In Dulci Jubilo
Encyclopedia
In dulci jubilo is a traditional Christmas carol
. In its original setting, the carol is a macaronic
text of German
and Latin
dating from the Middle Ages
. Subsequent translations into English, such as J.M. Neale's
arrangement "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" have increased its popularity, and Robert Pearsall
's 1837 macaronic translation is a mainstay of the Christmas
Nine Lessons and Carols
repertoire. J.S. Bach
's chorale prelude based on the tune (BWV 729) is also a traditional postlude for Christmas services.
alternation of Medieval
German
and Latin
, is thought to have been written by the German mystic Heinrich Seuse circa 1328. According to folklore, Seuse heard angels sing these words and joined them in a dance of worship. In his biography (or perhaps autobiography), it was written:
The tune first appears in Codex 1305, a manuscript in Leipzig University Library
dating from c.1400, although it has been suggested that the melody may have existed in Europe prior to this date. In print, the tune was included in Geistliche Lieder, a 1533 Lutheran hymnal by Joseph Klug. It also appears in Michael Vehe
's Gesangbuch of 1537. In 1545, another verse was added, possibly by Martin Luther
. This was included in Valentin Babst's Geistliche Lieder, printed in Leipzig
. The melody was also popular elsewhere in Europe, and appears in a Swedish/Latin version in the 1582 Finnish songbook Piae Cantiones
, a collection of sacred and secular medieval songs.
There have been a number of translations of the Latin/German poem into English. The most popular that keeps the macaronic structure is Robert Lucas de Pearsall
's 1837 translation, which retains the Latin phrases and substitutes English
for German. A 2008 survey by BBC Music Magazine
found this to be the second most popular choral Christmas carol with British cathedral organists and choirmasters. Alternatively, a looser translation produced in 1853 by John Mason Neale
titles the work "Good Christian Men, Rejoice".
This translation is often criticised. In 1921, H. J. Massé wrote that it was an example of "musical wrong doing...involving the mutilation of the rhythm of that grand tune In dulci jubilo to the English words Good Christian Men Rejoice. It is inconceivable that anyone of any real musical culture should have lent himself to this tinkering with a perfect tune for the sake of fitting it perforce to works of inferior merit." He goes on to cite a more appropriate English translation from 1567 by John Wedderburn
as a more "worthy effort".
set the melody as a chorale
-cantata
in 1683 for soprano, alto and bass accompanied by two violins and continuo
(BuxWV 52) and as a chorale prelude
for organ (BuxWV 197) c. 1690.
J.S. Bach
set this melody several times: as a chorale in BWV 368; and then for organ in BWV 608 as a double canon
in his Orgelbüchlein
and in BWV 729 and BWV 751 as a chorale prelude. Commentators agree, however, that BWV 751 is too simple and undeveloped to be the work of Bach. BWV 729, written by Bach to accompany congregational singing in Arnstadt
, is traditionally performed as the first organ voluntary at the end of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
at King's College, Cambridge
. This voluntary was first introduced to the service in 1938 by organ scholar Douglas Guest
. Franz Liszt
included the carol in his piano suite Weihnachtsbaum in the movement entitled Die Hirten an der Krippe. Norman Dello Joio
uses the theme as the basis of his "Variants on a Medieval Tune" for wind ensemble. Ronald Corp
composed a setting of In Dulci Jubilo for unaccompanied SATB choir in 1976.
, "In Dulci Jubilo", reached number 4 in the UK
in January 1976. This was the second version of "In Dulci Jubilo" that Oldfield recorded; the first was as a B-side for another single, "Don Alfonso
". The New Age
band Mannheim Steamroller
also recorded a version for their 1988 Christmas album A Fresh Aire Christmas
, using a dulcimer
as the main instrument. Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø
recorded a Kjetil Bjerkestrand arrangement of the song with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
on the Grammy Award
-nominated Christmas album Spirit of the Season
. Mediæval Bæbes
performed the piece on their 2003 festive album, Mistletoe and Wine
.
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
. In its original setting, the carol is a macaronic
Macaronic language
Macaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of languages, sometimes including bilingual puns, particularly when the languages are used in the same context . The term is also sometimes used to denote hybrid words, which are in effect internally macaronic...
text of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
dating from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Subsequent translations into English, such as J.M. Neale's
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
arrangement "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" have increased its popularity, and Robert Pearsall
Robert Lucas de Pearsall
Robert Lucas Pearsall was an English composer.-Biography:Pearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a rich, Quaker family. His father, Richard Pearsall , was an army officer and amateur musician...
