Weihnachtsbaum (“Christmas Tree”)

Composer: LISZT, Franz
  • Weihnachtsbaum (“Christmas Tree”) is a suite of 12 songs for piano written between 1873-76:
    1. Altes Weihnacthslied (Psalite) / Old Christmas Song
    2. O heilige Nacht! / O Holy Night
    3. Die Hirten an der Krippe (In dulce jubilo) / The Shepherds at the Manger
    4. Adeste fideles (Gleichsam als Marsch der heiligen drei Könige / March of the Three Holy Kings)
    5. Scherzoso (Man zündet die Kerzen des Baumes an / Lighting the Candles on the Tree)
    6. Carillon / Chimes
    7. Schlummerlied / Slumber Song
    8. Altes provenzalisches Weihnachtslied / Old Provençal Christmas Song
    9. Abendglocken / Evening Bells
    10. Ehemals / Old Times
    11. Ungarisch / Hungarian
      • This piece was also dedicated to Hungarian pianist Kornél Ábrányi.
    12. Polnisch / Polish1
  • The songs of the suite are organized into three groups: Nos. 1-4 are arrangements of traditional carol melodies, nos. 5-8 represent a child’s view of Christmas, and nos. 9-12 represent more mature reflections on the holiday.2
  • The suite was dedicated to Daniela von Bülow, Liszt’s granddaughter.3

Sources

  1. Franz Liszt, Weihnachtsbaum, S. 186 (Berlin: Fürstner, 1882).
  2. Leslie Howard, Notes in accompanying booklet, Liszt: The complete music for solo piano, Vol. 8 – Weihnachtsbaum & Via Crucis performed by Leslie Howard, Hyperion 66388, 1990, compact disc.
  3. Franz Liszt, Weihnachtsbaum, S. 186 (Berlin: Fürstner, 1882).

Cut IDs

24446 45143