The Three Kings
{{short description|Song composed by Peter Cornelius}}
{{about||the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings|Biblical Magi|other uses|Three Kings (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|We Three Kings}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| composer =
| name = The Three Kings
| image = The Adoration of the Magi (Matthias Stom) - Nationalmuseum - 18796.jpg
| alt =
| caption = The Adoration of the Magi by Matthias Stom
| translation =
| native_name = Die Könige
| native_name_lang = de
| key =
| year = 1856
| form = Solo voice and piano{{br}}Arrangement for SATB choir
| text =
| language = German
| melody = Peter Cornelius
| misc = Song from Weihnachtslieder, Op. 8
}}
"The Three Kings",{{cite web|url=http://royalfreemusicsociety.org.uk/Archive/ArchCornKings.htm |title=The Three Kings |publisher=The Royal Free Music Society Archive |access-date=2017-01-01}} or "Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar", is a Christmas carol by the German composer Peter Cornelius. He set "Die Könige" for a vocal soloist, accompanied by Philip Nicolai's hymn "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star"), which he erroneously thought was an Epiphany hymn. In fact, it is an Advent hymn in which the morning star is an allegory for the arrival of Jesus, not the Star of Bethlehem. In Cornelius' original second setting, the accompaniment was played on a piano but the English organist Ivor Atkins later arranged the accompaniment for choir, with the choir singing the words of the original hymn. The German words have been translated into English by H.N. Bate.{{cite web|url=http://www.classical-music.com/article/three-kings |title=Three Kings |publisher=Classical-Music.com |date=2015-12-03 |access-date=2017-01-01}} The carol describes the visit of the Biblical Magi to the Infant Jesus during the Nativity and is also used as an Epiphany anthem.
History
Cornelius wrote his first version of the German hymn "Die Könige" in 1856 as part of Weihnachtslieder, Op. 8, for a solo voice and piano. This first setting of the text, which does not cite Nicolai's hymn, was published posthumously in 1905 and remained relatively unknown. In 1859 he composed a completely new version again for soloist and piano, using the 16th-century chorale "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star") by Philipp Nicolai in the piano accompaniment after a suggestion from Franz Liszt. This version was again revised in 1870 before publication.
Publication
The hymn was originally translated into English in 1916 by W. G. Rothery, as "Three Kings had journey'd from lands afar", and published in Carols Old and Carols New.{{cite web| url=https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/kings.htm |title=The Three Kings |publisher=Hymns and Carols of Christmas |access-date=2017-01-01}}{{cite book |last1=Hutchins |first1=C. L. |title=Carols old and carols new for use at Christmas and other seasons of the Christian year |date=1916 |publisher=Boston Parish Choir |location=Boston |isbn=978-5-88346-044-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=00IUAwAAQBAJ |access-date=13 January 2024 |language=en |chapter=569 Three Kings had journey'd from lands afar}}
A more commonly used English translation, including references to the Magi being from Persian lands, was made in 1928 by H.N. Bate{{cite web|url=https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/three_kings_from_persian_lands_a.htm |title=Three Kings From Persian Lands Afar |publisher=Hymns and Carols of Christmas |access-date=2017-01-01}} for the "Oxford Book of Carols".{{cite book | first =John | last =Williamson | title =Words and Music | publisher = Liverpool University Press | year = 2005 | isbn = 0853236194 | page = 119}} The original piano accompaniment by Cornelius was transcribed various times for choir, notably in the 1957 arrangement for solo voice and choir by Ivor Atkins, organist at Worcester Cathedral. This version was included in the first volume of the popular 1961 collection compiled by David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques, Carols for Choirs.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3GmDSdM1shdkLJ6w49syh8V/carols-from-kings-programme-information |title=Carols from King's - Carols from King's programme information |publisher=BBC |date= |access-date=2017-01-01}}{{cite journal |url=https://www.collegium.co.uk/files/stock/1.pdf |title=Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity |publisher=Collegium Records |access-date=2017-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519041540/http://www.collegium.co.uk/files/stock/1.pdf |archive-date=2017-05-19 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-three-kings-9780193408487?cc=gb&lang=en& |title=The Three Kings - Peter Cornelius, Atkins |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1957-07-25 |isbn=978-0-19-340848-7 |access-date=2017-01-01}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Jacques |editor1-first=Reginald |editor2-last=Willcocks |editor2-first=David |title=Carols for Choirs vol 1 |date=1 January 1961 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=136 |url=https://archive.org/details/carolsforchoirs10000edit/page/136/mode/2up}}
Another arrangement for choir a cappella for five to eight voices was written by Clytus Gottwald in 2011.{{cite web| last = Gottwald| first = Clytus| url = https://www.carusmedia.com/images-intern/medien/00/0914000/0914000x.pdf| title = Peter Cornelius/Clytus Gottwald / Drei Weihnachtslieder / nach Texten des Komponisten| publisher = Carus-Verlag| accessdate = 19 December 2018}} "The Three Kings" was included in a Nick Hern Books adapted publication of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.{{cite book | first =Charles | last =Dickens |editor=Karen Louise Hebden | title =A Christmas Carol | publisher = Nick Hern Books | edition = Nick Hern | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-1854599872 | page = 27}} In 2016, the carol was included by the head of chapel music at Winchester College, Malcolm Archer,{{cite web|url=https://carols.hymnsam.co.uk/who-has-put-it-together/ |title=Who has put it together? |publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern |access-date=2017-01-01}} in the 2016 publication of the Carols Ancient and Modern" hymnal.{{cite web|url=https://carols.hymnsam.co.uk/what-s-included-in-carols-ancient-and-modern/ |title=What's included in Carols Ancient and Modern? |publisher=Hymns Ancient and Modern |access-date=2017-01-01}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{CPDL|Die Könige (Peter Cornelius)|The Three Kings|prep=of}}
- {{IMSLP|work=Weihnachtslieder, Op.8 (Cornelius, Peter)|cname=Weihnachtslieder}}
{{Epiphany|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}