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Vi Wickam

Champion Fiddler, Inspired Performer

You are here: Home / Fiddling / Fiddle Tune a Day / O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 347

December 17, 2012

O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 347

Today, I am grateful to live in Fort Collins, a town that is so supportive of local music. Today I had the opportunity to appear on the KRFC Live at Lunch program with Steve Eulberg and Brent Hawley to promote our new Fiddle Whamdiddle Album, “Old School Old Time.”

Playing on KRFC is always fun, and playing on Live at Lunch is a special kind of fun. Thanks to Malini Bartels for hosting us. She was a wonderful hostess as always. She was especially gracious in allowing us to perform our Fiddle Tune a Day live on the air as part of the program, which added to the fun.

Since this is the holiday season, we opted for an old German Christmas Carol, O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree.) As a side note, when I think of O Tannenbaum, I hear Nat King Cole‘s smooth voice singing it in my head. I really love his voice.

 

 

O Tannenbaum according to Wikipedia

“O Tannenbaum” (“O Fir Tree”) is a German song. Based on a traditional folk song, it became associated with the Christmas tree by the early 20th century and sung as a Christmas carol. It is known in English as “O Christmas Tree“.

History

The modern lyrics are due to Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz, written in 1824. A Tannenbaum is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir’s evergreen qualities as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness.

Anschütz based his text on a 16th-century Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck, “Ach Tannenbaum”. Joachim August Zarnack (1777–1827) in 1819 wrote a tragic love song inspired by this folk song, taking the evergreen, “faithful” fir tree as contrasting with a faithless lover. The folk song first became associated with Christmas with Anschütz, who added two verses of his own to the first, traditional verse. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in the course of the 19th century, and the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol. Anschütz’ version still had treu (“true, faithful”) as the adjective describing the fir’s leaves (needles), harking back to the contrast to the faithless maiden of the folk song. This was changed to grün “green” at some point in the 20th century, after the song had come to be associated with Christmas.[year needed]

Melody

The tune is an old folk tune attested in the 16th century. It is also known as the tune of Es lebe hoch der Zimmermannsgeselle and of Lauriger Horatius.

O Tannenbaum Lyrics

Anschütz (1824) One English version[1] Another version[2]

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie treu[N 1] sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat schon zur Winterzeit[N 2]
Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren:
Die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit
Gibt Mut und Kraft zu jeder Zeit!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
Dein Kleid will mich was lehren!

  1. ^ A common variation replaces
    the word “treu” (trustworthy)
    with “grün” (green).
  2. ^ Or “Wie oft hat nicht zur
    Weihnachtszeit.”

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!
They are green when summer days are bright,
They are green when winter snow is white.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
How oft at Christmas tide the sight,
O green fir tree, gives us delight!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Forever true your colour.
Your boughs so green in summertime
Stay bravely green in wintertime.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Forever true your colour.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
You fill my heart with music.
Reminding me on Christmas Day
To think of you and then be gay.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
You fill my heart with music.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!
For ev’ry year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are thy branches!
Not only green when summer’s here
But in the coldest time of year.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are thy branches!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How sturdy God hath made thee!
Thou bidds’t us all place faithfully
Our trust in God, unchangingly!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How sturdy God hath made thee!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
Each bough doth hold its tiny light,
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!

 

 

 

Article by Vi Wickam / Fiddle Tune a Day, Fiddling, Videos / brent hawley, christmas carol, krfc, Live at Lunch, o christmas tree, o tannenbaum, steve eulberg 2 Comments

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Comments

  1. Michael Friedman says

    November 29, 2014 at 3:49 am

    Lovely musical performance !

    Reply
  2. Michael Friedman says

    November 28, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    Lovely musical performance !

    Reply

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