's 1837 macaronic translation is a mainstay of the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Nine Lessons and Carols
Nine Lessons and Carols
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas...
repertoire. J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's chorale prelude based on the tune (BWV 729) is also a traditional postlude for Christmas services.
History and translations
The original song text, a macaronicMacaronic language
Macaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of languages, sometimes including bilingual puns, particularly when the languages are used in the same context . The term is also sometimes used to denote hybrid words, which are in effect internally macaronic...
alternation of Medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, is thought to have been written by the German mystic Heinrich Seuse circa 1328. According to folklore, Seuse heard angels sing these words and joined them in a dance of worship. In his biography (or perhaps autobiography), it was written:
Now this same angel came up to the Servant (Suso) brightly, and said that God had sent him down to him, to bring him heavenly joys amid his sufferings; adding that he must cast off all his sorrows from his mind and bear them company, and that he must also dance with them in heavenly fashion. Then they drew the Servant by the hand into the dance, and the youth began a joyous song about the infant Jesus...
The tune first appears in Codex 1305, a manuscript in Leipzig University Library
Leipzig University Library
Leipzig University Library , known also as Bibliotheca Albertina, is the central library of the University of Leipzig. It is one of the oldest German university libraries.- History :...
dating from c.1400, although it has been suggested that the melody may have existed in Europe prior to this date. In print, the tune was included in Geistliche Lieder, a 1533 Lutheran hymnal by Joseph Klug. It also appears in Michael Vehe
Michael Vehe
-Life:Vehe was born in Biberach . He joined the Dominicans in Wimpfen and was sent to Heidelberg in 1506, where he taught in 1512 and received a doctorate in theology in 1513...
's Gesangbuch of 1537. In 1545, another verse was added, possibly by Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. This was included in Valentin Babst's Geistliche Lieder, printed in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. The melody was also popular elsewhere in Europe, and appears in a Swedish/Latin version in the 1582 Finnish songbook Piae Cantiones
Piae Cantiones
Piae Cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum is a collection of late medieval Latin songs first published in 1582. It was compiled by Jacobus Finno or Jaakko Suomalainen , a clergyman who was headmaster of the cathedral school at Turku...
, a collection of sacred and secular medieval songs.
There have been a number of translations of the Latin/German poem into English. The most popular that keeps the macaronic structure is Robert Lucas de Pearsall
Robert Lucas de Pearsall
Robert Lucas Pearsall was an English composer.-Biography:Pearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a rich, Quaker family. His father, Richard Pearsall , was an army officer and amateur musician...
's 1837 translation, which retains the Latin phrases and substitutes English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
for German. A 2008 survey by BBC Music Magazine
BBC music magazine
BBC Music Magazine is a magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Reflecting the broadcast output of BBC Radio 3, the magazine is devoted primarily to classical music, though with sections on jazz and world music. Each edition comes...
found this to be the second most popular choral Christmas carol with British cathedral organists and choirmasters. Alternatively, a looser translation produced in 1853 by John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...
titles the work "Good Christian Men, Rejoice".
This translation is often criticised. In 1921, H. J. Massé wrote that it was an example of "musical wrong doing...involving the mutilation of the rhythm of that grand tune In dulci jubilo to the English words Good Christian Men Rejoice. It is inconceivable that anyone of any real musical culture should have lent himself to this tinkering with a perfect tune for the sake of fitting it perforce to works of inferior merit." He goes on to cite a more appropriate English translation from 1567 by John Wedderburn
John Wedderburn
-Life:The second son of James Wedderburn and Janet Barry, he was born in Dundee about 1500. He studied at the pædagogium , St Andrews, graduated B.A. in 1526 and M.A. in 1528. While at college he came under the teaching of John Mair and Patrick Hamilton the martyr, and, like his elder brother,...
as a more "worthy effort".
