Ist Gott versöhnt und unser Freund (If God is appeased and our friend), BWV 122

Das neugeborne Kindelein (The newborn little Child), is a church cantata, composed by Bach for the Sunday after Christmas and first performed it on 31 December 1724.

It is based on a 1597 hymn of the same name by Cyriakus Schneegaß. The cantata is part of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle during his tenure as Thomaskantor that began in 1723. In the format of this cycle, the text of the first and last stanzas of the hymn is retained unchanged while the text of the inner stanzas was paraphrased by an unknown librettist into a sequence of alternating arias and recitatives. The cantata is opened by a chorale fantasia and closed by a four-part chorale setting.

This fine transcription, in the form of a chorale trio, is by Peter Bækgaard.

The fourth movement, the section heard here, 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 and 6/8 time.

Liturgically speaking, this work should have been uploaded yesterday, but I guess I was asleep at the monitor... ;-)

The score is attached below, as well as an interesting view of the Thomaskirche - copy of an 1885 watercolor.

I'll have another nice piece for tomorrow, and hopefully some Messiaen for the new year.

I was all my listeners peace, health and goodness in 2025!

Peace to All.