Weihnachtslieder, Op. 8 (Cornelius)

History

Cornelius, who was also a gifted writer and had first pursued a career as an actor, wrote the poems for the song cycle on six topics. He followed Schumann in grouping his songs around a theme. Cornelius adhered to a Protestant theology of a new Pietism, initiated by August Neander and termed Pektoraltheologie (theology of the heart). Apparently he completed the text for a cycle before he composed the music.

Cornelius composed the Weihnachtslieder for voice and piano in 1856. He revised the music in 1859 on a recommendation by Franz Liszt who also gave him ideas such as quoting the melodies of related older Christmas carols in the piano accompaniment., but was not successful finding a publisher until revising them again in 1870. After the premiere on 29 January 1871, a review in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik noted a rich creative mind whose work reached the depth of the human soul ("Ein reicher, schöpferisch begabter Geist tritt uns darin entgegen, ein Künstler, dessen Werk unmittelbar begeisternd in das Tiefste der Menschenseele hineingreift.").

The song "Die Könige" (No. 3, "The Kings") about the Biblical Magi has become popular and has been translated and published separately, as "Three kings have come from the eastern land" and "Three Kings from Persian lands afar", among others. Some English versions are titled "The Three Kings". It was often recorded in collections of Christmas carols. The music was also arranged for choir.