The full title of this inspired mini-oratorio for soloists, choir, and instruments is "Historia, der freuden und gnadenreichen Geburth Gottes und Marien Sohnes, Jesu Christi, unsers einigen Mitlers, Erlösers und Seeligmachers" (Story of the joyful and merciful birth of the Son of God and Mary, Jesus Christ, our sole mediator, redeemer, and savior). A creation of the composer's middle period, it was published in Dresden in 1664.

The work opens with the "Introduktion oder Eingang" (Introduction or Intrada) for four-part chorus and a sinfonia of instruments. The choir announces in joyful block harmonies that this presentation is to be "the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus as was written for us by the holy evangelists."

The Evangelist's (tenor) recitative unfolds the well-known Christmas story at the point where a decree from Caesar Augustus has called for a census; everyone must return to the place of their birth to register. Consequently, the carpenter Joseph of Galilee and his wife Mary have journeyed to the city of Nazareth, but the inns are filled and they must stay in a manger (or, in some modern translations, a cave). The story skips to the shepherds in a field nearby to whom an angel appears. As a segue device, Schütz often employs hanging sentences, in this case, "and the angel said to them...."

In "Intermedium I," the Angel (treble voice) and two violas da gamba engage in marvelous three-part canon, built around obsessively repeating two-note root patterns on the words "grosse Freude" (great joy). The patterns repeat many times before breaking away into extended progressions leading to cadence points. In a recitative the Angel announces the birth of the Christ child, and laying in a manger. As the voice holds his last note, in a beautiful touch, the instruments echo the repeating pattern five times and conclude.

In "Intermedium II," the first angel is joined by an angelic choir in six parts, accompanied by two violins, bassoon, and continuo, delivering the text "Praise to God, Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward mankind" in a splendid use of Mixolydian mode. Three shepherds (altos) reply in "Intermedium III" accompanied by two flutes, bassoon, and continuo, with both the instruments and vocal trio employing three-part canon. The word "gehen" (go) is elaborated in ascending and descending sixteenths, expressing the shepherds' urgency and expectation as they head toward Bethlehem.

The three wise men (tenors) appear in "Intermedium IV" in six-part counterpoint with instruments; in "Intermedium V," the high priests and learned men become a quartet of bass voices with two trombones in six parts; Herod is a bass solo with two cornets in three parts; the Angel speaks to Joseph in a dream in "Intermedium VII" and "Intermedium VIII" accompanied by two violas and continuo, initially playing the previous repeating pattern 14 times; in the "Beschluss" (Closing), the full chorus with violins, violas, trombones, bassoon, and continuo ecstatically develop the previous Mixolydian harmonies in a paean to God.

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