The Five Christmas Songs, Op. 1,[a] is a collection of Swedish-language art songs for vocal soloist and piano written from 1897 to 1913 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
| Five Christmas Songs | |
|---|---|
| Song collection by Jean Sibelius | |
 The composer (c. 1900) | |
| Opus | 1 |
| Language | Swedish |
| Composed | 1897–1913 |
Constituent songs
editOrdered by catalogue, the Op. 1 songs are as follows:
- "Nu står jul vid snöig port" ("Now Christmas Stands at the Snowy Gate"), Op. 1/1 (1913); text by the Finnish poet Zacharias Topelius[1]
- "Nu så kommer julen" ("Now Is Christmas Coming"), Op. 1/2 (1913); text by Topelius[2]
- "Det mörknar ute" ("Outside It is Growing Dark"), Op. 1/3 (1897); text by Topelius[3]
- "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt" ("Give Me No Splendor, Gold or Pomp"), Op. 1/4 (1909); text by Topelius[4]
- "On hanget korkeat, nietokset" ("High are the Snowdrif"), Op. 1/5 (1901); text by the Finnish poet Wilkku Joukahainen[5]
Arrangements of Nos. 4–5
editSibelius made several arrangements of "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt": for male choir a cappella in 1935; for voice and female choir a cappella in 1942; for two unaccompanied female voices in 1942; and for children's choir and organ in 1954. Moreover, he also made several arrangements of "On hanget korkeat, nietokset": for two voices and piano in 1903–1905; and for two unaccompanied female voices in 1942.[6]
Notes, references, and sources
editNotes
edit- ^ Because Sibelius's Op. 1 songs are sung in Swedish, this article gives preference to each song's native title, rather than the English translation.
References
edit- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 407; Dahlström 2003, p. 1.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 408; Dahlström 2003, p. 2.
- ^ Barnett 2007, p. 405; Dahlström 2003, pp. 2–3.
- ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 407, 416; Dahlström 2003, p. 3–6.
- ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 406, 413, 416; Dahlström 2003, pp. 6–9.
- ^ Barnett 2007, pp. 115, 145, 166, 201, 230, 344, 348.
Sources
edit- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-16397-1.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Layton, Robert (1993) [1965]. Sibelius. (The Master Musicians Series) (4th ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028713222.
