturgy; and the performing organization was the Berlin Sing-Akademie, a bourgeois amateur society that had been founded in the late eighteenth century to promote the private study of great music from the past for the artistic and moral edification of its middle-class members. The effect was sensational, beginning the restoration of Bach’s large-scale concerted vocal music to the repertory. To the concert repertory, that is—this music had become largely unsuited to its original liturgical purposes not long after Bach’s death. This was only partly a matter of the notes; it was the text that created problems. Tastes in religious poetry changed rapidly, making the wild and graphic imagery of the Passion’s recitatives and arias dated and perhaps tasteless. Even the chorales became outdated; the second half of the eighteenth century saw almost every hymn text revised to suit modern, more rationalistic tastes. By the 1820s, Bach’s passions and other concerted church music was historical, and it is no accident that its revival was in concert performances connected with cultural edification, with reverence for the past, and with a sense of that past as a foundation of German nationhood. The passions came to stand alongside the preludes and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier and a few organ works in representing Bach. They were regarded as serious and weighty, full of labyrinthine harmonies and contrapuntal complexities, as well as tragic, lamenting, dramatic and morally uplifting. Against this background, the Christmas Oratorio was the last of Bach’s major vocal-instrumental works to be rediscovered. As writers on Bach’s music encountered the Christmas Oratorio they found it difficult to square with the music of the passions and with the style they expected from their composer. The oratorio, in contrast to the passions, was sunny and smiling, simple, and galant—even to the point of suggesting of doubt about Bach’s authorship. (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was suggested as a possible compiler, for example.) Its lighter style, aligning better with secular music, was a source of puzzlement. And then they discovered the parody origin of much of the Christmas Oratorio in actual secular compositions—that Bach had reused music composed for other non-liturgical purposes, fitted with new texts. This created multiple problems, if not a crisis. Not only was there the musical style of the oratorio to deal with, there was also the issue of originality, closely associated in the nineteenth century with the concept of genius, and the apparent clash of the solemn purpose of Bach’s sacred music with its frivolous secular origins. The complete edition of Bach’s works begun in 1850 was forced to confront this in the preface to its 1856 publication of the Christmas Oratorio. The strategy of the editor, Wilhelm Rust, was to emphasize the role of chorales, which were both sacred and original to the composition, and to declare that the apparent secular origin of the music was essentially a red herring. Bach knew all along, he suggested, that the music he composed for those secular occasions would find use in sacred works. Several problems disappeared with this assertion because the notes became sacred by their nature, conceived that way from the start and remaining so whether used in a secular work or a sacred one. The originality problem was inherently solved, too, because this explanation let Bach off the hook; if he had been planning to use this music in a sacred composition all along then there was no lack of imaginative genius anywhere in the process. For commentators, there remained the fundamental problem of the Christmas Oratorio’s apparent lack of seriousness and weight compared to Bach’s passions, and for this there was an interpretive solution that dated from the earliest critical writings on the work dating from the 1840s. The musical antiquarian Carl von Winterfeld argued that Bach’s use of certain chorale melodies deepened the theological seriousness of the Christmas Oratorio, in particular by drawing the work closer to his passion settings.


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This interpretation accomplished several things. For one it made Bach into a deep and serious thinker about the nature of the Christmas story. For another, it tempered the joyous exuberance of the Christmas Oratorio with something somber and presumably more fitting. Most importantly, it tied the Christmas Oratorio, with its suspect lightness and

