| The Three Kings | |
|---|---|
_-_Nationalmuseum_-_18796.jpg) The Adoration of the Magi byMatthias Stom | |
| Native name | Die Könige |
| Year | 1856 |
| Genre | Christmas/Lied |
| Form | Solo voice and piano Arrangement for SATB choir |
| Language | German |
| Melody | Peter Cornelius |
| Song fromWeihnachtslieder, Op. 8 | |
"The Three Kings",[1] or "Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar", is aChristmas carol by the German composerPeter Cornelius. He set "Die Könige" for a vocal soloist, accompanied by Philip Nicolai's hymn "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star"), which he erroneously thought was an Epiphany hymn. In fact, it is an Advent hymn in which the morning star is an allegory for the arrival of Jesus, not the Star of Bethlehem. In Cornelius' original second setting, the accompaniment was played on a piano but the English organistIvor Atkins later arranged the accompaniment for choir, with the choir singing the words of the original hymn. The German words have been translated into English by H.N. Bate.[2] The carol describes the visit of theBiblical Magi to theInfant Jesus during theNativity and is also used as an Epiphany anthem.[3]
Cornelius wrote his first version of the German hymn "Die Könige" in 1856 as part ofWeihnachtslieder, Op. 8, for a solo voice and piano. This first setting of the text, which does not cite Nicolai's hymn, was published posthumously in 1905 and remained relatively unknown. In 1859 he composed a completely new version again for soloist and piano, using the 16th-century chorale "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star") byPhilipp Nicolai in the piano accompaniment after a suggestion fromFranz Liszt.[4] This version was again revised in 1870 before publication.
The hymn was originally translated into English in 1916 by W. G. Rothery, as "Three Kings had journey'd from lands afar", and published inCarols Old and Carols New.[5][6]
A more commonly used English translation, including references to the Magi being from Persian lands, was made in 1928 by H.N. Bate[7] for the "Oxford Book of Carols".[8] The original piano accompaniment by Cornelius was transcribed various times for choir, notably in the 1957 arrangement for solo voice and choir byIvor Atkins, organist atWorcester Cathedral. This version was included in the first volume of the popular 1961 collection compiled byDavid Willcocks andReginald Jacques,Carols for Choirs.[3][9][10][11]
Another arrangement for choira cappella for five to eight voices was written byClytus Gottwald in 2011.[4] "The Three Kings" was included in aNick Hern Books adapted publication ofCharles Dickens'A Christmas Carol.[12] In 2016, the carol was included by the head of chapel music atWinchester College,Malcolm Archer,[13] in the 2016 publication of theCarols Ancient and Modern" hymnal.[14]
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| Topics | |
| Traditions | |
| Hymns and carols |
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| Noted works | |
