Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ

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"Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ"
Christmas hymn
LanguageGerman
Published1394 (1394)

"Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ" is the earliest surviving Christmas hymn in the German language.[1] It originated as a leise and its melody is first recorded as a fragment in the Liuthar Gospels at Aachen Cathedral Treasury, probably dating to the 14th century. The earliest complete surviving version is in a manuscript from Erfurt dating to 1394. August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben saw the hymn as originating in the 11th century and in 1861 reconstructed a translation from the Erfurt version back into Old High German.[2]

The song welcomes the Lord Christ ("Herre Christ") on earth ("auf Erden") as the Lord of "us all" ("unser aller"). The hymn is also known as the Aachener Weihnachtslied (Aachen Christmas carol) or Aachener Schöffenlied (Aachen juror carol) – according to old Aachen chronicles it was sung from the choir stalls of Aachen Cathedral by the schöffen, appointed honourable citizens involved in general government and jurisdiction, at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.[3][4]

Melody

Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ appeared in the 1975

Diocese of Limburg includes it as GL 757. The current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG 22) includes it as a round under the title Nun sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ, with a 1934 canon melody by Walter Rein.[5]

Ancient melody

\relative c' { \clef "petrucci-g" \override Staff.Stem #'transparent = ##t \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \set Score.timing = ##f \override Voice.NoteHead #'style = #'baroque \set suggestAccidentals = ##f \key f \major \small \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute" d4 f4 e4 d4 c4 f4 bes4 a4 \bar "'" a4 a4 c4 c4 \bar "" \break bes4 a4 a4 g4 f4 \bar "'" f4 f4 a4 bes4 g4 f4 e4 d4 c4 \bar "'" \break g'4 g4 g4 bes4 g4 f4 f4 e4 g4 \bar "'" c,4 c4 e4 d4 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { \small Syt wil -- le -- ko -- men, hei -- re Kirst want du un -- ser al -- re he -- re bis. Syt wil -- le -- ko -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re her int ert -- ri -- che al -- so scho -- ne Ki -- ri -- e -- leys. } \addlyrics { \small Sei uns will -- kom -- men, Her -- re Christ, weil du un -- ser al -- ler Her -- re bist! Sei uns will -- kom -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re hier auf der Er -- den al -- so schö -- ne! Ky -- ri -- e -- leis. }

Source:[6]

Modern melody

{ \set Score.timing = ##f \relative d' {\key d \minor \time 2/2 \small \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute" d2 f4 e d2 c f bes a r a4 a c c bes2 a a g f r \bar "" \break f a bes g f4 e d2 c r g' g4 g bes2 g f4 f e2 g r c, e4 e d1 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { \small Sei uns will -- kom -- men, Her -- re Christ, der du un -- ser al -- ler Her -- re bist. Sei will -- kom -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re, hier auf der Er -- de recht mit Eh -- ren. Ky -- ri -- e -- leis. }}

Source: Gotteslob (1975) nr. 131

Lyrics

In Deutscher Liederhort (1894), Ludwig Erk and Franz Magnus Böhme give two Dutch versions of the lyrics and the following three German versions:

First version

Aachen fragment, 14th or 15th century

   Syt willekomen, heirre kirst, – Be ye welcome, Lord Christ
   want du unser alre herre bis. – May you be our lord of all

Erfurt manuscript c. 1394

   Sys willekomen heirre kerst, – Be ye welcome, Lord Christ
   want du onser alre heirre bis, – May you be our lord of all
   sys willekomen, lieve heirre, – Be ye welcome, dear Lord
   her in ertrische also schone: – lord on earth thus beautiful
   Kirieleys. –

kyrie eleison

Second version – Aachen 1825

   Nun siet uns willekomen, hero kerst,
   Die ihr unser aller hero siet.
   Nu siet uns willekomen, lieber hero,
   Die ihr in den kirchen schöne siet.
   Kyrie-eleyson!

   Nun ist gott geboren, unser aller trost,
   Der die höllsche pforten mit seinem kreutz aufstoes.
   Die mutter hat geheischen maria,
   Wie in allen kersten-bucheren geschriben steht.
   Kyrie-eleyson![3]

Third version – re-issue by Fallersleben, 1861

   Nu sîs uns willekomen hêrro Crist,
   du unser aller hero bist!
   nu sîs uns willekomen lieber herro,
   der du in den kirchen stast scôno.
   Kyrieleison.

   Nu ist uns geborn unser aller trôst
   der die hellischen porten mit sîm kriuze ûfslôz.
   diu mueter ist geheizen Marjâ,
   also in allen kristen buechen stât.
   Kyrieleison.[2]

Bibliography (in German)

References

  1. ^ (in German) Erk, Böhme: Deutscher Liederhort. volume 3, 1894, p. 626; Gotteslob (1975) p. 208, nr. 131; Franz Karl Praßl in Liederkunde zum evangelischen Gesangbuch. p. 9. The Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG) includes a canon based on this hymn's text in its Advent section.
  2. ^ a b August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben: Geschichte des deutschen Kirchenliedes bis auf Luthers Zeit. 1861, pp. 29f.
  3. ^ a b Christian Quix: Historische Beschreibung der Münsterkirche und der Heiligthumsfahrt in Aachen. Urlichs, Aachen 1825, p. 119 (Digitalisat, p. 119, at Google Books).
  4. ISBN 978-3-451-32278-5
    , pp. 48−54.
  5. ISBN 3-525-50333-4
    , pp. 9f.
  6. ISBN 3-87448-203-0, p. 50
    .
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