Good King Wenceslas {Robert Shaw}

"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas, December 26). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow. The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907935), known in the Czech language as Svatý Václav.

The lyrics of the carol are by English hymnwriter John Mason Neale, Warden of Sackville College, East Grinstead, Sussex (18181866). He may have written his carol some time earlier, since he carried on the legend of St. Wenceslas on which it is based in his Deeds of Faith (1849). Neale was known for his devotion to High Church traditions. According to older Czech sources, Neale's lyrics are a translation of a poem by Czech poet Václav Alois Svoboda, written in Czech, German and Latin.

The tune is that of "Tempus Adest Floridum" ("It is time for flowering"), a 13th-century spring carol, first published in the Swedish/Finnish Piae Cantiones, 1582.

In or around 1853, G. J. R. Gordon, her majesty's envoy and minister in Stockholm, gave a rare copy of the 1582 edition of Piae Cantiones to Reverend Neale and to Reverend Thomas Helmore (Vice-Principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea). The book was entirely unknown in England at that time.

Neale translated some of the carols and hymns, and in 1853, he and Helmore published twelve carols in Carols for Christmas-tide (with music from Piae Cantiones). In 1854, they published a dozen more in Carols for Easter-tide. The inspirational copy of Piae Cantiones is now said to be in the British Museum.

The lyrics of Neale's carol bear no relationship to the words of "Tempus Adest Floridum". A text beginning substantially the same as the 1582 "Piae" version is also found in Carmina Burana as CB 142,[12] where it is substantially more carnal.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Good
• King
• Wenceslas
• {Robert
• Shaw}

[TheWerewolf64]

FEB.!7, 2012...Merry Christmas Everybody.

[3inrifle]

Well, around Christmastide, but by the song, it is a Stephensmas carol. Good version. And I really like the choice of the icon.

[getsomelead]

first for Christmas (12:17AM)

[yelloduckie05]

OMG!! Christmas!!!!!!!!!!



[therhinestonecowboy5]

We're doing a madrigal for my school and we have a quartet that sings this song, but we lipsink to the acctual song, including the deep bass and the high soprano. The best part is, the quartet is all guys lol

[rachybaby13]

@ScotishChristian he was a ruler in ancent Prague! there is a famous square (bulivard) in Prague named after him

[rronstl2841]

love this song

[rosebud961]

where did you find this icon?

[ScotishChristian]

@MrJedi5150 True I remember reading about him being a Duke then he was named a Saint if my memory serves me right.

[MrJedi5150]

@ScotishChristian

And it wasn't Wenceslaus. He wasn't declared a king until centuries after his death... He was the Duke of Bohemia, and an incredible man.