Weihnachtslieder, Op 8

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Drei Kön’ge wandern aus Morgenland

composer

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)

Recordings

A Christmas Present from Polyphony

Polyphony, Stephen Layton (conductor)

NOEL2Super-budget price sampler — Archive Service

'Stephen Layton directs the performances and deserves major credit for the very high standards evident on this compilation' (BBC Music Magazine)
'This is a disc for listening to in peace, after the Christmas Day festivites are over and the visitors have gone' (The Daily Telegraph)» More

Adeste fideles

Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor)

CDA66668

‘An extremely well-sung traditional carol collection. The concert makes a great appeal by the quality of the singing and the beautiful digital recordi ...
‘A model of its kind’ (The Times)» More

Adeste fideles

The Choir of the Chapel Royal, Huw Williams (conductor)

Studio Master: SIGCD460Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

Huw Williams leads the choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal in a festive recording of Christmas carols old and new from St James’s Palace, London.» More

Christmas Night

The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)

CSCD526Download only

Twenty-two carols spanning more than six centuries: some of these carols have long been widely known and loved, others have become so thanks to the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, and a few were newly writt ...» More

Christmas through the ages

NOEL1

'Other than to assure you that it works for me, need I say more?' (Fanfare, USA)
'If Christmas music is on your agenda–for yourself or for your best friends or most favored family members, this disc['s] original sources should make ...» More

Christmas with St John's

St John's College Choir Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (conductor)

Studio Master: SIGCD458Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

'Christmas with St John's' presents a typically adventurous programme from this most illustrious of choirs, as new commissions by Judith Bingham and Michael Finnissy join established favourites by the likes of Bob Chilcott and John Rutter.» More

Cornelius: The Three Kings & other choral works

Polyphony, Stephen Layton (conductor)

CDA67206Archive Service

‘An appealing collection of choral works from the composer of the celebrated carol, Three Kings from Persian lands afar. Polyphony are perfect advocat ...
‘These are superior performances, Layton’s group Polyphony offering refined tone and exceptional precision, together with a careful observation of Cor ...» More

Epiphany at St Paul's

St Paul's Cathedral Choir, John Scott (conductor)

CDH55443

Hyperion’s series of St Paul’s recordings is graced by an addition dedicated to music for Epiphany. The programme embraces music from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, from Bach to Bingham, and includes many long-established favourites by We ...» More

Favourite Carols from King's

King's College Choir Cambridge, Sir Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

Studio Master: KGS0007Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

Favourite Carols from King’s is a collection of the most popular carols featured in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols over the years, and a tribute to the King’s Christmas tradition.» More

Voces 8 Christmas

Voces 8

Studio Master: SIGCD291Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

BBC Music Magazine
'Another winner from Signum is Voces 8's Christmas. As the name implies, these are eight young singers: two sopranos, two counter-tenors, two tenors, ...» More

Details

No 3: Die Könige Drei Kön’ge wandern aus Morgenland

arranger

Stephen Layton (b?)

author of text

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)

verses

author of text

Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608)

chorale 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern'

Robert Rice (baritone), Polyphony, Stephen Layton (conductor)

Track 6 on CDA67206 [2'50] Archive Service

Track 18 on NOEL1 [2'50]

Track 5 on NOEL2 [2'50] Super-budget price sampler — Archive Service

Drei Kön’ge wandern aus Morgenland;
Ein Sternlein führt sie zum Jordanstrand.
In Juda fragen und forschen die Drei,
Wo der neugeborene König sei?
Sie wollen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold
Dem Kinde spenden zum Opfersold.

Und hell erglänzet des Sternes Schein;
Zum Stalle gehen die Kön’ge ein;
Das Knäblein schauen sie wonniglich,
Anbetend neigen die Kön’ge sich;
Sie bringen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold
Zum Opfer dar dem Knäblein hold.

O Menschenkind! Halte treulich Schritt!
Die Kön’ge wandern, o wandre mit!
Der Stern der Liebe, der Gnade Stern
Erhelle dein Ziel, so du suchst den Herrn,
Und fehlen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold,
Schenke dein Herz dem Knäblein hold!
Schenk’ ihm dein Herz!

Chor: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn,
Die süße Wurzel Jesse!
Du Sohn Davids aus Jakobs Stamm,
Mein König und mein Bräutigam,
Hast mir mein Herz beseßen,
Lieblich, freundlich, schön und herrlich,
Gross und ehrlich, reich von Gaben,
Hoch und sehr prächtig erhaben.

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)

No 3: The Three Kings Three Kings from Persian lands afar

arranger

Sir Ivor Algernon Atkins (1869-1953)

author of text

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)

verses

author of text

Philipp Nicolai (1556-1608)

chorale 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern'

translator of text

Herbert Newell Bate (1871-1941)

Stephen Alder (bass), Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor)

Track 11 on CDA66668 [2'28]

Jonathan Arnold (bass), St Paul's Cathedral Choir, John Scott (conductor)

Track 8 on CDH55443 [2'41]

Peter Cornelius (1824–1874) was the son of two actors who saw that he was a talented child and sent him to train in their preferred profession. They also recognized that he had musical gifts and encouraged his music lessons. By 1840 he was playing the violin in the Mainz theatre orchestra, later acting in the Nassau court theatre troupe. On the death of his father he moved to Berlin where he began to devote himself exclusively to music. There he met painters, poets and others from various artistic disciplines and became aware of his talents as a poet and writer. Finding no outlet for his abilities in Berlin he moved to Weimar where he studied with Liszt, who immediately recognized his abilities. The group that surrounded Liszt—the so-called New German School, which included Hans von Bülow—was more to Cornelius’s taste and so the young composer devoted himself to promoting Liszt’s ideas. Liszt, in turn, introduced him to Berlioz, Brahms and Wagner and it was through contact with these composers that Cornelius began to find his métier as an opera composer—his first opera was, in fact, conducted by Liszt. When the latter left Weimar (following a dispute with the ‘New Germans’) Cornelius went to Vienna. Wagner’s influence was strong and, in 1865, he invited Cornelius to Munich as his personal répétiteur, arranging a salary from the Privy Purse of Ludwig II. In Munich he began to teach music theory, harmony, metrics and poetics at the Royal School of Music where, due to his responsibilities, his creativity also began to wane. His third opera was to remain unfinished.

Cornelius was a committed Christian who also wrote sacred music. The Three Kings is the third of his Weihnachtslieder, Op 8, dating from 1856. The correct title is Die Könige, and the work is originally scored for baritone and piano. The piano plays the Epiphany chorale ‘How brightly shines the morning star!’. The song was later arranged for soloist and chorus by Ivor Atkins.

Nicholas Sears (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)

Track 16 on CSCD526 [2'16] Download only

Henry Hawkesworth (bass), King's College Choir Cambridge, Sir Stephen Cleobury (conductor)

Track 19 on KGS0007 [2'17] Download only

Voces 8

Track 17 on SIGCD291 [2'30] Download only

Peter Lidbetter (bass), St John's College Choir Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (conductor)

Track 13 on SIGCD458 [2'40] Download only

The Choir of the Chapel Royal, Huw Williams (conductor), Maciek O'Shea (bass)

Track 21 on SIGCD460 [2'46] Download only

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