This chorale prelude sets one of the principal Christmas tunes in the Lutheran liturgy. The text to verses 2 through 7 was written by Martin Luther. The text to the first verse reads as follows, "Praise be to you Jesus Christ, that you were born as a man from a virgin, it is true; That is why the hosts of angels rejoice. Kyrieleis."

At 155 measures this chorale prelude is one of Buxtehude's longest. Also Buxtehude does not treat the chorale melody in the same manner as most of his other chorale preludes. Rather than placing the chorale tune in the soprano, he tosses it around in all of the voices in the same manner as in the chorale fantasies of the previous generation. An ornamented version of the first phrase of the chorale appears in imitation in all of the voices for the first 36 measures of the piece. At measure 40-62, the second phrase of the chorale appears in the pedal against free spinning counterpoint in the other voices. Starting in measure 71 the third phrase of the chorale appears in the bass and soprano in alternation. From measure 99-139 Buxtehude plays with the fifth phrase of the chorale melody in a contrasting triplet rhythm with echo effects between two different divisions of the organ. The last 15 measures of the chorale prelude make brief reference to the sixth and final phrase of the chorale and pin a spectacular little coda on the end of the piece.

© Andrus Madsen, Rovi