Who knocks?

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Who knocks? is an Advent song from the Alpine region.

Lore

A text fragment can be found for the first time around 1740 in a Quodlibet in the Ostrach song manuscript . The melody and text have been handed down from Upper Bavaria and Austria from the 19th century. In Wilhelm Pailler's collection , the song is quoted in the nativity play Der Hauswirth from the Salzkammergut. In 1861 a version in Slovene was published with the author's indication “J. Šehel ”published. August Hartmann and Hyacinth Abele recorded a version with seven stanzas around 1875 in Kiefersfelden, Sachrang, in Tyrol and in the state of Salzburg. A version with six stanzas was recorded in 1912 in St. Leonhard near Aussee.

Content and customs

The song is about the search for shelter by Mary and Joseph . The stanzas form dialogues between a host (bass) and the holy couple. The song belongs to the circle of the Klöpfelnächte , a custom on the last three Thursdays before Christmas, when it was sung by the village youth while knocking on the houses.

The song was also used in nativity plays, as demonstrated by Wilhelm Pailler's collection .

In the tradition of the Wandering Mother of God , the song is often sung to present the image of Mary.

song lyrics

1st stanza (at the 1st innkeeper):
"Who knocks?" "Oh two very poor people!"
"What do you want?" "Oh, give us hostel today!
Oh, by God's love we ask,
open your huts for us! "
" Oh no, no, no! "" Oh, let us in! "
" It can't be. "" We want to be grateful. "
" No, no, no it can't be.
Just go away, you can't get in. "

2nd stanza (at the 2nd innkeeper):
" Who at the door? "" A woman with her husband. "
" What do you want? "" Listen to our requests!
Let us live with you today.
God will
pay you everything! " " What will you pay me? "" We have no money! "
" Then leave here! "" Oh, open the door for us! "" Oh,
don't make me fuss,
grab yourselves, go elsewhere! "

3rd verse (at the 3rd innkeeper):
" What are you crying? "" We freeze with cold. "
" Who can do that? "" Oh, give us quarters!
We are outcast everywhere,
every gate is closed to us! "
" So stay out! "" Oh, open the house for us! "
" Nothing will come of it. "" Show us another house. "
" Go to the next door!
I don't have room, just go from here! "

4th verse (at the 4th innkeeper):
" Go away! "" O friend, where to, where from? "
" A cattle shed there! "" O Josef, just go out !
Oh my child, by God's will
you have to feel poverty! "
" Now get away! "" Oh that harsh word! "
" To the cattle shed there! "" Oh, probably a bad place! "
" Oh , the place is good for you;
you don't need much, you just go right away! "

reception

In the period after the Second World War, the self-identification of expellees with Maria and Joseph led to a resurgence of the customs around the search for a hostel and an increased popularity of the song. The song was also quoted several times in connection with the refugee crisis of the 2010s in order to illustrate the fate of the current refugees.

The song was included on the Christmas albums by Nena , Frank Zander and the NGL songwriter Ludger Edelkötter .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Wilhelm Pailler: Christmas carols and nativity scenes from Upper Austria and Tyrol. Volume 2: Nativity plays. Wagner, Innsbruck 1883, p. 40 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
  2. ↑ Niko Kuret: On the Origin of reenacted. In: Studia Mythologica Slavica 1 (1998), pp. 23-25 ​​( online ; PDF; 69 KB).
  3. ↑ August Hartmann, Hyacinth Abele (ed.): Volkslieder, in Bavaria, Tirol and Land Salzburg. 1st volume: Popular Christmas carols. Breitkopf and Härtel, Leipzig 1884, No. 78.
  4. ^ Konrad Mautner : Old songs and ways from the Steyermärkischen Salzkammergut. Vienna 1918, p. 3.
  5. ↑ Gnadendorf parish: "Who knocked? - O two very poor people ..." ( Memento of the original from December 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 5, 2016 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / gnadendorf.stephanscom.at
  6. ↑ Lesachtaler hostel search - who knocks? on YouTube
  7. ↑ Christmas carols (22): "Who knocks" . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . December 22, 2013, ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed December 1, 2016]).
  8. ^ Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann : The book of Christmas carols. Schott, Mainz 1982, ISBN 3-7957-2061-3 , p. 57.
  9. ↑ Josef Wirth: Who knocks? January 6, 2015, accessed December 5, 2016 (PDF; 39 KB).
  10. ↑ Nena: Who knocks (Lyrics), Album: NENAs Christmas journey
  11. ↑ Fred Sonnenschein and his friends - Who knocks , hitparade.ch, accessed on December 5, 2016
  12. ↑ Ludger Edelkötter: Who Knocks (CD)
  13. ↑ OCLC 725263808