"O Tannenbaum"
Silver fir (Abies alba)
Song
LanguageGerman
English titleO Christmas Tree
Published1824
Songwriter(s)Ernst Anschütz, based on a 16th-century Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck
Audio sample
Bilingual performance of the first verse by the United States Army Band Chorus

"O Tannenbaum" (German: [oː ˈtanənbaʊm]; "O fir tree"), known in English as "O Christmas Tree", is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song that was unrelated to the holiday, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree.

History

The modern lyrics were written in 1824 by the Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz. A Tannenbaum is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir's evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness.[1]

Anschütz based his text on a 16th-century Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck, "Ach Tannenbaum". In 1819 August Zarnack wrote a tragic love song inspired by this folk song, taking the evergreen, "faithful" fir tree as contrasting with a faithless lover. The folk song first became associated with Christmas with Anschütz, who added two verses of his own to the first, traditional verse. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in the course of the 19th century, and the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol. Anschütz's version still had treu (true, faithful) as the adjective describing the fir's leaves (needles), harking back to the contrast to the faithless maiden of the folk song. This was changed to grün (green) at some point in the 20th century, after the song had come to be associated with Christmas.[2]

Melody

<< \new Voice \relative c' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \autoBeamOff \language "deutsch" \tempo 4 = 90 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \key f \major \time 3/4 \partial 8 c8 f8. f16 f4. g8 a8. a16 a4. a8 g a b4 e, g f r8 c'8 c a d4. c8 c8. b16 b4. b8 b g c4. b8 b8. a16 a4 r8 c,8 f8. f16 f4. g8 a8. a16 a4. a8 g a b4 e, g f r8 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { O Tan -- nen -- baum, o Tan -- nen -- baum, wie treu sind dei -- ne Blät -- ter. Du grünst nicht nur zur Som -- mer -- zeit, nein, auch im Win -- ter, wenn es schneit. O Tan -- nen -- baum, o Tan -- nen -- baum, wie treu sind dei -- ne Blät -- ter! } >>

The tune is an old folk tune attested in the 16th century. It is also known as the tune of "Es lebe hoch der Zimmermannsgeselle" and of "Lauriger Horatius".

Lyrics

Anschütz (1824)[3] Loose English translation[4] Another English version[5] Yet another English version[6]

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie treu[N 1] sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit[N 2]
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Mut und Kraft zu jeder Zeit!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren!

  1. ^ A common variation replaces
    the word treu (faithful)
    with grün (green).
  2. ^ Or Wie oft hat schon zur
    Winterzeit

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
How faithfully you blossom!
Through summer’s heat and winter’s chill
Your leaves are green and blooming still.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
How faithfully you blossom!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
With what delight I see you!
When winter days are dark and drear
You bring us hope for all the year.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
With what delight I see you!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
You bear a joyful message:
That faith and hope shall ever bloom
To bring us light in winter’s gloom.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
You bear a joyful message

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!
They are green when summer days are bright,
They are green when winter snow is white.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
How oft at Christmas tide the sight,
O green fir tree, gives us delight!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Forever true your colour.
Your boughs so green in summertime
Stay bravely green in wintertime.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Forever true your colour.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
You fill my heart with music.
Reminding me on Christmas Day
To think of you and then be gay.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
You fill my heart with music.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!
For ev'ry year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are thy branches!
Not only green when summer's here
But in the coldest time of year.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are thy branches!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How sturdy God hath made thee!
Thou bidd'st us all place faithfully
Our trust in God, unchangingly!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How sturdy God hath made thee!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
Each bough doth hold its tiny light,
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!

Other uses

The tune has also been used (as a contrafactum) to carry other texts on many occasions. Notable uses include:

See also

References

  1. ^ Wook Kim (December 17, 2012). "Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs (With holiday cheer in the air, TIME takes a closer look at some of the weird stories behind our favorite seasonal tunes)". TIME. – "O Tannenbaum" (p. 5)
  2. ^ "O Tannenbaum" by Tobias Widmaier, Populäre und traditionelle Lieder. Historisch-kritisches Liederlexikon des Deutschen Volksliedarchivs (2007) (in German)
  3. ^ "O Tannenbaum": Originalhandschrift im Stadtarchiv Leipzig" Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine by Birgit Horn-Kolditz, in Sächsisches Archivblatt, no. 2 2008, p. 3, State Archive of Saxony (in German)
  4. ^ by John Rutter
  5. ^ "1970s?". Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  6. ^ The Bay View Magazine (1913), p. 175
  7. ^ "Rev. C. V. Waugh". Alachua County Library District Heritage Collection. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  8. ^ "New Citizen Civic Handbook, page 44" (PDF). sos.state.ia.us. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2006.
  9. ^ Letter from the President of the General Alumni Association, Holy Cross Magazine
  10. ^ "Musiknavet" (PDF). Idébanken. 2005. p. 22. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  11. ^ Saint Bonavenure University website Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed January 3, 2014.
  12. ^ "Scout Vesper". ScoutSongs.com. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  13. ^ "On My Honor – Girl Scout Version Lyrics".

External links

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