The first verse of the song can be traced back to 1638 in a leaflet print from Innsbruck with a different melody.
The melody known today has been handed down since around 1780 in a manuscript from Weyarn Abbey.
A text version consisting of six verses with the indication of origin Salzkammergut and a melody incipit were published by Wilhelm Pailler in 1881.
In the Silesian county of Glatz, which is often cited in songbooks as the origin of the text, the song is only documented from 1911 onwards with a slightly different text.
The song was included in the Protestant hymnal (EG 49).
The song proclaims the biblical Christmas story based on the angels' proclamation (Luke
2:10-11 EU). In the older six-stanza version, the content of the song is divided into three sections: the first two verses are about the newborn Jesus as Savior, the next two about the angels, and the two final verses about the believers as a community.
And once again I'm quite late for a Christmas carol ......
Here is a very extensive composition - in my usual structure, carol movement, trio and fugue. And the latter is very expansive. After some hesitation, I gave the piece a coda.
Well, a Merry Christmas to everyone (for having had one) and best wishes for the New Year!
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