O Tannenbaum
Encyclopedia
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
of German origin.
A Tannenbaum is a fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
tree (German: die Tanne) or Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
(der Weihnachtsbaum). Its evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
qualities have long inspired musicians to write several "Tannenbaum" songs in German.
The best known version was written in 1824 by the Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz
Ernst Anschütz
Ernst Gebhard Anschütz was a German teacher, organist, poet, and composer. He is also known for his account of the death of Johann Christian Woyzeck in 1824...
. The melody is an old folk tune (Lauriger Horatius). The first known "Tannenbaum" song lyrics date back to 1550. A similar 1615 song by Melchior Franck
Melchior Franck
Melchior Franck was a German composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was a hugely prolific composer of Protestant church music, especially motets, and assisted in bringing the stylistic innovations of the Venetian School north across the Alps into Germany.-Life:Details of his...
(1573–1639) begins:
- Ach Tannenbaum, ach Tannenbaum, du bist ein edler Zweig! Du grünest uns den Winter, die liebe Sommerzeit.
Melody and lyrics
Wie treuA common variation replaces the word "treu" (trustworthy) with "grün" (green). 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 schon zur WinterzeitOr "Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit." 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! |
Your branches green delight us! They're green when summer days are bright, They're 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. |
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 bidds't 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 contrafactumContrafactum
In vocal music, contrafactum refers to "the substitution of one text for another without substantial change to the music"....
) to carry other texts.
- Pop singer Jack JonesJack Jones (singer)John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...
– "Gift of Love", recorded for his 1962 album, Gift of Love. - The Knights of ColumbusKnights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
– The Opening Ode is sung to this melody. - "The Red FlagThe Red FlagThe Red Flag is a protest song associated with left-wing politics, in particular with socialism. It is the semi-official anthem of the British Labour Party, sung at the end of conference. It is the official anthem of the Irish Labour Party and sung at the close of national conference.-History:The...
" - Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
– "Evening Song" - Pop singer Joe DowellJoe DowellJoe Dowell is an American pop singer.-Career:He was born in Bloomington, Indiana, but moved to Bloomington, Illinois, as a child. He first performed at a ninth-grade talent show, and later attended the University of Illinois...
– "A Kiss For Christmas", based on the melody and including a presentation of "O Tannenbaum". - Nankai UniversityNankai UniversityNankai University , commonly known as Nankai, is a public research university based in Tianjin on mainland China. Founded in 1919 by educators Zhang Boling and Yan Fansun , Nankai University is a member of the Nankai serial schools. It is the alma mater of former Chinese Premier and key historical...
(TianjinTianjin' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) – university song - Chongqing Nankai Secondary School (ChongqingChongqingChongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
) – official school song - MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
– "Maryland, My MarylandMaryland, My Maryland"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of the U.S. state of Maryland. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall...
" – official state song - IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
– "The Song of Iowa" – official state song - The Beta Theta PiBeta Theta PiBeta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
fraternity uses the melody for their song "Gemma Nostra" - The Phi Kappa TauPhi Kappa TauPhi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906...
fraternity uses the melody for their song "Fireside Song" - FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
– "Florida, My Florida" – former state song - MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
– "Michigan, My MichiganMichigan, My Michigan"Michigan, My Michigan" is a very popular anthem in the State of Michigan, but it is not an official state song. The only official anthem, a song called "My Michigan", was formally adopted in 1937 – which humourists might say was probably the only time it was ever sung, because everyone thinks the...
" – widely believed to be the official state song - College of the Holy CrossCollege of the Holy CrossThe College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
– "O Holy Cross" – official school song - When traveling by bus, schoolchildren in SwedenEducation in SwedenEducation in Sweden is mandatory for all children from year 1 to year 9 - generally from the year of the child’s seventh birthday to the year of the child’s 16th...
use to sing "En busschaufför" (SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: "a bus driver") to the melody. - Tune for Scout vespers, sung at the end of ceremonial scouting functions
- The tune was used for the national anthem ("O Parador") of the fictional country Parador in the 1988 film Moon over ParadorMoon Over ParadorMoon over Parador is a 1988 romantic comedy film, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Raúl Juliá and Sonia Braga. It is a remake of the 1939 film The Magnificent Fraud, based on the unpublished short story entitled Caviar for His Excellency by Charles G...
