Lutheran Church Year
Dates of "Neujahr" (New Year's Day)

Description

New Year's Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries except for Israel using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year. In Western Christianity New Year's Day, January 1, is the 8^th day of Christmas.

The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord is a Christian celebration of the Brit milah (ritual circumcision) of Jesus, 8 days (according to the Semitic and southern European calculation of intervals of days) after his birth, the occasion to on which the child was formally given his name, Jesus, a name derived from Hebrew meaning "salvation" or "saviour". Therefore New Year's Day is sometimes called Holy Name and/or Circumcision of Christ.

Readings: Epistle: Galatians 3: 23-29; Gospel: Luke 2: 21

Musical Context of Bach Cantatas: Motets & Chorales for Turning Time

Dates in the Lifetime of J.S. Bach

All dates are in ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD.
Abbreviations of German weekdays: Sonntag, Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag.

1685-01-01 Mo
1686-01-01 Di
1687-01-01 Mi
1688-01-01 Do
1689-01-01 Sa
1691-01-01 Mo
1692-01-01 Di
1693-01-01 Do
1694-01-01 Fr
1695-01-01 Sa
1697-01-01 Di
1698-01-01 Mi
1699-01-01 Do
1700-01-01 Fr
1701-01-01 Sa
1703-01-01 Mo
1704-01-01 Di
1705-01-01 Do
1706-01-01 Fr
1707-01-01 Sa
1709-01-01 Di
1710-01-01 Mi
1711-01-01 Do
1712-01-01 Fr
1714-01-01 Mo
1715-01-01 Di
1716-01-01 Mi
1717-01-01 Fr
1718-01-01 Sa
1720-01-01 Mo
1721-01-01 Mi
1722-01-01 Do
1723-01-01 Fr
1724-01-01 Sa - Cantata BWV 190 Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1725-01-01 Mo - Cantata BWV 41 Jesu, nun sei gepreiset (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1726-01-01 Di - Cantata BWV 16 Herr Gott, dich loben wir (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1727-01-01 Mi
1728-01-01 Do
1729-01-01 Sa - Cantata BWV 171 Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm (1^st performance, Leipzig) (?)
1731-01-01 Mo
1732-01-01 Di
1733-01-01 Do
1734-01-01 Fr
1735-01-01 Sa - Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248/4 Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (1^st performance, Leipzig)
1737-01-01 Di
1738-01-01 Mi
1739-01-01 Do
1740-01-01 Fr
1742-01-01 Mo
1743-01-01 Di
1744-01-01 Mi
1745-01-01 Fr
1746-01-01 Sa
1748-01-01 Mo
1749-01-01 Mi - Cantata BWV 16 Herr Gott, dich loben wir (2^nd performance, Leipzig)
1750-01-01 Do

Vocal works with no definite date

(1708-1714?) - Cantata BWV 143 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele (1^st performance, Mühlhausen)
(1729-1735 ?) - J.F. Fasch: Cantata Gehet zu seinen Thoren ein, FWV D:G 1 (1^st performance, Leipzig)
(1732-1735) - Cantata BWV 41 Jesu, nun sei gepreiset (2^nd performance, Leipzig)
(1735-1740) - Cantata BWV 190 Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (2^nd performance, Leipzig)

Sundays and Holidays in the Lifetime of J.S. Bach

Prepared by Dr. Georg Fischer (April 2007), Aryeh Oron (March 2010)
Contributed by Dr. Georg Fischer (March 2010)
Please direct any questions or comments to: Dr. Georg Fischer