Nun freut euch lieben Christen g'mein

Manuscript Becker III.8.66, held by the Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, contains 5 choral preludes composed by Christian Gotthilf Tag. The second of these 5 is a preude on the melody of "Nun freut euch lieben Christen g'mein". The indicated tempo is "Andante" which seems a bit odd, given the festive character of the choral. Yet it works very well. Tag creates a rich texture for accompaniment of the choral melody and the interludes between the phrases. The melody gets every chance to shine above this texture. The overal impression is not exuberant joy, but more like quiet happiness.

Score available here: http://partitura.org/index.php/christian-gotthilf-tag-nun-freut-euch-lieben-christen-gmein