. - In the SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
telefilm SpongeBob's Truth or SquareSpongeBob's Truth or SquareTruth or Square is a SpongeBob SquarePants TV movie which celebrates SpongeBob's 10th anniversary. It is episodes 123 and 124 in the sixth season of the show. This is a TV movie of season 6.-Main plot:...
, SpongeBob sings a song about the Krusty Krab to the tune of this song.
Cover versions
- A Charlie Brown ChristmasA Charlie Brown ChristmasA Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
(1965) – instrumental, arranged by Vince GuaraldiVince GuaraldiVincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
. - Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
for their album Christmas with The Chipmunks, Vol. 2Christmas with The Chipmunks, Vol. 2Christmas with The Chipmunks, Vol. 2 is a Christmas music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released in 1963, and contains 12 tracks. The tracks in this and its predecessor—Christmas with The Chipmunks—have been in continuous circulation since their original releases...
(1963). - The 1967 song "Snoopy's ChristmasSnoopy's Christmas"Snoopy's Christmas" is a song performed by The Royal Guardsmen in 1967. It continues to be played as a holiday favorite on most "oldie" radio stations, however is also often played on radio stations playing a Hit Music format as well as Adult Contemporary format stations...
" cites in its introduction the first two lines of the second verse of the song in German. - Ernest Saves ChristmasErnest Saves ChristmasErnest Saves Christmas is a 1988 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the third film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and chronicles Ernest's attempt to find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus.-Plot:A man who claims to be Santa...
(1988) – traditional, sung in the film's introduction along with "Deck the Halls" and "Here We Come A-wassailingHere We Come A-WassailingHere We Come A-wassailing is an English traditional Christmas carol and New Years song, apparently composed c. 1850...
". - In 1992, Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's version of the song was released on A Very Special Christmas 2A Very Special Christmas 2A Very Special Christmas 2 is the second in a series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit Special Olympics. The album was released on 20 October 1992, and production was overseen by Jimmy Iovine, Vicki Iovine and Robert Sargent Shriver for A&M Records.-Track listing:#...
. - The 2001 Mannheim SteamrollerMannheim SteamrollerMannheim Steamroller is an American music group founded by Chip Davis and Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.-Beginnings:...
album Christmas ExtraordinaireChristmas ExtraordinaireChristmas Extraordinaire was the sixth Christmas album released by New Age musical group Mannheim Steamroller. The album was originally released in 2001...
includes a version of the song featuring Johnny MathisJohnny MathisJohn Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
on vocals. - The 2008 Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
album Classic ChristmasClassic Christmas (Bradley Joseph album)Classic Christmas is the 15th studio album by Bradley Joseph released in 2008 on the Robbins Island Music label."Christmas classics performed on the piano."...
includes an instrumental version. - They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
released an EP in 1993 containing "O Tannenbaum" which was recorded during a soundcheck. - Tony BennettTony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
recorded the song for A Swingin' ChristmasA Swingin' Christmas (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band)A Swingin' Christmas is a Christmas album by Tony Bennett, released in 2008, that features The Count Basie Big Band. Bennett's daughter Antonia Bennett also duets with him on one track....
(2008). - "O Christmas Tree" was released on the 2010 album Glee: The Music, The Christmas AlbumGlee: The Music, The Christmas AlbumGlee: The Music, The Christmas Album is the fourth soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee. The album was released on November 9, 2010 and accompanies the season two Christmas episode "A Very Glee Christmas", aired December 7, 2010. Dante Di Loreto and Brad...
. - ChicagoChicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
included a cover version of "O Christmas Tree" on their 2011 album Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas ThreeChicago XXXIII: O Christmas ThreeChicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three is the third album of Christmas songs by the American rock band, Chicago. The album was released on October 4, 2011. The collection includes a variety of holiday classics and a new tune "Rockin' and Rollin' on Christmas Day" co-written by founding trumpet player...
.
External links
- "Eglite" – old recording of the song and article from The Hermann von Helmholtz Center for Cultural Technology
- Melody "O Tannenbaum" (MIDI)
- MP3 and Arrangement of "O Tannenbaum" (sheet music in JPG)
- Notes "O Tannenbaum" (sheet music in GIF)
- "O Tannenbaum" multilingual – MIDI and lyrics for "O Tannenbaum" and "O Christmas Tree"
- Sheet music in JPEG format, MIDI, and lyrics to "O Tannenbaum"
- Lyrics and MP3 of "O Christmas Tree" by the Layaways