First verse textual comparison
| German/Latin text by Heinrich Seuse, c.1328 |
English literal translation | Translation by Wedderburn John Wedderburn -Life:The second son of James Wedderburn and Janet Barry, he was born in Dundee about 1500. He studied at the pædagogium , St Andrews, graduated B.A. in 1526 and M.A. in 1528. While at college he came under the teaching of John Mair and Patrick Hamilton the martyr, and, like his elder brother,... , c.1567 |
Translation by Pearsall Robert Lucas de Pearsall Robert Lucas Pearsall was an English composer.-Biography:Pearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a rich, Quaker family. His father, Richard Pearsall , was an army officer and amateur musician... , 1837 |
Good Christian Men Rejoice by Neale John Mason Neale John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good... , 1853 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nun singet und seid froh! Unsers Herzens Wonne Leit in praesepio; Und leuchtet wie die Sonne Matris in gremio. Alpha es et O! |
now sing and be glad! Our hearts' joy lies in the manger; And it shines like the sun in the mother's lap. You are the alpha and omega Alpha and Omega The term Alpha and Omega comes from the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" , an appellation of Jesus in the Book of Revelation .... ! |
In honour of our Lordes birth, Our heart's consolation Lies in præsepio, And shines as the sun, Matris in gremio. Alpha is and O, Alpha is and O. |
Let us our homage show! Our heart's joy reclineth In praesepio; And like a bright star shineth Matris in gremio. Alpha es et O! |
With heart, and soul, and voice; Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ was born to-day: Ox and ass before Him bow, And He is in the manger now. Christ is born today! Christ is born today. |
Influence in music
Dieterich BuxtehudeDieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
set the melody as a chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
-cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
in 1683 for soprano, alto and bass accompanied by two violins and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
(BuxWV 52) and as a chorale prelude
Chorale prelude
In music, a chorale prelude is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 examples of the form in his Orgelbüchlein.-Function:The liturgical...
for organ (BuxWV 197) c. 1690.
J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
set this melody several times: as a chorale in BWV 368; and then for organ in BWV 608 as a double canon
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
in his Orgelbüchlein
Orgelbüchlein
The Orgelbüchlein was written by Johann Sebastian Bach during the period of 1708–1714, while he was court organist at the ducal court in Weimar...
and in BWV 729 and BWV 751 as a chorale prelude. Commentators agree, however, that BWV 751 is too simple and undeveloped to be the work of Bach. BWV 729, written by Bach to accompany congregational singing in Arnstadt
Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
, is traditionally performed as the first organ voluntary at the end of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Nine Lessons and Carols
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas...
at King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. This voluntary was first introduced to the service in 1938 by organ scholar Douglas Guest
Douglas Guest
Douglas Albert Guest CVO was an English organist, conductor, teacher and composer.-Education:Guest was born in Mortomley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England and studied originally at the Royal College of Music and became Organ Scholar of the King's College, Cambridge from 1935 until...
. Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
included the carol in his piano suite Weihnachtsbaum in the movement entitled Die Hirten an der Krippe. Norman Dello Joio
Norman Dello Joio
- Life :He was born Nicodemo DeGioio in New York City to Italian immigrants. He began his musical career as organist and choir director at the Star of the Sea Church on City Island in New York at age 14. His father was an organist, pianist, and vocal coach and coached many opera stars from the...
uses the theme as the basis of his "Variants on a Medieval Tune" for wind ensemble. Ronald Corp
Ronald Corp
Ronald Corp is a composer, conductor, and Church of England priest. He is founder and Artistic Director of the New London Orchestra and the New London Children's Choir. Corp is Musical Director of the London Chorus, a position he took up in 1994, and is also Musical Director of the Highgate Choral...
composed a setting of In Dulci Jubilo for unaccompanied SATB choir in 1976.
Recordings
An instrumental arrangement of the Pearsall version by English musician Mike OldfieldMike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, "In Dulci Jubilo", reached number 4 in the UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in January 1976. This was the second version of "In Dulci Jubilo" that Oldfield recorded; the first was as a B-side for another single, "Don Alfonso
Don Alfonso (song)
"Don Alfonso" is the second UK single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1975 . Side 1 has an additional credit: "featuring David Bedford on vocals". This is a comic novelty song from the early 20th century, sung by a boasting, bogus toreador, who seems to know very little about...
". The New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
band Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller is an American music group founded by Chip Davis and Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.-Beginnings:...
also recorded a version for their 1988 Christmas album A Fresh Aire Christmas
A Fresh Aire Christmas
A Fresh Aire Christmas was the second Christmas music album released by new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller. The album was originally released in 1988....
, using a dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
as the main instrument. Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
recorded a Kjetil Bjerkestrand arrangement of the song with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
on the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated Christmas album Spirit of the Season
Spirit of the Season
Spirit of the Season is a song from the movie The Polar Express. A cover of the song by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Sissel was nominated for 2 Grammys, Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Engineered Album - Classical....
. Mediæval Bæbes
Mediæval Bæbes
The Mediæval Bæbes are a British ensemble of female musicians founded in the 1990s by Katharine Blake and included some of her colleagues from the band Miranda Sex Garden, as well as other friends who share her love of mediaeval music...
performed the piece on their 2003 festive album, Mistletoe and Wine
Mistletoe and Wine (album)
Mistletoe and Wine: A Seasonal Collection is a compilation album by British vocal group Mediæval Bæbes featuring holiday songs from previous albums, as well as two new recordings of "The Holly & The Ivy" and "In Dulce Jubilo".-Track listing:...
.