"Tochter Zion, freue dich" (Daughter Zion, rejoice) is an

Advent song Advent songs () are songs and hymns intended for Advent, the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Topics of the time of expectation are the hope for a Messiah, prophecies, and the symbolism of light, among others. Several of the songs are part o ...

in German. The text was written by Friedrich Heinrich Ranke, based on music derived from two of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's oratorios. The song was published in 1826, assigned to the

Entry into Jerusalem The triumphal entry into Jerusalem is a narrative in the four canonical Gospels describing the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion. This event is celebrated each year by Christians on Palm Sunday. According to the ...

. The hymn is part of the German Protestant hymnal ''

Evangelisches Gesangbuch ''Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (''EG''; , "Protestantism, Protestant song book") is the current hymnal of German-language congregations in Germany, Alsace and Lorraine, Austria, and Luxembourg, which was introduced from 1993 and 1996, succeeding ...

'' as EG 13 and the 2013 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-speak ...

'' as GL 228, both four-part settings in the Advent section. The French hymn and its English translation '' Thine Be the Glory'' use the same tune.

History

Friedrich Heinrich Ranke wrote the text, based on music by

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, for a musical salon of

Karl Georg von Raumer Karl Georg von Raumer (9 April 1783 – 2 June 1865) was a German geologist and educator. Biography Raumer was born in Wörlitz, in Anhalt-Dessau. He was educated at the universities of Göttingen and Halle, and at the mining academy in Fr ...

around 1820. He knew the music as "Seht, er kommt, mit Preis gekrönt", a chorus from Handel's oratorio ''

Judas Maccabaeus Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus ( ), also known as Judah Maccabee (), was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Ded ...

''. Handel had first composed it in 1747 for the oratorio ''

Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...

'', and added it to ''Judas Maccabaeus'' in a revised version in 1751, as ''See, the Conquering Hero Comes''. In both works, the music reflects the triumphant entry of a victorious hero. The hymn was first published in Hamburg in 1826 in the collection ''Christliche, liebliche Lieder'' by Louise Reichardt, Raumer's sister-in-law, and assigned to the

, which at the time had the same prescribed readings as the first Sunday of

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

. It entered collections for schools and became popular. The hymn is part of the German Protestant hymnal ''

'' as EG 13 and the 2013 Catholic hymnal ''

'' as GL 228, both four-part settings in the Advent section.

Music

Handel's music is a chorus with short lines, sung in

homophony In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that provide ...

. It is written in march rhythm and harmonic simplicity. In Handel's works, the first of three

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

s is scored for three voices, two

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

s and an

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

, accompanied by two horns and organ. A second stanza with different text is written for two sopranos, two flutes and organ. Finally, the third stanza, with the text of the first, is sung by four choral parts and a rich basso continuo in dramatic development. Ranke used only the four-part setting, which he modified slightly. \header keyTime = SopIn = %% laut, Jerusalem SopOut = %% fürst SopMusic = AltIn = %% laut, Jerusalem AltOut = %% Friedefürst AltoMusic = TenIn = %% laut, Jerusalem TenOut = %% Friedefürst TenorMusic = BasIn = %% laut, Jerusalem BasOut = %% Friedefürst BassMusic = VerseOne = \lyricmode VerseTwo = \lyricmode % VerseFour = \lyricmode \score \score

History

Music

References

Citations

Cited sources

External links