connections to secular music, firmly to Bach’s passions. This was particularly true because the St. Matthew Passion’s interpolated texts include no fewer than five verses of “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” and one verse of another hymn that uses the same melody; in many ways this chorale tune stood for that passion setting. And of course the St. Matthew Passion encapsulated everything that was valued about Bach. This claim persists today—one runs across it again and again in popular and critical writings alike. There is just one problem: In eighteenth-century terms it is almost certainly wrong. It is true that the melody Bach used for “Wie soll ich dich empfangen?” is today known as a passion chorale; in fact it is often called The Passion Chorale, as if there were only one. But this is a modern designation, and in fact one that almost certainly comes from the very centrality of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in the repertory. In Bach’s time the melody was used for numerous different texts for different seasons, and tended to be identified as “Herzlich tut mich verlangen nach einem seel'gen End” (I long in my heart for a blessed end). The Christmas Oratorio stanza “Wie soll ich dich empfangen?” is the first of an Advent hymn. It was not in the Leipzig hymnal, but there was an option open to Bach in setting it to music. Because hymn poetry was regular and limited to a relatively small number of metrical patterns and stanza lengths, a hymn text could be sung to a variety of melodies. And in fact a 1736 hymnal published in Leipzig in which Bach had a hand suggests a tune for “Wie soll ich dich empfangen”: “Herzlich tut mich verlangen,” the melody Bach used in the Christmas Oratorio. But it is worth noting that the tune is not called “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” there, and that the hymnal also suggests the tune for texts variously assigned to the evening, penitence, communion, Advent, the passion, divine sovereignty and providence, temporal suffering, praise and thanks, death, and the feast of the Purification. Each time it is identified not as “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” (the passion text) but as “Herzlich tut mich verlangen,” a meditation on the believer’s wish for death and eternal joy. To Leipzig listeners, this was not exclusively or even primarily a passion melody. Winterfeld made the same argument about the final chorale of part VI of the Christmas Oratorio, which uses the same tune, this time splendidly set with trumpets and drums. The text, “Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen,” is a verse of the Christmas hymn “Ihr Christen auserkoren.” Like the first chorale in the oratorio it was not in the regular Leipzig hymnal, and its melody was

Hans Rottenhammer (1564-1625), Flower Garland Around a Painting of the Virgin and Child, 1608.

His principal example is the first chorale in the work, “Wie soll ich dich empfangen?” The text is a verse of an Advent hymn that asks of Jesus, “How shall I receive you?” Bach set this chorale stanza to a melody that students of his music will certainly recognize, but the way Winterfeld identified it was essential. He called the melody “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden,” familiar to many today in its English-language version, “O sacred head now wounded.” This text is closely associated with the passion story and indeed is a chorale for Holy Week; it was part of a series of hymns that each reflected on a different body part of Jesus. This was Winterfeld’s opening and he charged through it, expressing wonder at the sounding of the notes of a passion chorale in a Christmas oratorio. He then argued for the close theological relationship between Christmas and Palm Sunday, and by extension to the passion story itself. He suggested that Bach anticipated the passion (and the Passions) by juxtaposing Christmas hymns like “Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ” and “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her” (both heard in the Christmas Oratorio) with a chorale melody associated with the crucifixion narrative.


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probably not well known there. And as with the first chorale, Bach chose a tune that fit the meter—the same one as he used for “Wie soll ich dich empfangen.” Once again we are on shaky ground in claiming that his listeners would have heard a reference to the passion. We need to recognize that this was an argument with a purpose: drawing the Christmas Oratorio closer to the Bach passions with which it was implicitly and explicitly compared, and against which it had a hard time making a case for itself as a piece worthy of a devout composer. The Berlin Sing-Akademie did not perform the Christmas Oratorio until 1857, the work’s first complete performance—Bach almost certainly never performed the whole work himself at one stretch, but rather over the course of six days spanning nearly two weeks. This performance was not so complete, however. It traversed all six parts of the oratorio but cut 17 numbers. A few of the eliminated movements were chorale settings (but not the “passion chorale”!) and one was a passage of gospel narrative, but most of the cuts were in solo music: eight of the work’s 13 arias and four of its 10 instrumentally accompanied recitatives. This tipped the balance in the work towards the gospel narrative and to the framing choruses and chorales. It inverts the emphasis of the original, in which commentary in the form of poetic movements and chorales dominates. And with 200 chorus members and 50 instrumentalists, the Sing-Akademie’s performance of this version emphasized the powerful presentation of fully scored movements performed by large forces. The result resembled the cut-down versions of the St. Matthew Passion presented by the organization; those performances also eliminated most of the work’s arias, and their overall effect was dominated by movements like the opening chorus and by the gospel narrative. The elimination of so many of the Christmas Oratorio’s arias helped temper aspects of the work that seemed problematic (poetic texts and settings that called for solo vocal virtuosity) and drew the work closer to the form in which the St. Matthew Passion was known. The reception of the Christmas Oratorio has continued to be influenced by that 1829 performance of the St. Matthew Passion, which set the tone for the understanding of all of Bach’s sacred music. The various strategies that appeared to bring the Christmas Oratorio closer to Bach’s passions succeeded in explaining a puzzling work, but they established a particular perspective, inviting its interpretation in relation to the passions. The question posed in the Christmas Oratorio’s first chorale, “How shall I receive you?” is worth asking about the work itself. One answer is that we can try to listen to it for its own merits; we do not have to make Bach’s passion settings our first point of engagement with this matchless music. —Daniel R. Melamed Daniel R. Melamed is professor of music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The material here is adapted from his new book for general readers, Listening to Bach: the Mass in B Minor and Christmas Oratorio, which will be published by Oxford University Press in April 2018.


