The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree

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Giving presents under the Christmas tree (around 1860)
Christmas Eve in Protestant Germany (1863)

The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree is a German-language Christmas carol that was written in Hanau in 1842 with the text by Johannes Carl and a melody by Georg Eisenbach .

history

The text was created by the evangelical theologian, consistorial counselor and poet Johannes Carl (1806–1887), who was from Nauheim , who was pastor at the Johanneskirche in Hanau at the time . Carl later published the text in his extensive volume of his collected poems, published in 1875. The melody was composed by Georg Eisenbach, cantor at the St. Mary's Church in Hanau and teacher at the girls' school there. The song originally comprised 12 stanzas, of which only four are usually printed in hymn books today. It was printed as a single sheet in Hanau in 1842 and sold for 4 Kreuzers .

content

The Christmas tree held the first half of the 19th century increasingly prevalent in the living rooms of the German bourgeoisie and was at that time in other Christmas songs like O Tannenbaum ( Ernst Anschütz , 1824) or at the Christmas tree, the lights burn ( Hermann Kletke , 1841) sung .

The church musician Martin Rößler counts the song among a number of songs that no longer attempt to transform Christian content into the form of sacred folk songs. “You immediately deal with the Christmas bearers, with the surrogates of Christian preaching, and let the emotion and mood run full; […] “In contrast, folklorist Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann points out that the text of the song contains the mystical train of thought that the newborn Christ chose the child's heart as the garden for his miracle tree. The song can be found in many Christmas potpourris .

Melody and lyrics

Version widely used today

\ relative a '{\ key a \ major \ time 4/4 \ partial 4 \ autoBeamOff e | cis' adb | e4. d8 c sharp4 b | aed 'cis | cis bre e cis fis4. e8 | e [d] d [cis] d4 d | db e4. d8 | d [cis] cis [b] cis4 e, | f sharp g sharp from | c sharp2 a4 g sharp | from c sharp d | e2 c sharp4 f sharp | e2 (d) | cis r4 \ bar "|." } \ addlyrics {The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree that we will know. Small in the garden, in the tightest of spaces, how lovely does the wonder tree bloom when its lights are on, when its lights are on. - to burn, yes to burn. }

The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree that
we know on earth.
Small in the garden, in the narrowest of spaces,
how lovely the wonder tree blooms
when its lights are on,
when its lights are on, yes, on.

Because look, on this miraculous night
the Lord was born once,
the Savior who makes us happy.
If he hadn't brought heaven,
all the world would be lost, lost.

But now there is joy and bliss,
every night is full of candles.
This is ready for you too, my child,
your Jesus gives you everything today, he
likes to live in your heart, in your heart.

Oh let him in, it's not a dream,
he chooses your heart for his garden,
wants to plant
the most beautiful wonder tree in the narrow space
and faithfully wait for it, yes wait.

Original version

Metropolitan Ferdinand Riebeling pointed out as early as 1897 that the melody, which was often reprinted in Schullieder booklets, was "regularly changed quite arbitrarily and decidedly deteriorated compared to the original". In particular, the unusual sixth jump after the prelude seems to stimulate changes in the beginning of the melody again and again. It was also common practice in the 19th century that many songbooks only printed the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th stanzas, which was possibly due to their use in children's services, in which context the other stanzas did not fit well. For comparison, here is the unchanged original version of the song:

\ relative a '{\ key a \ major \ time 4/4 \ partial 4 \ autoBeamOff e | cis 'e, d' e, | e'4. d8 c sharp4 b | aed 'cis | cis bre e cis fis4. e8 | e4 d8 [cis] d4 b | db e4. d8 | d4 c # 8 [b] c # 4 e, | f sharp g sharp from | c sharp2 a4 g sharp | from c sharp d | e2 c sharp4 f sharp | e2 (d) | cis r4 \ bar "|." } \ addlyrics {The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree that we will know on earth; Small in the garden, in the narrowest of spaces, how lovely does the miracle tree bloom when its little flowers are burning, when its flowers - burn - burn, yes burn - burn. }

  The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree that
we know on earth;
Small in the garden, in the narrowest of spaces,
How lovely the miracle tree blossoms,
When its little flowers are burning.

  So it blooms, and the gold fruit was
not in coming;
They shine gracefully on the branches
And lie when you want to see,
Also ripe and sweet in the garden.

