The three kings - Peter Cornelius, Ivor Atkins (arr), John Rutter, Nicholas Sears, Cambridge Singers

John Rutter - Videos & Lyrics

John Rutter

16. The three kings
From the album 'Christmas Night'

Composer Peter Cornelius
Arranger Ivor Atkins
Conductor John Rutter
Baritone Nicholas Sears
Choir The Cambridge Singers

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The three kings
The three kings was written in 1856 as a solo song with piano accompaniment, no. 3 of a set of six Weihnachtslieder (Christmas songs) to texts by the composer. Following the model of Bach, Cornelius introduces a chorale in the accompaniment: appropriately, it is the great Epiphany hymn 'Wie schön leucht der Morgenstern'. In the English-speaking world 'The three kings' has become a familiar part of many carol services in the choral transcription by Elgar’s friend Sir Ivor Atkins.

Three kings from Persian lands afar
To Jordan follow the pointing star;
And this the quest of the travellers three,
Where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

The star shines out with a steadfast ray;
The kings to Bethlehem make their way,
And there in worship they bend the knee.
As Mary’s child in her lap they see;
Their royal gifts they show to the King;
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.

Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem,
The kings are travelling, travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
Shall lead thy heart to its resting-place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring;
Offer thy heart to the infant King,
Offer thy heart!

CHORALE TEXT (sung by the choir):
How brightly shines the morning star!
With grace and truth from heav’n afar
Our Jesse tree now bloweth.
Of Jacob’s stem and David’s line,
For thee, my Bridegroom, King divine,
My soul with love o’erfloweth.
Thy word, Jesu, inly feeds us,
Rightly leads us, life bestowing.
Praise, O praise such love o’erflowing.

Christmas Night
The theme of the album - Christmas Night - is the birth of Christ, reflected in the words and music of twenty-two carols spanning more than six centuries. Some of these carols have long been widely known and loved; others have become so thanks to the annual Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge. But all of them focus on the central event of the Christmas story – the birth at Bethlehem – and on the characters in that story: the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, and the mother with her child.

John Rutter, English composer and conductor, is associated with choral music throughout the world. His recordings with the Cambridge Singers (the professional chamber choir he set up in 1983) have reached a wide global audience, many of them featuring his own music in definitive versions. Among John’s best-known choral works are Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, and Visions, together with many church anthems, choral songs and Christmas carols.

Contact
info@collegium.co.uk

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