J.S. Bach Weihnachts-Oratorium German Text Pronunciation

The sound files on this page are edited versions of files produced by Dr John Cavallaro, and recorded and edited by Dr John Pearson, to assist the singers of Princeton Pro Musica in rehearsals for a performance of the work in 2010. The German text is from the Bärenreiter edition of the work. The English translation of biblical passages is from the King James VI Authorised Version of 1611; the other English translations are by Mr Robert Minett of St Margaret's School, Aberdeen. The choir gratefully acknowledges the work of Dr Cavallaro, Mr Pearson and Mr Minett.

For most modern browsers, click on the play button for each piece to hear the spoken text. On an iPhone, rotate the iPhone into landscape view as the player may obscure some of the text in portrait mode.

If you are using an old Internet Explorer browser (IE8 or earlier), click on the loudspeaker icon. A pop up window with a player will open will play the sound file automatically. Depending on which media player is installed, you may have to move the pop up window to allow you to see the German words. If you do not close the pop up window before moving on to the next piece, it may disappear behind the main browser window but that will not affect its ability to play the sound file.

These pages were produced by Aberdeen Bach Choir to help singers rehearsing for a performance of parts 1-4 on 8 December 2013 in St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen.

Part 1                The Birth of Jesus

1. Chorus 

5. Chorale 

9. Chorale     Text: Martin Luther, 1535