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Meet the Artists

Praised for her “plush” mezzo-soprano voice (The Baltimore Sun) and voice of “sweet clarity” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Kristen Dubenion-Smith enjoys an active performing career in opera, oratorio and sacred vocal chamber music, specializing in music of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. In 2010, Ms. Dubenion-Smith co-founded the award winning, DC-based medieval music ensemble, Eya. Eya tours regularly and visits colleges across the United States, giving masterclasses and concerts. In the spring of 2017, Eya was an Artist in Residence at The National Gallery, performing alongside the new exhibit Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence.

In the fall of 2016, Ms. Dubenion-Smith joined the Choir of Men and Boys/Girls at the Washington National Cathedral as the first woman to be offered a position in this choir. She had previously served as cantor since 2010. Recent and upcoming soloist engagements include performances with Apollo’s Fire, The Bach in Baltimore Concert Series, The Catacoustic Consort, Choralis, The Dryden Ensemble, Folger Consort, and Opera Lafayette.

Soprano Kate Vetter Cain’s “sweetness of timbre and vocal power” (The Washington Post) has

led to a long and fulfilling collaboration with the Consort, especially in both soprano solo parts

in the B Minor Mass and many cantata solos with the beloved J. Reilly Lewis. Kate has also

been a soloist for Leonard Slatkin with the National Chamber Players in Mahler’s

4th Symphony, for Kenneth Slowik in Jauchzet Gott, BWV 51, and also with the Cathedral

Choral Society, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marin Alsop, Bach in

Baltimore, Folger Consort, Washington Concert Opera with conductor Antony Walker,

Orchestra of St. Luke’s with conductor Will Crutchfield, Washington Ballet, Off-Broadway

with The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, Ash-Lawn Highland Festival, Caramoor

Festival Opera, and Tanglewood Music Center. Kate earned a B.A. in History from Yale

University, as well as advanced degrees in Voice from Manhattan School of Music and the

University of Maryland, and served for ten years as music teacher at a bilingual DC public

charter school.

Tenor Robert Petillo has been part of the Washington Bach Consort since 1980 and accompanied the ensemble as a soloist in its European tours in 1985 and 2000. A major part of his musical life and formation was his collaboration with the late Dr. J. Reilly Lewis on scores of performances, including many appearances as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions, and solos in Christmas Oratorio and the B Minor Mass. His study of and experience with Baroque music has established him as a leading interpreter of that era’s sacred oratorio. Appearing frequently with Washington’s many choral ensembles, he is also a regular with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. New Yorker music critic Andrew Porter called him “one of our most eloquent Handelian tenors,” and The Washington Post named him “one of the enduring joys of the local early music scene.”


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As a Bach specialist, Steven Combs has performed the bass arias in the B Minor Mass and the arias and roles in Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions with many groups including the Washington Bach Consort, the National Cathedral, and the Washington Choral Arts Society. As a concert artist he has sung in acclaimed performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana with both the Washington Ballet and the Master Chorale of Washington. He also performed Poulenc’s Le Bal Masque and Mahler’s song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn with orchestra. On the opera stage, Steven made his Metropolitan Opera debut under the baton of James Levine in the world premiere of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles. Steven also sang the title role in Colin Graham's first staging of Britten’s Billy Budd at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He has performed other principal roles with the Metropolitan Opera, the Florentine Opera, and the Boston Lyric Opera.