  And fruit of the most wondrous kind,
that you don't all know:
a little doll, delicate like roses,
a warrior there with a rough beard,
here apples, hash and nuts.

  That's what I call fruit on a tree,
How a thousand other things can't!
and hear - is that a sweet dream?
Quite wonderful in the bright room,
I feel as if I hear singing.

  Yes, inside in the light of the sky
a little angel hovers
and sings: “My child, don't be shocked,
I have cut your little tree,
I have to get it for you.

  For see, on this wonderful night
the Lord was once born,
The Savior, who makes us happy;
If he hadn't brought heaven,
all the world would be lost.

  But now there is joy and bliss,
Is every night full of candles.
This is ready for you too, my child,
your Jesus gives you everything today, he
likes to live in your heart.

  O let him in, it's not a dream!
He chooses your heart for the garden,
Will plant in the narrow space
The most beautiful wonder tree
And faithfully wait for him.

  He will decorate it for you with fruits soon:
Obedience, love and loyalty, -
The good 'in every form
Grows in the branches in a variety of ways,
That the Lord God be happy. ”

  So the angel sang softly and gently,
you have now heard it .
So you would like to be a child of God,
Thu 'on your little heart, hurry up!
And let the Savior come.

  Oh, if you give him your heart today,
how the angel will praise it!
He sees it, sees it with
delight , Hovers blissfully in the glory
And tells the father above.

  He then took you
into his heart forever.
His heaven is open to
you , you can come
into his arms from any danger .

literature

  • Christa Holtei , Tilman Michalski : The great family book of Christmas carols. Sauerländer, Düsseldorf 2008, ISBN 978-3-7941-7629-8 , p. 42 f.
  • Ferdinand Riebeling: The Christmas nursery rhyme: "The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree". In: Hessenland, 1897, No. 23, pp. 310-313, 326-327 ( digitized version ).
  • Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann : The book of Christmas carols. 10th edition. Atlantis, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-254-08213-3 , pp. 214-215.
  • Hans Christoph Worbs: The big book from the German folk song. Torch bearer, Hannover 1969, p. 113.
  • Communications from the Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies , 1909/10, p. 76 f. ( online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hans Hermann Fries:  CARL, Johannes. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 34, Bautz, Nordhausen 2013, ISBN 978-3-88309-766-4 , Sp. 141-143.
  2. ↑ Parish chronicle (part 8) of the Ev. Kreuzgemeinde Frankfurt-Preungesheim , accessed on March 12, 2019
  3. ↑ Works by "JOHANNES KARL" (1806–1887) at deutscheslied.com
  4. ↑ Life dates not known. Friedrich Haarhaus identified Eisenbach with Georg Riedesel zu Eisenbach (1812–1881); however, this assignment seems unlikely.
    Friedrich Haarhaus: Every year again. The big book of Advent and Christmas carols. St. Benno, Leipzig 2013, ISBN 978-3-7462-3798-5 , pp. 152-153 and 223.
  5. ↑ http://viaf.org/viaf/80211185
  6. ↑ GND 135479517
  7. ↑ Electoral Hessian Court and State Handbook for the year 1843. Verlag des reformirten Waisenhauses, Kassel 1843, p. 338 ( digitized in Google book search)
  8. ↑ Royal Prussian State Service Calendar for the Cassel administrative region to the year 1872. Verlag des reformirten Waisenhauses, Kassel 1872, p. 118 ( digitized version ).
  9. ↑ a b c d Ferdinand Riebeling: The Christmas nursery rhyme: "The Christmas tree is the most beautiful tree". In: Hessenland, 1897, No. 23, pp. 310-313, 326-327 ( digitized version ).
  10. ↑ Wilhelm Schoof: The German poetry in Hessen: studies on a Hessian literary history. NG Elwert, 1901, p. 171 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
  11. ↑ Martin Rößler : Since Christ was born ... Texts, types and topics of the German Christmas carol (= Calwer Theologische Monographien. Volume 7). Calwer, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-7668-0680-7 , p. 252 f. ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  12. ↑ a b Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann : The book of Christmas carols. 10th edition. Atlantis, Zurich 2003, ISBN 3-254-08213-3 , pp. 214-215.
  13. ↑ Walter Schulz: Reich singer. Key to the German Reichsliederbuch. Ott, Gotha 1930, p. 26 f.