And There Were Shepherds is from The Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734. The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. The recitative begins with a tenor solo (the evangelist), followed by the soprano solo (the angel) describing the birth of Jesus. It concludes with the chorale, Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light, for full choir. This arrangement represents one in the Series of Band Arrangements compatible with David Willcocks' Carols for Choirs.
