"Quempas" is the shortened title of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

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 ...

"Quem pastores laudavere" ("He whom the shepherds praised"), popular in Germany in the sixteenth century, and used as a generic term for Christmas songs in a German caroling tradition. ''Quempas'' is also the name of a collection of old carols published by Bärenreiter since 1930.

History

The earliest sources of the carol are from the fifteenth century, including the ' from the Hohenfurth Monastery. Many versions exist from the sixteenth century. The most famous version is from

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms ba ...

, ''Musae Sioniae'' (1607), with the German text "Den die Hirten lobeten sehre."

Text and melody

Quem pastores laudavere, quibus angeli dixere, absit vobis iam timere, natus est rex gloriæ. Ad quem reges ambulabant, Aurum, Thus, Myrrham portabant, immolabant haec sincere, leoni victoriae. Christo regi Deo nato Per Mariam nobis dato merito resonat vere dulci cum melodia. Shepherds left their flocks a-straying, God's command with joy obeying, When they heard the angel saying: "Christ is born in Bethlehem." Wise Men came from far, and saw him Knelt in homage to adore him; Precious gifts they laid before him: Gold and frankincense and myrrh. Let us now in every nation Sing his praise with exultation. All the world shall find salvation In the birth of Mary's Son.

\header \layout global = soprano = \relative c'' alto = \relative c' tenor = \relative c' bass = \relative c verse = \lyricmode \score

Students of the

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

maintained a tradition of "Quempas singen," earning alms by going from house to house, singing carols. In order to revive the Quempas singing tradition and fight the sentimentality of 19th-century Christmas carols, and

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 t ...

published a collection of old carols under the title ''Quempas'', sometimes called ''Quempas-Heft'', printed by Bärenreiter. The first collection contained 39 songs with melodies. It was followed by choral editions, and a greater selection including 20th-century carols in 1962. ''Der neue Quempas'', a collection of 41 songs, was published in 2012. The carol is included in volume 2 of the British collection '' Carols for Choirs'' (1970), in an arrangement by

John Rutter John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Biography Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, Rutte ...

, in Latin with an English translation by

Imogen Holst Imogen Clare Holst (; 12 April 1907 – 9 March 1984) was a British composer, arranger, conductor, teacher, musicologist, and festival administrator. The only child of the composer Gustav Holst, she is particularly known for her education ...

References

External links

"Quem pastores laudavere"
hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com * {{Authority control Christmas carols

History

Text and melody

See also

References

External links