Soprano Amy Nicole Broadbent Kate Vetter Cain Rebecca Kellerman Laura Choi Stuart

Alto Kristen Dubenion-Smith Roger O. Isaacs Natalia Kojanova Carter Sligh

Tenor Gary Glick Nicholas Houhoulis Patrick Kilbride Ned Sieverts

Bass Joshua Michael Brown Steven Combs Mark Duer Andrew Sauvageau

Chorus

Orchestra

Violin I Tatiana Chulochnikova, concertmaster Rebecca Harris Gail Hernandez Rosa Leslie Nero Violin II Fiona Hughes David McCormick Annie Loud Caroline Levy

Flute Colin St-Martin Kathryn Roth Oboe Geoffrey Burgess Margaret Owens Fatma Daglar Sarah Huebsch Bassoon Anna Marsh

Viola Risa Browder Marta Howard Scott McCormick Cello John Moran Rebecca Humphrey Bass Jessica Powell Eig

Trumpet Josh Cohen Perry Sutton Stanley Curtis Timpani Michelle Humphreys Organ Paula Maust

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT

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Dana Marsh’s musical training began as a boy chorister at St. Thomas Choir School in New York and at Salisbury Cathedral in England. He earned his undergraduate degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music, with masters and doctoral degrees in historical musicology coming from the University of Oxford. His voice teachers have included Virginia Fox and Kari Windingstad, with extensive Bach aria study under Max Van Egmond in Amsterdam. Acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times as “an energetic and persuasive conductor,” Marsh has entered into fruitful collaborations with the London Mozart Players, the Choir of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, Magnificat (UK.), Cappella Romana, Ensemble Charivari Agréable, the Band of Instruments, City of Oxford Orchestra, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. While living and studying in the UK, he founded the ensemble Musica Humana Oxford (2001-2008), which toured the US to critical praise (“pleasing to the ear and satisfying to the soul.”—LA Times). In addition to his guest appearance with the Washington Bach Consort this season, Marsh will also serve as guest

conductor with the ensemble Studio de Musique Ancienne, Montreal. Cited by the New York Times as “a powerful and expressive countertenor,” Marsh also worked as a vocal soloist and consort singer in the US and the UK (1992-2008), performing with the American Bach Soloists, Concert Royal, New York Collegium (under Gustav Leonhardt), Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, A Cappella Portuguesa, and the Brabant Ensemble, as well as in lute song recitals with the late James Tyler. While undertaking his doctoral research at Oxford, Marsh sang regularly with the Choir of New College, performing in numerous collaborations with the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the European Union Baroque Orchestra, recording 15 discs with New College Choir, one of which won the Gramophone Award for Early Music in 2008. Dana has taught early music history at both Oxford and Cambridge universities and has published original research and review articles through the scholarly presses of both institutions. He served as Assistant Director of Music at Girton College Cambridge (U.K.), and more recently was Canon Organist and Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis. Currently, Marsh is Associate Professor of Music and Director of the Historical Performance Institute at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he has directed a broad range of performances and NPR broadcasts since 2014. He served as a panelist at the Smithsonian Institution’s conference “Historically Informed Performance in Higher Education,” and in May 2016, he founded the annual international conference “Historical Performance: Theory, Practice and Interdisciplinarity,” which attracted scholars and performers from a dozen countries. Marsh also founded the annual, peer-reviewed journal, Historical Performance (IU Press), with its inaugural issue due for publication in January 2018. He serves on the board of Early Music America. Marsh has also prepared ensembles of young singers for concert and recording engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen and Antonio Pappano. He has recorded variously for Sony, Universal, Avie, Decca, Erato, Koch International Classics, Signum, and Public Radio International.


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Founded in 1977 by the late Dr. J. Reilly Lewis, the Washington Bach Consort is a professional chorus and orchestra noted for its performance of 18th-century music on period instruments. Its mission is to ensure that

current and future audiences experience the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries.

