This CD includes a cross-section of Werner Fabricius's music and, as well as containing a number of song settings for the Christmas festivities, focuses on the two vocal-instrumental compositions in Festo Nativitatis Christi from his most important work. The vocal works are framed by dance movements from the Deliciae Harmonicae.

As was customary at that time, we play in meantone temperament, because 'the octaves and thirds (but not the fifths) must be exact and pure throughout, without any beat' (from Fabricius: Unterricht, Wie man ein neu Orgelwerck...).

The poem that gives this disc its title, O liebes Kind, alludes to the second chapter of Luke's Gospel, and comes from the song collection Neüe Musikalische Fest-Andachten by the important Hamburg theologian and poet Johann Rist. He himself briefly summarises his poetry as follows:

'A heartfelt and joyous contemplation of the sweet Infant Jesus lying in the manger, how He so graciously visits us and distributes indescribable gifts through this, His lowly birth.' - Rist, Neüe Musikalische Fest-Andachten, Lüneburg 1655, p16

Founded by Jeroen Finke in 2015, La Protezione della Musica (Leipzig/Bremen) has quickly developed into a highly regarded ensemble for historically-informed performance. The main focus of the ensemble is on early baroque music. Audiences are enthusiastic about its virtuosity, coupled with its joy of playing and a commitment to go beyond just reperforming well-known works. Several CD recordings testify to the quality of the ensemble.