O, Kerstnacht, schoner dan de daegen, sung here by Thijs Van Leer as part of the Hamburger Concerto, is a traditional Dutch Christmas song based on a text from Joost Van Den Vondel's 1623 drama De Gijsbrecht van Aemstel. It was also used at Christmas in 1637 (during the opening of the Amsterdam Schouwburg) and features in a scene concerning the slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem. We featured the tune a little while back.
A song, based on the version used in the play was later developed and given a polyphonic setting in the Livre Septième of 1644. The song's melody and polyphonic setting are attributed to the composers Cornelis Padbrué and Dirck Janszoon Sweelinck. Later alterations were made in the 19th century by the Dutch church musician Jan van Biezen. The two verses sung by Van Leer translate thus:
O Christmas Eve, more beautiful than the days,
How can Herod bear the Light,
That shines in your darkness,
And is celebrated and worshipped?
His pride listens to no reason,
No matter how shrilly it sounds in his ears.
He tries to destroy the Innocent One
By murdering innocent souls,
And wakens a weeping in both city and land,
In Bethlehem and on the fields,
And wakes the spirit of Rachel,
Which wanders through meadow and pasture.
No comments:
Post a Comment