O du fröhliche

O du fröhliche is a German Christmas carol. The author of the original is the famous Weimar "orphan father" Johannes Daniel Falk (1768-1826). Heinrich Holzschuher (1798-1847) from Wunsiedel wrote the latter three verses, which are sung today.

The Original Song

After Johannes Daniel Falk lost four of his seven children to typhoid fever, he founded das Rettungshaus für verwahrloste Kinder (lit. the rescue center for abandoned children) in Weimar. In 1816 he dedicated this song to the children of the orphanage. The Melody was taken from „O sanctissima, o Purissima, dulcis virgo Maria“ which is still sung in Italy. Falk found this song in Johann Gottfried Herders (1744-1803) collection Stimmen der Völker in Liedern.^[1] In its original version, the song was titled „Allerdreifeiertagslied“, or „A Song for Three Holidays“ in which is mentioned the three major festivals of Christianity Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.

Original Lyrics

Original German

Literal translation

O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit! Welt ging verloren, Christ ist geboren: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit! O du fröhliche, o du selige, Gnaden bringende Osterzeit! Welt lag in Banden, Christ ist erstanden: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit! O du fröhliche, o du selige, Gnaden bringende Pfingstenzeit! Christ unser Meister, heiligt die Geister: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O you) graceful Christmas time! The world was lost, Christ is born: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O) graceful time of Easter! World lay in bondage, Christ is risen: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O joyful, O blessed, (O) graceful Pentecost time! Christ our Master, sanctify the spirits: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity!

Today's text

The song became famous as a christmas carol which took its first verse verbatim from John Daniel Falk. The second and third verses were written by Heinrich Holzschuher, an assistant to Falk, in 1829. Its current form (with some regional differences in the text) is:

Modern German

Literal translation

O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit! Welt ging verloren, Christ ist geboren: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit! O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit! Christ ist erschienen, uns zu versühnen: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit! O du fröhliche, o du selige, gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit! Himmlische Heere jauchzen Dir Ehre: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O (you) joyful, O blessed, (O) graceful Christmas time! The world was lost, Christ is born: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O you) graceful Christmas time! Christ appeared to our atonement: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O you) graceful Christmas time! Heavenly armies rejoicing to honor you: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity!

O Du Fröhliche has been translated into many languages including English (Oh how joyfully) French, Latin, and Swedish (O du saliga, o du heliga,).

Lyrics to the English version are:

Oh, how joyfully; Oh, how merrily
Christmas comes with its grace divine
Grace again is beaming
Christ the world redeeming;
Hail, ye Christians,
Hail the joyous Christmas time

Religious Use and Importance

The song is used in the Lutheran Evangelische Gesangbuch (EG 44), in various parts of the German Catholic Church's Gotteslobs, in the Free Church Feiern & Loben (F&L 220) and in the Mennonite Mennonitische Gesangbuch (MG 264). In the protestant churches of Germany, the song is traditionally sung at the end of Christmas Eve services.

Literature

• Johannes Daniel Falk: Zweiter Bericht der Gesellschaft der Freunde in der Noth, Weimar 1817

References

1. ^ Michael Karger: „Herbergssuche im Geist der Nachfolge Christi“, Die Tagespost 24. December 2009, S. 6