2017–2018 40th Anniversary Season

The Series at National Presbyterian Church National Presbyterian Church 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington DC

FOUNDATION: BACH AND THE REFORMATION Sunday, September 17, 2017, 3:00 p.m. Festive music for two anniversaries Richard Giarusso, conductor & artistic director candidate

CELEBRATION: CHRISTMAS ORATORIO Saturday, December 9, 2017, 6:00 p.m. The quintessential Bach holiday experience Dana Marsh, conductor & artistic director candidate COMMEMORATION: ST. JOHN PASSION Sunday, March 18, 2018, 3:00 p.m. Bach the musical dramatist at his best Matthew Dirst, conductor & artistic director candidate

CULMINATION: MASS IN B MINOR Sunday, April 29, 2018, 3:00 p.m. The summation of a life’s work Gwendolyn Toth, conductor & artistic director candidate

The Chamber Series First Congregational United Church of Christ 945 G Street NW, Washington DC FROM THE ARCHIVES Friday, October 20, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Music from our first concert in 1977, including the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 VIRUOSITY AND INNOVATION Friday, February 23, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Partita No. 2 for Violin Solo and selections from The Well-Tempered Clavier THE MUSICAL OFFERING Friday, April 6, 2018, 7:00 p.m. Bach’s unparalleled contrapuntal mastery fit for a king

Noontime Cantata Series Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street NW, Washington DC OCTOBER 3, 2017 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 100 Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532 Matthew Dirst, organist & conductor NOVEMBER 7, 2017 Nun danket alle Gott, BWV 192 Prelude and Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552 Todd Fickley, organist & conductor DECEMBER 5, 2017 Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152 Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, BWV 648 Fuga: sopra il Magnificat (á5), BWV 733 Dana Marsh, organist & conductor MARCH 6, 2018 Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65 Prelude and Fugue in C, BWV 547 Jeremy Filsell, organist Richard Giarusso, conductor APRIL 3, 2018 Ich habe genug, BWV 82a Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 541 Julie Vidrick Evans, organist John Moran, conductor MAY 1, 2018 Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott, BWV 129 Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544 Gwendolyn Toth, organist & conductor

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The Washington Bach Consort wishes to thank its generous donors. This list represents gifts made between September 1, 2016 and November 14, 2017.

If you notice an error in your listing, please accept our apologies and contact Alex Interlandi at 202.429.2121 during business hours so we may correct it.

The Washington Bach Consort honors the members of the

1685 Society L. Brent & Norma Bozell

Mr. & Mrs. David P. Condit Shannon & Jim Davis

Susan Dillon Neil Graham

Jill E. Kent & Mark E. Solomons Dr.† & Mrs. J. Reilly Lewis

Mary Elizabeth Lewis Tamera Luzzatto & David Leiter

Dr. Brian R. McNeill & Kathryn McKenzie

Julia O’Brien Michael Ochs

Laura E. Phillips† Charles Reifel & Janie Kinney

James E. Rich, Jr. Cecil “Cy” & Pearl Richardson†

William T. & Sally Semple Margaret Shannon

Bernice & Reynold Stelloh† Lynn Trundle

Pierre & Claire Wagner Isabel T. Wallop

Margaret W. Webb Sally Wells

John C. Wiecking Stephen C. Wright

† In memoriam

ANGELS $25,000 AND ABOVE Anonymous (2) in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV AT&T Billy Rose Foundation Reverend Elizabeth L. Carl & Victoria Hill DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities The Millstream Fund in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV The National Endowment for the Arts The Honorable & Mrs. John D. Rockefeller IV*

BACH SOCIETY $15,000 TO $24,999 Anonymous Robert Beizer & Janet Risseeuw* Shannon & Jim Davis* Chris & Susan DeMuth Deutsche Telekom, Inc.* Mrs. J. Reilly Lewis* Tamera Luzzatto & David Leiter* The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Stephen C. Wright & Thomas Woodruff

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE $10,000 TO $14,999 Book Arts* L. Brent & Norma Bozell* Rosemary Monagan Park Foundation in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV James E. Rich, Jr. Cy & Pearl Richardson† Steven & Barbara Rockefeller in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Toyota Motor North America, Inc. in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $5,000 TO $9,999 Richard & Beth Ayres* Donald Baker & Nina McLemore Betty J. Beard Margarita Brose The Cleveland Foundation* David & Margaret Condit* Glen S. Fukushima* Mary Ann Gardner Jill Kent & Mark Solomons* Hope P. McGowan* Charles Reifel & Janie Kinney*

Ann Roberts in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Catherine Ann Stevens* Sally L. Wells

