"" (Come, ye shepherds) is a German
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
from
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
which was derived from a Czech carol, "". It reflects elements from the
nativity story
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of Matthew, Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea (Roman ...
, the
annunciation to the shepherds
The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. It is a common subject of Christian art and of Christmas carols.
Bibli ...
, their walk to the manger and
their Adoration, inviting to follow their example. The first line, "", addresses shepherds, men, and women.
History
The text of "" was derived from a Czech carol, "".
The German text was written as a free translation from the Czech original by
Carl Riedel
Carl Riedel (6 October 1827 – 3 June 1888) was a German conductor and composer. Born in Cronenberg, Wuppertal, he initially worked as a dyer of silk before conductor Karl Wilhelm discovered his musical talent and encouraged him to pursue ...
in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
.
It was first published under the title ' (The Angels and the Shepherds) in 1870 in his collection (Old-Bohemian chants for mixed choir).
The song is in the tradition of shepherd songs, derived from the
Annunciation to the shepherds
The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. It is a common subject of Christian art and of Christmas carols.
Bibli ...
and the
Adoration of the Shepherds from the
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-volu ...
(Luke 2:8-20).
Riedel's version is suited for a broad public.
The song is still popular. It is included in the Protestant hymnal ''
Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' as EG 48,
and in some regional sections of the Catholic hymnal ''
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-speaki ...
'' of 1975 and its second edition, the ''
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-speaki ...
'' of 2013.
In English, the song became known as "Come, All Ye Shepherds", translated by Mari Ruef Hofer in 1912.
Text
The Czech song "" (Bringing the news) has five
stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
s.
Riedel wrote a version in three stanzas of five lines each, rhyming in pairs with a concluding short last line. The beginning is "" (Come, you shepherds, men and women).
Melody
In 1847, the melody was first published in the collection in
Olmütz
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, i ...
.
Manuscripts are not dated but seem to stem from the first half of the 19th century.
Konrad Ameln
Konrad Ameln (6 July 1899 – 1 September 1994) was a German hymnologist and musicologist, who wrote standard works about Protestant church music.
Life Childhood, youth and academic years
Born in Neuss, Ameln grew up in Kassel and attended th ...
: ''Altböhmische Weihnachtslieder.'' In: ' 21 (1977), , . It is a
bordun melody similar to folk music melodies.
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global =
sopranoVoice = \relative c'' << >>
verse =
\lyricmode
verseR = \lyricmode
left = \relative c
\score
\score
See also
*
List of Christmas carols
This list of Christmas carols is organized by country, language or culture of origin. Originally, a "Christmas carol" referred to a piece of vocal music in carol form whose lyrics centre on the theme of Christmas or the Christmas season. The d ...
References
External links
"Kommet, ihr Hirten" text and melody (MIDI), ingeb.org
lieder-archiv.de
Liederprojekt.org (
SWR2 and
Carus-Verlag
Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart.
Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. The catalogue currently includes more than 26,00 ...
)
"Kommet, ihr Hirten" evangeliums.net
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German-language Christmas carols
19th-century hymns in German