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 later wrote three verses, which are sung today.

Original song

After Johannes Daniel Falk lost four of his seven children to typhoid fever, he founded the Rettungshaus für verwahrloste Kinder (lit. rescue center for abandoned children) in Weimar. In 1815 he dedicated this song to the children of the orphanage. The melody was taken from "O sanctissima, o piissima, dulcis Virgo Maria" which is still sung in Italy and the Roman Catholic Church. 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

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 Osterzeit! Welt lag in Banden, Christ ist erstanden: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit! O du fröhliche, o du selige, Gnadenbringende Pfingstenzeit! Christ unser Meister, heiligt die Geister: Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!

O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, grace-bringing Christmas time! The world was lost, Christ is born: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, grace-bringing time of Easter! World lay in bondage, Christ is risen: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christianity! O joyful, O blessed, grace-bring Pentecost time! Christ our Master, sanctifies 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:

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 Christendom! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O you) graceful Christmas time! Christ appeared to our atonement: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom! O (you) joyful, O (you) blessed, (O you) graceful Christmas time! Heavenly armies rejoicing to honor you: Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom!

The hymn has been translated into many languages, including English ("O, how joyfully"), French, Latin, Swedish ("O du saliga, o du heliga"), and Norwegian ("Å du heilage, nådeberande").

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 current German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG 44), in various regional editions of the German Catholic Gotteslob, in the Free Church Feiern & Loben (F&L 220) and in the Mennonite Mennonitisches 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, p. 6