Large Christmas Works Part 2: Baroque Era 1600-1750: A Working List
Updated Nov. 17, 2023
Editor's Note: This list was originally in one blog post but due to the amount of YouTube videos we embed, the post would take a long time to load on some browsers, so we have divided it into six parts by classical music period. We have kept the same introduction for each post.
Previous Post: The Rennaissance
We spend so much time focusing on Christmas carols on this blog and our social media. The carol is the namesake of our blog. However, I bet composers of larger Christmas works are saying, "What about us?"
About the list
So here is another working list as we attempt to chronicle large Christmas works and medleys. I bet there is an annotated bibliography done by some great scholar hidden in some hidden corner of a university library, I wanted to present not just a list but an audio/video of the piece so that it is readily available for the listener.
Although the three-minute mark is more of a post-recording phenomenon, I have used it as our mark for what makes a larger Christmas work. Some pieces are just above and others way above. There are some that are so famous, we had to include them even if they were under three minutes.
As you know, we feature a lot of winter-themed classical music across our social media and blog, but sadly, we will not include them here because it would be an endless list. So, Sergei Prokofiev's Troika's "Sleigh Ride" or even Leopold Morzart's "Sleight Ride" will not be included. If the winter piece mentions Christmas will be the exception.
About Medleys
I was hesitant to use the various Christmas carol medleys out there, but I think the study of the medley is an important one. In the mariachi world that I was once part of, there are a number of medleys called "popourri" in Spanish. There some really good ones, and some not so good. I think the main marker of a good quality medley is the transition, although sly modulations are also impressive. While your making the transition, can the arranger give a prelude of the next song while still in the former?
O Magnum mysterium
We also hesitated to include "O Magnum mysterium," but being one of the most famous Christmas texts, we just could not. However, we limited their inclusion only to those composition over three minutes or if they had multiple movements.
Chronology
Those works which I do not have a date for, I have put at the bottom while I research the date. I have use dates of publication or first recording or but a "before" date using the date of the video. For some composers in which we do not know the date of publication of the work, we put the date of death of the composer to help the reader in placing in time.
Obviously, there is a lot of Christmas works out there that has not been recorded or are in audio-only and have not been posted to YouTube. See our list of Lost Christmas Music.
Also, some Christmas works do not have a full video of the entire piece, so I have only posted the first video of the composition hoping you will go to YouTube to see the rest of the videos/movements. For example, John Rutter's Dancing Day, I did not post a video of the entire work, but just the first movement. If later find a video of the work in its entirety, will replace the video we have with the video of the entire work.
Yes, this is a rabbit hole we gone down and this list will probably never be complete.
However, from what I have, it is a good look at the trajectory of Christmas music in the choral and classical world from Bach's Christmas Oratorio to Patrick Hawes' The Nativity and Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio.
1602
O magnum mysterium, Pomponio Nenna1607
Angelus ad pastores ait, Jan Le Febure
1607
Angelus ad pastores ait, Melchior Franck
1620
1629
Angelus ad pastores ait, Antonio Cifra
1629 - Death of composer
Angelus Ad Pastores Ait, Hieronymous Praetorius
1639
Kleine geistliche Konzerte II, Op. 9 - No. 28, Sei gegrüßet, Maria, SWV 333, Hinrich Schütz1648 - Death of composer
O magnum mysterium, Johann Stadlmayr
1660 - Death of composer
O magnum mysterium, Pedro da Esperança
1660
1675
Si apra al riso ogni labro, Alessandro Stradella
1693 (death of composer)
Sonata Natalis, Pavel Josef Vejvanovski
c. 1694
Messe de Minuit pour Noël, Charpentier
"In Nativitatem Domini Canticum" H416, Marc-Antoine Charpentier
1701 - death of composer
Da die Zeit erfüllet ward, Johann Schelle
Uns ist ein Kind geboren, Johann Schelle
