Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ

LanguageGerman

Published1394

"Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ"
Christmas hymn
Language	German
Published	1394 (1394)

"Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ" is the earliest surviving Christmas hymn in the German language.^[1] 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 the 14th century. The earliest complete surviving version is in a manuscript from Erfurt dating to 1394. August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben saw the hymn as originating in the 11th century and in 1861 reconstructed a translation from the Erfurt version back into Old High German.^[2]

The song welcomes the Lord Christ ("Herre Christ") on earth ("auf Erden") as the Lord of "us all" ("unser aller"). The hymn is also known as the Aachener Weihnachtslied (Aachen Christmas carol) or Aachener Schöffenlied (Aachen juror carol) – according to old Aachen chronicles it was sung from the choir stalls of Aachen Cathedral by the schöffen, appointed honourable citizens involved in general government and jurisdiction, at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.^[3]^[4]

Ancient melody

Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ appeared in the 1975 Gotteslob, a German Catholic hymnal, as GL 131 with a 14th or 15th century melody from Aachen in modern notation and with the addition of a new second verse from 1970. It is no longer included in the main section of the new Gotteslob, introduced on the first Sunday of Advent in 2013, but the regional section of the Diocese of Limburg includes it as GL 757. The current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG 22) includes it as a round under the title Nun sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ, with a 1934 canon melody by Walter Rein.^[5]

$\relative c' { \clef "petrucci-g" \override Staff.Stem #'transparent = ##t \override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \set Score.timing = ##f \override Voice.NoteHead #'style = #'baroque \set suggestAccidentals = ##f \key f \major \small \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute" d4 f4 e4 d4 c4 f4 bes4 a4 \bar "'" a4 a4 c4 c4 \bar "" \break bes4 a4 a4 g4 f4 \bar "'" f4 f4 a4 bes4 g4 f4 e4 d4 c4 \bar "'" \break g'4 g4 g4 bes4 g4 f4 f4 e4 g4 \bar "'" c,4 c4 e4 d4 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { \small Syt wil -- le -- ko -- men, hei -- re Kirst want du un -- ser al -- re he -- re bis. Syt wil -- le -- ko -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re her int ert -- ri -- che al -- so scho -- ne Ki -- ri -- e -- leys. } \addlyrics { \small Sei uns will -- kom -- men, Her -- re Christ, weil du un -- ser al -- ler Her -- re bist! Sei uns will -- kom -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re hier auf der Er -- den al -- so schö -- ne! Ky -- ri -- e -- leis. }$

Source:^[6]

Modern melody

${ \set Score.timing = ##f \relative d' {\key d \minor \time 2/2 \small \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"flute" d2 f4 e d2 c f bes a r a4 a c c bes2 a a g f r \bar "" \break f a bes g f4 e d2 c r g' g4 g bes2 g f4 f e2 g r c, e4 e d1 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { \small Sei uns will -- kom -- men, Her -- re Christ, der du un -- ser al -- ler Her -- re bist. Sei will -- kom -- men, lie -- ber Her -- re, hier auf der Er -- de recht mit Eh -- ren. Ky -- ri -- e -- leis. }}$

Source: Gotteslob (1975) nr. 131

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Narratives	Fall of man Christian messianic prophecies Isaiah 9:6 Isaiah 53 Davidic dynasty in Bible prophecy Genealogy of Jesus John 1:1 John the Baptist Saint Joseph's dreams Tree of Jesse
Traditions	Advent calendar Advent candle Christingle Hanging of the greens Christmas markets List Las Posadas Simbang Gabi Stir-up Sunday Advent wreath Moravian star
Songs and hymns	"Adam lay ybounden" "Advent är mörker och kyla" Advent song Adventstid Angelus ad virginem "Bereden väg för Herran" "Come, thou Redeemer of the earth" "Conditor alme siderum" "The Cherry-Tree Carol" "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" "Det är advent" "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" Gabriel's Message "The Holly and the Ivy" "Hosianna, Davids son" "In das Warten dieser Welt" "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" "Kündet allen in der Not" "Lo! He comes with clouds descending" "Long Ago, Prophets Knew" "Macht hoch die Tür" "Macht weit die Pforten in der Welt" "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging" "Meine Seele, dank und singe" "Mit Ernst, o Menschenkinder" "Der Morgenstern ist aufgedrungen" "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" O Antiphons "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" "O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf" "O How Shall I Receive Thee" "Of the Father's Heart Begotten" Rorate Caeli "Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ" "Singet fröhlich im Advent" "There is no rose of such virtue" "Tochter Zion, freue dich" "Savior of the Nations, Come" "Vi tänder ett ljus i advent" "Hark, a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding" "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"
Cantatas and other music	Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht, BWV 186a Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147a Handel's Messiah (Part I) Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Böhm) Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 This is the Record of John Unser lieben Frauen Traum Virga Jesse (Bruckner) Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! BWV 70a Wir sagen euch an den lieben Advent List of Advent cantatas
Music publications	Carols for Choirs The New English Hymnal The Oxford Book of Carols The New Oxford Book of Carols Piae Cantiones The English Hymnal Hymns Ancient and Modern The Hymnal 1982
Related topics	Anglican church music Catholic music Lutheran hymns Carol service Christmastide Liturgical year
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Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ

Ancient melody

Modern melody

Lyrics

First version

Aachen fragment, 14th or 15th century

Erfurt manuscript c. 1394

Second version – Aachen 1825

Third version – re-issue by Fallersleben, 1861

Bibliography (in German)

References

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