ARTIST’S CIRCLE $2,500 TO $4,999 Admiral & Mrs. Charles Abbot Mary Martha Churchman* Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts Captain & Mrs. Don P. Johnson Anna Karavangelos* Mary Elizabeth Lewis* Dr. Brian R. McNeill & Kathryn McKenzie Bradley J. Olson, K.N.O. & Martha A. Olson Lilian M. Penna Ivan & Martha Schlager in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Siemens Corporation Joy F. & Jeff Spragens Stonehall Farm* The Walt Disney Company Margaret Whitehead Reinhard Wieck* John C. Wohlstetter*

PATRONS $1,000 TO $2,499 Anonymous (2)* Mark Bailen & Jessica Rosenworcel in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Jeffrey Bauman & Linda Fienberg* Amy Berger in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Drs. Henry & Rachel Brem in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV, Tamera Luzzatto, & David Leiter

Kathleen A. Brion* Howard M. Brown* Robert W. Crandall & Barbara Bankoff Thomas A. Daschle in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Sarah Dash & Jeremy Tomasulo in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Nancy Folger* Stephenie Foster Margaret & David Gardner Neil E. Graham Joyce Hagel-Silverman Lindy Hart* Frederick S. Hird* Alex Hoehn-Saric & Loren Mayor in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Michael Horowitz & Devra Marcus* Joseph & Embry Howell* Christopher C. Jennings & Jan Montgomery in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Clete & Shelia Johnson in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Erna & Michael Kerst* David A. Klaus in honor of Jill Kent Alan J. Kreigel* David & Becky Legge* Martha Stecher Lewis in honor of Beth A.V. Lewis Jan & Elizabeth Lodal* Dr. William B. Munier Robert & Beatrice Newkirk Julia O'Brien Marian Pillsbury in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Wolfgang & Leslie Pordzik David Post & Nancy Birdsall Frances H. Pratt*

* Gift made in honor of Dr. J. Reilly Lewis † In memoriam

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Barbara Pryor & Brad Gehrke in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Laura Quinn & Charles Sweeney in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Mark & Jean† Raabe* Edward Rahal in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Alfred S. Regnery William & Annette Reilly Lydia Rice Charles P. Rockefeller in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Mrs. Milton M. Rose* Jason Rylander William T. & Sally Semple in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Mr. & Mrs. McKim Symington* Bob Van Heuvelen in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV John & Dariel† Van Wagoner* Pierre & Claire Wagner Isabel T. Wallop* Heinrich & Frauke Westphal* BENEFACTORS $500 TO $999 Gilbert C. Adams Jon Adelstein in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Reverend Father & Mrs. Alister Anderson Anonymous (2) Kerry Ates in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Gregg & Kristina Auby David & Nancy Barbour Judith Barnett Patricia Bauman Catherine H. Beauchamp* Mary Bissell in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV C. John & Janet Buresh Joan Challinor Colonel & Mrs. Tim Christenson Alan Coffey & Janet S. Potts* Ms. Marcia P. Crandall William Craven Stanley & Ann Degler Susan Dillon* Mary Eccles in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Drs. & Mrs. Barry Eisenstein Michel Farquhar Judith Feder in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Susan & Greg Foster

Timothy M. Gay in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Karen L. Handorf Jeanette Hantke Louis Hering* in memory of Barbara G. Hering Mark K. Hingston Theodore Hirt Ed Howard in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Edward Hurwitz* Paul Joffe in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Lou Ann Johnson in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV David & Anna-Lena Kamenetzky Lisa Kaplowitz in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Norris & Miriam Keeler* Charles L. Kinney Dr. William M. Leach* Reverend & Mrs. Wayne J. Lehrer* Nick & Courtney Lewis Rob Liberatore & Debra Kraft Dan Martino* Nancy & Herb Milstein Randall Moorhead in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Jeffrey Mora & Wendy Fuller-Mora* Wendy Morigi in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Sarah Nealley in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV John Odling-Smee & Carmela Veneroso* Barbara N. Opper in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Mary Ella Payne in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Ronald & Deborah Peverill

Carole Pratt in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Susannah F. Prindle* William Reinsch in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Peter D. & Connie Robinson John D. Rockefeller V in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV James & Madeleine Schaller* Kathryn Seddon* Dr. Nicole L. Stout Mr. & Mrs. Viguen Terminassian Heike Terrell Lynn Trundle* Benjamin & Emily Tsai Hans N. Tuch Dr. Arina van Breda Drs. Richard & Elizabeth Waugaman* Margaret W. Webb Dorothy B. Wexler Mark Willey & Joy Garbutt Dr. Katherine J. Williams* Anita L. Woehler Margot Young*