Machet die Tore weit, Johann Schelle
Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe, Johann Schelle
Actus musicus auf Weihnachten, Johann Schelle
Das neugeborne Kindelein BuxWV 13 (Weihnachts-Kantate), Dieterich Buxtehude
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BuxWV 100, Dietrich Buxtehude
Concerto fatto per la Notte di Natale in G Minor Op. 6 No. 8, Arcangelo Correlli
Siehe, ich verkündige euch große Freude (Kantate für Sopran, Alt, Tenor, Chor, Clarinen, Fagott, Streicher und B.c.), Philipp Heinrich Erlebach
Cantata: Kündlich gross ist das Geheimnis, TWV 1:1017 (Christmas), George Phillp Telemann
O magnum mysterium, Jan Dismas Zelenka
Christmas Oratorio, J.S. Bach
Kündlich groß ist das gottselige Geheimnis, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
O magnum mysterium, Giovanni Gabrieli
O magnum mysterium, William Byrd
O magnum mysterium (motet), Tomas Luis de Victoria
O magnum mysterium (4) (mass), Tomas Luis de Victoria
Angelus ad pastores, Hans Leo Hassler
Cantiones Sacrae, RISM S7252: No. 3, Ab Oriente Venerunt Magi, SwWV 153, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Machet die Tore weit, Nr. 42 aus; Musicalischer Seelenlust Ander Theril, Tobias Michael
Dies est lætitiæ: No. 1, Sonata, Sebastian Knüpfer
Fürchtet euch nicht, BuxWV 30, Dietrich Buxtehude
In Dulci Jubilo, BuxWV 52, Deitrich Buxtehude
Lauda Sion Salvatorem, BuxWV 68, Dieterich Buxtehude
Merk auf, mein Herz, BWV Anh. 163, Deitrich Buxtehude
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Christian Geist
1722 - Death of composer
1701 - death of composer
Das neugeborne Kindelein BuxWV 13 (Weihnachts-Kantate), Dieterich Buxtehude
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BuxWV 100, Dietrich Buxtehude
1713 - death of composer, Published 1714
Concerto fatto per la Notte di Natale in G Minor Op. 6 No. 8, Arcangelo Correlli
1714 - Death of composer
1716-17
Cantata: Du Tochter Zion, Freue dich sehr, Kantate am 1. Sonntage des Advents TVWV 1:407, Georg Philipp Telemann
Cantata: Hütet euch, dass eure Herzen, TWV 1:811 (Advent), George Phillp Telemann
Cantata: Ist Gott versohnt und unser Freund, Kantate am Neujahrstage, TVWV 1:946, George Philip Teleman
Cantata: Mein Kind, willtu Gottes Diener sein, TWV 1:1129, (Advent), TWV 1:914, George Phillp Telemann
Cantata: Ihr seid alle Gottes Kinder, TWV 1:914 (Advent), TWV 1:914, George Phillp Telemann
Cantata: Lobet den Herrn, alles Heiden (Psalm 117), TWV 1:1058 (Epiphany), Georg Phillp Telemann
Cantata: Saget der Tochter Zion, TWV 1:1234, George Phillp Telemann (Advent)
Cantata: Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren, TWV 1:1430 (Christmas), George Phillp Telemann
Cantata: Uns ist ein Kind geboren, TWV 1:1450 (Christmas), TWV 1:1450, George Phillp Telemann
Cantata - Uns ist ein Kind geboren, TWV 1:1451, Georg Phillip Telemann
Cantata: Uns ist ein Kind geboren, Kantate am 1. Weilhnachtsfeyertage TVWV 1:1454, Georg Philip Telemann
1723
1725 or before
Alessandro Scarlatti - Cantata pastorale per la natività di Nostre
1734
1736
1741
The Messiah, HWV 56, G. F. Handel
1687
O magnum mysterium, Giovanni Gabrieli
1607
O magnum mysterium, William Byrd
1611 - death of composer
O magnum mysterium (motet), Tomas Luis de Victoria
O magnum mysterium (4) (mass), Tomas Luis de Victoria
1612
Angelus ad pastores, Hans Leo Hassler
1618
O magnum mysterium, Pedro de Cristo
Es Nascido, Pedro de Cristo
1621 - death of composer
Cantiones Sacrae, RISM S7252: No. 3, Ab Oriente Venerunt Magi, SwWV 153, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Hodie Christus Natus Est, Jan Sweelinck
1621 - Death of composer
Puer natus in Bethlehem - Ein Kind geborn zu BethlehemPuer natus in Bethlehem - Ein Kind geborn zu Bethlehem
1657- Death of composer
Dies est lætitiæ, Tobias Michael
1667 - Death of composer
Hosianna dem
Sohne David (Konzert für 2 Soprane, Bass, Chor, Streicher und Basso
continuo), Franz Tunder
1676Dies est lætitiæ: No. 1, Sonata, Sebastian Knüpfer
1701 - death of composer
Machet die Tore weit, Geistliches Konzert zum 1. Adventsstag, Johann Schell
1707- Death of composer
Das neugeborne Kindelein, BuxWV 13, Deitrich Buxtehude
Fürchtet euch nicht, BuxWV 30, Dietrich Buxtehude
In Dulci Jubilo, BuxWV 52, Deitrich Buxtehude
Merk auf, mein Herz, BWV Anh. 163, Deitrich Buxtehude
1711 - Death of Composer
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Christian Geist
1722 - Death of composer
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