When most people think about Christmas music, they seldom think about Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). But this greatest of all church musicians has given us a large amount of wonderful music to celebrate the Savior’s birth. These include not only organ chorales on Christmas hymns (several can be found in his “Orgelbüchlein” – “Little Organ Book,” with which all organists are very familiar), but also large works like his “Christmas Oratorio” and his “Magnificat” (Mary’s song, found in Luke 1).
One of those Christmas songs that is found in hymnals today is “O Jesus Sweet, O Jesus Mild.” The words come from an author several decades before Bach’s birth. But the music which he has arranged for the text has given longevity to the hymn. Bach drew from a musical composition by an earlier German Lutheran musician, Samuel Scheidt, an organist and teacher and prolific composer of the early baroque period. As arranged by Bach, the combination of words and music have the feel of a lullaby, with a rocking “beat” that gives the impression of a cradle swaying back and forth.