FRIENDS $100 TO 499 Eleanor M. Adams* Thomas & Gisela Ahern Leigh Alexander* Jennifer Allen* Carolyn Alper Eric Andersen & W. David Young II* Anonymous (11)* Kathleen Bacskay David & Livia Bardin* Bob & Peggy Barry* Thomas & Laurie Barthold Irene L. Berns Sam Black Kate Blackwell* Thomas Bleha Christa & Robert Bluehdorn Inga C. Blust

N. Prentice Bowsher & Sally Steenland* James & Judith Bromley Janet Brown William & Michelle Bukowski* Michael F. Butler Michael Calingaert* Richard L. Carlson Eric N. Chafin James Chin in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Karen C. Coe Clark Conkling* Frank & Hanne Correl David Crawford Linda Cunniff Albert & Nancy Currier* Elizabeth Daniels Dimitri Darras Margot de Ferranti Jolly F. de Give Nelson C. & Ruth S. Denlinger E. Lynne D'Eustachio Sharrill Dittmann Carleen Dixon Webb* John H. Doles III David M. Dorsen Anna Eberly Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Eberstadt David & Elizabeth Edminster David & Barbara Ehrlich* Marc Eisenberg Murray Eisenberg Emerson & Joyce Elliott Daniel Elmer & Christopher J. Hoh* Jane Finn Mr. & Mrs. Karl Flicker* Jeanne Folstrom Mary D. Foster Elisabeth French Dr. & Mrs. Howard E. Frost Nadine Gabai-Botero J. William Gadzuk Paul & Anita Gallagher Marilyn Wong Gleysteen Gary L. Glick* Elisabeth Gonglewski Susan Grad Tom & Margaret Greene Maria Gullo in honor of Emmy Lewis Anne Gwaltney* Hanna M. Hall


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Dr. Judith M. Harper, Oberlin 1967* Dr. Miriam Harrington* Martha Harris in memory of Scott Harris Kevin & Kristie Hassett David R. Hearn* John Heins & Margaret Gonglewski* Patricia Hevner* The Honorable Eric L. Hirschhorn Thomas Holzman & Allison Drucker David W. Hoover & William Bradley Roberts Patricia H. Horan* John S. Howe Jr. Gregory Jackson Steven Jackson & Cynthia Wayne* Peter† & Carol Jobusch Dr. Nancy E. Johnson* Richard C. & Suzanne Johnson in honor of Colonel Ron Villafranco Catherine Jones Donald L. Jones Kay Jones Erika R. Joyce* Louis E. & Ruth Kahn Dennis F. Kaspar Roxane Kaufman & Neal Fitzpatrick Mr.† & Mrs. Francis Keenan Robert H. Kessler & Swanee Busic* David Keto Pamela King* Michael Knable Cathy & Mark Knepper* Dale Krumvide Richard & Sally Kuisel* Dominique Lallement* David W. Lankford Jon H. Larimore* Willard & Carolyn Larkin Steve & Rosalie Learned Kendrick R. Lee Ray† & Eleanor Lewis

Mr.† & Mrs. James Lockard Mr. & Mrs. George Londeree* Sieglinde B. Lord Kenneth Lowenberg Chip & Laurie Lubsen* Frances M. Lussier Alaster MacDonald Gisela Marcuse* Mark & Hope Foster Charitable Giving Fund Hanna Marks Mary Lynne Martin Lindsay Mataya* in honor of Charles M. Reifel Lawrence & Jean Matthews Mark Mattucci & Judith Furash* Susan McCloskey David R. McGown & Mary Ruth Keller Margaret Ann McKay Mr. & Mrs. David E. Miller Catherine Millian Dan & Pat Moore Tom Morante & Marianne Splitter Sondra Myers* Bernard F. & Elizabeth Nass George Newman & Barbara Fairchild* Marshall Newman in memory of Leni Anderson Christian Michael Ochs Yoshie Ogawa* Lorraine P. Okun* David M. & Glenna D. Osnos* Ann Overlin Severy* Laurence D. Pearl James Pepper B. Dwight & Suzanne Perry Elizabeth A. Peterson in honor of Laura Choi Stuart Robert & Shelia Pinsker Lawrence A. Plumlee in memory of Doris & Chester Plumlee

