{"id":2442,"date":"2013-11-12T18:50:01","date_gmt":"2013-11-12T22:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christmasclassics.com\/christmasmusic\/?p=2442"},"modified":"2013-11-13T17:17:31","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T21:17:31","slug":"christmas-classics-person-day-john-troutback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/christmasclassics.com\/christmasmusic\/christmas-classics-person-day-john-troutback","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Classics PERSON OF THE DAY: John Troutback"},"content":{"rendered":"

On this day in 1832, John Troutback was born in Blencowe, Cumberland, England. He was a noted English translator of famous musical texts and an Anglican priest who served as chaplain to Queen Victoria during his tenure as Minor Canon at Westminster Abbey (1869-1899). The Rev. Troutback had previously held the position of Precentor at Manchester Cathedral from 1865-1869.<\/p>\n

For purposes of distinction in the Anglican Church, a Minor Canon is usually a junior clergy staff member of a cathedral or collegiate church who participates in daily services. A Precentor, too, is a clergy member, generally part of a large church, whose charge is to prepare and organize liturgy and worship services.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Troutback arranged many of the royal services at Westminster Abbey, most notably the 1887 Golden Jubilee service for Queen Victoria. In addition to devoting much of his life’s energy to church music, including editing\u00a0Westminster Abbey Hymn Book<\/cite> <\/strong><\/span>(1883), several chant books, and The Manchester Psalter<\/cite> <\/span><\/strong>a few years prior to his assignment to Westminster Abbey. A possessor of a very fine voice, he was also the author of Church Choir Training<\/strong><\/span>.<\/cite><\/p>\n

Troutback\u2019s greatest claim to fame, however, was his English translations of German, French, and Italian operas, songs, and oratorios for the British music publisher Novello. The Who\u2019s Who List of his translations included Johann Sebastian Bach\u2019s St. Matthew Passion<\/i><\/span><\/strong>, St.<\/strong> <\/span>John Passion<\/strong><\/span><\/i>, Magnificat<\/i><\/strong><\/span>, and Christmas Oratorio<\/i><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Christmas Oratorio<\/strong> <\/i><\/span>(German Weihnachts-Oratorium) <\/i><\/span><\/strong>by Bach was one of three oratorios written near the end of his career and his last major contribution to the Lutheran Church. It was intended to conform to the church calendar for the 1734 Christmas season and to be performed on six successive Sundays during Advent and the Christmas season at two churches – St. Thomas and St. Nicholas in Leipzig. The oratorio incorporated six cantatas from earlier Bach compositions, some of them secular in tone, which caused some Lutheran Church elders to have problems with the great composer\u2019s discarding of some hymn texts in favor of poetical passages and the interjection of a number of chorales, choruses, and arias of a\u00a0 non-Scriptural nature into the sacred work. The oratorio\u2019s recitative and chorale settings, however, were original Bach compositions.<\/p>\n

Bach received inspiration for his work from both the St. Luke<\/i> and St. Matthew<\/i> versions of the Nativity, especially since together they gave a more complete narrative of Christ’s birth. He believed the St. Luke 2:1-21<\/i> <\/strong><\/span>gospel had greater poetic qualities than the gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12<\/i><\/strong><\/span>. However, St. Matthew’s story was particularly attractive to Bach since it recounted the tale of the Three Wise Men, leading Bach to attach greater significance to the Magi in the concluding passages of the oratorio.<\/p>\n

The finished oratorio was broken into six parts, each to be performed on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period as follows:<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Part I: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Birth of Jesus (Christmas Day)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part II:\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Annunciation to the Shepherds (December 26)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part III:\u00a0 <\/span>The Adoration of the Shepherd (December 27)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part IV:\u00a0 <\/span>The Circumcision and Naming of Jesus (New Year\u2019s Day)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part V:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Journey of the Magi (First Sunday after New Year)<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part V:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Adoration of the Magi (Epiphany \u2013 January 6).<\/p>\n

Despite its original three hour length, the Rev. Troutback must have been elated to take on the task of translating Bach\u2019s marvelous Christmas opus. In 1874 Novello published it along with Rev. Troutback\u2019s English translation of Bach\u2019s Magnificat<\/i><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

For his distinguished service to his church, the Rev. Troutback in now buried with his wife in the East Cloister of the Westminster Abbey.<\/p>\n

\"Rev.<\/a>

Rev. John Troutback<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n