Advent songs (german: Adventslieder, link=no) are songs and hymns intended for

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

, the four weeks of preparation for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. Topics of the time of expectation are the hope for a

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

, prophecies, and the symbolism of light, among others. Several of the songs are part of

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

s such as the German Catholic ''

Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speak ...

'' (GL) and the Protestant '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (EG). ''This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.''

4th century

* Veni redemptor gentium

6th century

* O Antiphons *

Vox clara ecce intonat Vox clara ecce intonat is a Latin hymn used traditionally in the Liturgy of the Hours at Lauds during Advent. An alternative version of the same hymn begins "En clara vox redarguit." History The original version of the hymn dates from the 6th centu ...

12th century

* Veni, veni, Emmanuel (the most common

setting Setting may refer to: * A location (geography) where something is set * Set construction in theatrical scenery * Setting (narrative), the place and time in a work of narrative, especially fiction * Setting up to fail a manipulative technique to ...

in the

Anglophone world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

dates to the 19th century)

13th century

Angelus ad virginem "" (Latin for "The angel came to the virgin", also known by its English title, "Gabriel, from Heven King Was to the Maide Sende") is a medieval carol whose text is a poetic version of the Hail Mary and the Annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to t ...

* Gabriel's Message

14th century

Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ "Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ" is the earliest surviving Christmas hymn in the German language. It originated as a leise and its melody is first recorded as a fragment in the Liuthar Gospels at Aachen Cathedral Treasury, probably dating to t ...

15th century

* Adam lay ybounden * The Cherry-Tree Carol * Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen * Ther is no rose of swych vertu

16th century

* Der Morgenstern ist aufgedrungen * Es ist ein Ros entsprungen * Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland * Of the Father's Heart Begotten * Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day * Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

17th century

* Conditor alme siderum *

Macht hoch die Tür "Macht hoch die Tür" (Fling wide the door) is a German popular Advent hymn, written in Ducal Prussia in the 17th century. The lyrics were written by Georg Weissel in 1623, for the inauguration of the Altroßgärter Kirche in Königsberg. The mel ...

* Mit Ernst, o Menschenkinder *

O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf "O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf" (O Saviour, tear open the heavens) is a Christian Advent song. The text was first printed in 1622, attributed to Friedrich Spee; the melody was first printed in 1666. History The song was first published in W� ...

* Rorate cæli (as a separate Advent hymn) * * Wie soll ich dich empfangen

18th century

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" is a 1744 Advent and Christmas carol common in Protestant hymnals. The text was written by Charles Wesley. It is performed to one of several tunes, including "Stuttgart" (attr. to Christian Friedrich Witt), " Hyfr ...

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (also known as Apple Tree and, in its early publications, as Christ Compared to an Apple-tree) is a poem, possibly intended for use as a carol, written in the 18th century. It has been set to music by a number of comp ...

* Lo! He comes with clouds descending * On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry *

19th century

Bereden väg för Herran "Bereden väg för Herran" ("Make Way For the Lord") is a Christian hymn with lyrics by Frans Michael Franzén in 1812. Britt G. Hallqvist later rewrote the final verse lyrics. Describing Jesus coming into Jerusalem, it is a popular Advent song. ...

The Holly and the Ivy "The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British folk Christmas carol, listed as number 514 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song can be traced only as far as the early nineteenth century, but the lyrics reflect an association between holly ...

* Hosianna, Davids son *

Lasst uns froh und munter sein "" ("Let us be happy and cheerful") is a traditional German carol from the Hunsrück/Taunus region. There are some regional variations in the lyrics.The second verse is not widely used. The song is traditionally sung during Advent Advent ...

Leise rieselt der Schnee Leise rieselt der Schnee (which translates as "The snow falls softly") is one of the most famous Christmas songs in the German language. It was composed in 1895 in Graudenz by the Protestant pastor Eduard Ebel (1839–1905) and published under the ...

Macht weit die Pforten in der Welt "" (Make the gates in the world wide) is a Christian hymn with German text by Albert Knapp written for the Basel Mission and first published in 1829. It appeared in 19th-century German hymnals, to be sung with the melody of "". It appeared in th ...

Maria durch ein Dornwald ging "" (English: "Maria walks amid the thorns", or "Mary walked through a wood of thorn") is a German Advent song. By origin it was a pilgrimage song that initially was spread orally in the 19th century, starting in the Catholic Eichsfeld. Versions ...

Meine Seele, dank und singe "" ("My soul, thank and sing") is a German Catholic hymn. A first version appeared in Dillingen in 1807, to a 1741 melody from Cologne. Some hymnals have the beginning "". It is part of regional sections of the German Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob ...

* Tochter Zion, freue dich

20th century

Advent är mörker och kyla "Advent är mörker och kyla" is a Swedish Advent song with lyrics written by Margareta Melin in 1969, and music by Lars Åke Lundberg (number 609 in Den svenska psalmboken 1986) and another melody by Torgny Erséus (number 484 in Psalmer och ...

* Adventstid *

Det är advent "Det är advent" or ''Ett litet barn av Davids hus'', is a Swedish Advent song with lyrics written by Britt G. Hallqvist in 1966 and music by Olle Widestrand. Music is often mentioned to have been published in 1981, but sources say the tune is ...

* * Kündet allen in der Not *

Long Ago, Prophets Knew "Long Ago, Prophets Knew", also called "Long Ago, Prophets Knew, Christ would come born a Jew", is an English Christian Advent carol written by Reverend Fred Pratt Green in 1970. Textual history "Long Ago, Prophets Knew" was written by Methodis ...

* Und unser lieben Frauen *Up, Awake, and Away! (Traditional Galician carol arranged by Philip Ledger) *

Vi tänder ett ljus i advent Vi tänder ett ljus i advent is an Advent song, written by Stewe Gårdare. Recordings An early recording was done by Voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughin ...

Secular Advent songs

* *

Literature

* Gerhard Engelsberger: ''Bilder vom Kommen Gottes. Dichter, Bilder und Botschaft der Adventslieder.'' Evangelischer Presseverband für Baden, Karlsruhe 992 .

External links

* {{authority control Lists of songs about a topic