David Pozorski & Anna Romanski Lloyd & Claudia Randolph Eva Ravitz* in memory of Larry Ravitz John Noel Reifel in honor of Charles M. Reifel Raymond P. Rhinehart & Walter Smalling Jr.* Kathleen Ribaudo† Fred & Linda Richards John & Joyce Richardson Eleanor Roberts Markley Roberts* Bruce Roinson Jo Ellen & Mark Roseman* Arthur Rowse & Ruth Fort Douglas & Karen Rumble George Ruttinger & Camille Larson Susan Santa Cruz Robert L. Savage* Ann I. Schneider Mary Schoelen in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Gregory K. Schoepfle* David Seidman Mark & Theresa Shaltanis Donald C. Shapero Marlene S. Shaul John & Linda Sibert Michael C. Sieverts Carol M. Sikkelee Daniel B. Silver* Russell Smith Thomas M. Sneeringer* Irene M. Solet Milford Sprecher L. Bradley Stanford Isle M. Stauffer Inge Wkerle Steiner Barbara Steingaszner Douglas & Carol Stuart Patricia Taffe Driscoll Philip M. & Marlene L. Teigen Thomas Tesoriero Judith Tickner Jane T. Udelson Frederik van Bolhuis*

George Vercessi & Barbara Preston* in memory of Colonel Ron Villafranco Dr. Sara Wedeman in memory of Miles & Martha Hall Wedeman Herbert & Judith Weintraub Michelle & Michael Wenisch John & Joan Westley George Whitley & Candace Ballard Scott D. Widmeyer in honor of John D. Rockefeller IV Elsa B. Williams J. Victoria Williamson Edith C. Wolff* Stephen & Patricia Worrel Drs. Jack & Susan Yanovski Mr. & Mrs. Michael M. Zazanis* Stephen Zilliacus


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Billy Rose Foundation Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Stephen Wright, President

Tamera Luzzatto, Vice President

Charles Reifel, Treasurer

Richard Ayres, Secretary

Sandra Baer

Donald I. Baker

Robert Beizer

L. Brent Bozell III

Shannon Davis

Glen S. Fukushima

Jill Kent

Mary Elizabeth Lewis

Alfred Regnery

James E. Rich

The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV

Joy Spragens

Catherine Ann Stevens

Reinhard Wieck

John Wohlstetter

STAFF Carolyn Davies, Operations Manager

Marc Eisenberg, Executive Director

Alex Interlandi, Development Manager

Genevieve McGahey, Patron Services Associate

Janey Moskowitz, Director of External Affairs

OUR MISSION The Washington Bach Consort is a professional choral and orchestral ensemble based in Washington, DC, that is committed to ensuring that current and future audiences experience the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries by:

performing the music of Bach and his contemporaries to the highest artistic standards,

sharing the joy of Bach’s music by broadening audiences in the nation’s capital,

nurturing the appreciation of Bach’s music through education and community outreach activities, and

interpreting the music of Bach for audiences of today, thereby ensuring his legacy.

GIVING BACH Throughout its history the Washington Bach Consort has made music education programs and audience outreach activities central to its mission. Its Giving Bach to the Community initiatives have offered a range of free or low-cost educational and enrichment activities to residents of the greater Washington, DC area. Designed to bring the mastery of Bach’s music as well as the artistry of the Consort to those who, for reasons of cost, location, schedule or lack of familiarity with the music, are unlikely to be regular attendees at any classical music concert, the program includes Bach to School, the Noontime Cantata Series, Talking Bach, and our newest education program the Wunderkind Projekt. These programs showcase the talents of Consort musicians, guest artists and guest lecturers, and provide thousands of DC area residents with the opportunity to hear, learn and be inspired by top-notch classical music performances.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS This program is brought to you in part by these generous sponsors.

Documents

WASHINGTON BACH CONSORT Christmas... · Sein Strahl bricht schon hervor. ... Den Schönsten, den Liebsten bald bei dir zu sehn! ... Wir stimmen mit euch ein, Uns kann es so wie euch