Weihnachtslieder, Op. 8 (Cornelius) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Weihnachtslieder |
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| Song cycle by Peter Cornelius | |
The poet and composer
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| English | Christmas Songs |
| Full title | Weihnachtslieder : ein Cyklus für eine Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung : Op. 8 / Text und Musik von Peter Cornelius |
| Opus | 8 |
| Text | by Cornelius |
| Language | German |
| Composed | 1856 – 1870 |
| Dedication | Elisabeth Schily |
| Published | 1870 |
| Scoring |
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Weihnachtslieder means Christmas Songs in German. It's a collection of six songs, also known as a song cycle. These songs, Opus 8, were written by Peter Cornelius. He wrote both the poems and the music for a singer and a piano. He worked on them between 1856 and 1870.
The full German title is Weihnachtslieder : ein Cyklus für eine Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung : Op. 8 / Text und Musik von Peter Cornelius. Peter Cornelius gave these songs to his sister, Elisabeth Schily. One of the songs, "Die Könige" (The Kings), is about the Biblical Magi (the Three Wise Men). This song became very popular and has been translated into English as "The Three Kings". In this song, the piano music includes parts of an old German hymn called "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern".
Contents
How the Songs Were Made
Peter Cornelius was a talented writer as well as a composer. He first started his career as an actor. He wrote the poems for his song cycle about six different Christmas topics. He liked to group his songs around a main idea, just like another famous composer, Robert Schumann.
Cornelius started composing the music for the Weihnachtslieder in 1856. He made some changes to the music in 1859. This was after his friend, Franz Liszt, gave him some ideas. Liszt suggested adding parts of older Christmas carols into the piano music. Cornelius made more changes in 1870 before the songs were finally published.
The songs were first performed on January 29, 1871. A music review at the time said that Cornelius was a very creative person. It also said his music could deeply touch people's hearts.
The Popular Song: "Die Könige"
The song "Die Könige" (No. 3, "The Kings") became very famous. It's about the Biblical Magi, who visited baby Jesus. This song has been translated into English many times. Some English names for it are "Three kings have come from the eastern land" and "Three Kings from Persian lands afar". It is often included in collections of Christmas carols. The music for "Die Könige" has also been arranged for choirs to sing.
What the Songs Are About
The Weihnachtslieder cycle has six main songs:
- Christbaum (The Christmas Tree)
- Die Hirten (The Shepherds)
- Die Könige (The Kings)
- Simeon
- Christus der Kinderfreund (Christ the Friend of Children)
- Christkind (The Christ Child)
Peter Cornelius actually wrote two different versions for "Die Hirten" and "Die Könige". In the second version of "Die Könige," the piano music slowly plays the tune of the hymn "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern".
Publishing the Music
The Weihnachtslieder were published in Leipzig in 1870. The publisher was E. W. Fritzsch. The full title on the published music was Weihnachtslieder [music] : ein Cyklus für eine Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung : Op. 8 / Text und Musik von Peter Cornelius. Cornelius dedicated the work to his sister, writing: "To my dear sister Mrs. Elisabeth Schily."
Later, in 2011, three of the songs were arranged for a choir to sing without instruments (called a cappella). These arrangements were made by Clytus Gottwald and published by Carus-Verlag. For "Die Hirten," Gottwald took Liszt's idea even further. He included the melody of the old Christmas carol "Den die Hirten lobeten sehre" (also known as Quempas) in the choir's accompaniment.
