Born in Bethlehem

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Born in Bethlehem is a German Christmas carol with a text by Friedrich Spee (1591–1635), which was first published in its present form in 1638 in a Cologne hymn book.

origin

The lyrics of the song is the by his criticism of the witch trials known Jesuit attributed to Friedrich Spee of Langenfeld. It was first published without a melody in the Little Spiritual Psalter, which was published in 1637 by Johannes Heringsdorf in Cologne. Even if the author of the text was unknown until well into the 20th century, according to the opinion of the relevant research the authorship is considered secured, mainly because of the stylistic and content quality of the song; he was two years before the first publication of the song with the care plague sufferersdied. Ansgar Franz points out that the text of the song sings "not of the idyllic nativity scene and the Christmas market atmosphere, but of great love and courageous succession until death".

The formal model could be a Latin processional song from the 15th century:

“In Bethlehem transeamus
amoris gressibus
et natum videmus
mentis excessibus
eja, eja, mentis excessibus.

Let us go
to Bethlehem with love,
and contemplate the newborn
with the delight of the spirit ”

-

The melody comes from a French chanson Une petite fests with frivolous text, which was very popular at the time . It can be found both in the contemporary Parisian song collections of Pierre Cerveau ( Airs mis en musique à quatre parties from 1599) and Pierre Bonnet ( Airs et vilanelles mises en musique à 4 et 5 parties , 1600). Friedrich Spee repeatedly counterfeited lyrics to the melodies of well-known secular songs in order to wrest their “pestilent poison” from them. Together with the melody, Spee's text was first printed in 1638 under the title Hertzopffer in the Cologne Spiritual Psalter . Presumably the melody appears a little earlier with a text about the child's cradle. Now we weigh the child in handwritten organ tablature , which was written down by Henricus Beginiker from 1622 onwards. Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio took over the melody for the lullaby he had created, Die Blümelein they sleep (first printed in 1840), although he changed the tune slightly in some passages. Johannes Brahms backed this up with an elaborate piano setting and included the work under the title Sandmännchen in his 15 folk children's songs, WoO 31 (McCorkle), as number 4 (first printing: Winterthur, J. Rieter-Biedermann, 1858).

The song is sung by both Protestant and Catholic Christians during the Christmas season. It can be found in the Praise of God (GL 239, GL old 140) and in the Evangelical Hymnal (EG 32).

Text and melody

\ relative f '{\ key f \ major \ partial 4 c f4. g8 a4 g f2 e4 fg f8 (g) a4 g f2 r4 \ bar "" \ break c 'ca bes c d2 bes4 bes a bes c bes8 (a) g2. r4 \ break c2 ga g4 a8 (bes) c4 f, 8 (g) a4 g f2. \ bar "|." } \ addlyrics {Born to Bethlehem is a child to us. I 've got it, I want to be his own. Eh - a, ei - a, I want to be his own. }


We were born in Bethlehem .
I chose that, I want to be
his own.
Eia , eia, I want to be his own. I want to immerse myself completely

in his love
;
I want to give him my heart
and all that I have.
Eia, eia, and all that I have.

O little children,
I want to love you from the bottom of my heart
,
with joy and pain, the longer more and more.
Eia, eia, the longer more and more.

You true God I find
in my flesh and blood;
therefore I bind myself
to you, my greatest good.
Eia, eia, to you, my greatest good.

In addition, give me your grace, I
ask from the bottom of my heart
that I live for you alone
now and at all times.
Eia, eia, now and at all times.

Do not let me part with you,
tie, tie the bond
of love between the two,
take my heart as a pledge.
Eia, eia, take my heart as a pledge.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Spiritual Psalter of the Societas Jesu. Peter Grevenbruch, Cöllen 1637.
  2. ↑ Joseph Gotzen: Born in Bethlehem . In: Musica sacra 69 (1949), ISSN  0179-356X , pp. 258-262.
  3. ^ A b Ansgar Franz, Hermann Kurzke, Christiane Schäfer (eds.): The songs of God's praise. History - liturgy - culture. Stuttgart 2017, p. 1222.
  4. ↑ clergyman / psalter / in which / the most exquisite / old: and new church / s and house singing / next to the loveliest / most beautiful psalms of David / are composed. Peter Grevenbruch, Cologne 1638, p. 80 f.