Schelle:
Machet die Tore weit

Michael:
Machet die Tore weit

Knüpfer:
Dies at laetitiae

Horn:
Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit

Kuhnau:
Frochlocket ihr Völker

Bach:
Kantaten zur Weihnachtszeit
Weihnachtsoratorium

In the Baroque period, Leipzig's Thomaskirche was the most important venue for Protestant church music in Germany. Generations of excellent musicians who were highly esteemed in their day have performed here. Apart from the great Johann Sebastian Bach, most of them are now forgotten and known only to outspoken enthusiasts, such as Tobias Michael, Sebastian Knüpfer, Johann Schelle or Johann Kuhnau. Christmas was celebrated with particular solemnity at St Thomas' Church, and the contrast of this festival, with the quiet cradling of the newborn baby Jesus on the one hand and the solemn, festive character of the heavenly angelic choirs on the other, offered the cantors the opportunity to create the most splendid music with great contrasts. Christophorus has compiled a compendium of five CDs of Christmas music by the Thomaskantors from its archives: two CDs are devoted to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach's predecessors, the other three to the great master's Christmas cantatas and his famous Christmas Oratorio.

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