O Hail This Brightest Day of Days (Johann Sebastian Bach)

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• CPDL #1734:

Editor: Christopher R. Baker (submitted 2000-11-27).   Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 1.0

Edition notes: BWV 294

General Information

Title: O Hail This Brightest Day of Days
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Number of voices: 4vv   Voicing: SATB
Genre: Sacred, Carol

Language: English
Instruments: a cappella
Published: Bach Chorales, Part III (1921)

Description:

External websites:

Original text and translations

English text

1.

O hail this brightest day of days,

All good Christian people!

For Christ hath come upon our ways,

Ring it from the steeple!

Of maiden pure is He the Son;

For every shall thy praise be sung,

Christ's fair mother mary!

Ever was there news so great?

God's own Son from heaven's high state

is born the Son of Mary!

2.

This day the wonderous Child is born,

Lent to earth from heaven.

He comes to cheer a world forlorn,

Its heavy sin to leaven.

So, sing ye all the glorious birth

Which doth redeem our fallen earth,

And works our salvation.

Laud to thee, Child Jesus Christ!

With mankind Thou'st kept the tryst

Thou star of every nation.

3.

As from above the sun his rays

Poureth down upon us,

And with his glow renews our days,

Health and life doth give us;

E'en so the Christ Child was He sent

A maiden's Babe, for our content,

And for our sweet comfort,

In a manger was He laid,

Sinless, and yet undismayed,

To dwell on earth among us.

4.

The shepherds in amaze dis stand,

As from heaven came streaming

Bright angels in a flaming band,

Christ the King's birth hymning.

O Christ the King of Kings where's He?

False Herod raging mightily.

Everywhere doth seek Him,

Whom His mother Jesus dight,

And doth slay, O wicked wight,

The children for to catch Him.

Lyrics: Dies est laetitae , In ortu regali, 15th century translation, published in Klug's Wittenberg Hymn-book, 1535[1529]

German translation

1.

Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich

aller Creature,

von eier Jungfrau ist gebor'n,

Maria du bist ausserkor'n,

dass du Mutter wärest.

Was geschah so wunderlich?

Gottes Sohn vom Himmelreich,

der ist Mensch geboren.

Translation by Charles Sanford Terry, Bach Chorals Part III, Cambridge 1921