Das Wort ward Fleisch

Andreas Hammerschmidt's setting of Das Wort ward Fleisch (The Word became Flesh) is a substantial motet for double choir (SSATTB). The text draws from the Gospel of John, celebrating the incarnation of Christ. Hammerschmidt weaves together Latin verses from the liturgy, including an antiphon and a passage from the Liber Usualis, with German settings of the same core message. This creates a rich, polyphonic texture that is both texturally varied and thematically unified, suitable for a major feast day such as Christmas. The grand forces employed reflect the profound theological statement of the text.