Go Tell It on the Mountain

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Go Tell It on the Mountain (meaning: Go, call it from the mountain ) is an Afro-American spiritual . It is considered a Christmas carol because of the refrain that refers to the birth of Jesus in the text .

origin

The song is dated to the end of the Civil War in 1865; the original composer and lyricist are unknown. It was first recorded in writing by the African-American song collector and choir conductor John Wesley Work. Work only knew the melody and chorus, but the verses varied. Therefore, he is said to have added two stanzas to the song. As early as the 1880s, the version written down by Work was performed publicly by his choir, the Fisk Jubilee Singers. It was first published in 1909 in the collection of songs, Religious Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung on the Plantations , compiled by Thomas P. Fenner . The version of the song known today was written by Works son John Work III. arranged and published in American Negro Songs and Spirituals in 1940 .

Interpretations

The song has been recorded by numerous artists. Probably the most famous version comes from Peter, Paul and Mary , which reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Top 40 in 1964 under the title Tell It on the Mountain and slightly changed text . Another well-known version comes from Frank Sinatra in a duet with Bing Crosby , also from 1964. The folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel released the piece on their first album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM in the same year

The melody is on the song Come on, tell everyone! to be found in the Protestant hymn book under EG 225. The German text was written by Pastor Friedrich Walz (1932–1984).

refrain

Original English language version

Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.

Analogous German translation

Go call it from the mountain,
Over the hills and far beyond.
Go, call it from the mountain,
That Jesus Christ was born.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Kooler Design Studio (Ed.): America's Best Loved Hymns. Collection Three. 12 cross stitch designs . Leisure Arts, Little Rock AR 2009, ISBN 978-1-60140-850-1 , pp. 10 .
  2. ↑ Patrick M. Liebergen (Ed.): Singer's Library of Song. A vocal Anthology of Masterworks and Folk Songs from the medieval Era through the Twentieth Century . Alfred Publishing, Van Nuys CA 2005, ISBN 0-7390-3660-2 , p. 142 .
  3. ↑ Jay Warner: American Singing Groups. A History From 1940s to Today . Hal Leonard, Milwaukee WI 2006, ISBN 0-634-09978-7 , pp. 431 .
  4. ^ Christmas carols (7) "Go, tell it on the mountain" , FAZ, December 26, 2012
  5. ↑ Klaus Loscher: The "praises singer" of God. Friedrich Walz (1932-1984) on the 30th anniversary of his death, Deutsches Pfarrerblatt 9/2014