Good King Wenceslas - Traditional Choir
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- 19th century English hymn "Good King Wenceslas" by John Mason Neale performed by a traditional choir with lyrics. Visit my blog at life-incessant.... "When Suffering Doesn't Stop: Life With Chronic Pain." Although most of the comments made here were polite and kind, as though written by normal people who simply enjoyed music, many of comments were becoming increasingly abusive. It's easy be a bully online because one doesn't get slapped in the face. Most of us feel worse when we make others feel bad. It's called "empathy," and THAT is normal. Anyway, I've disabled all comments. Remember: DON'T FEED THE TROLLS! They just get bigger and uglier.
I looked it up and according to history Wenceslas did exist he was the duke of Bohemia and went round giving the poor, orphaned widowed and imprisoned gifts at evening.
I find this Christmas carol to be of special meaning to me...Growing up in poverty, we did not have the luxury of material gifts, but we shared the Holiday spirit by sharing the spirit of family and food we normally could not afford.. such as cranberry/orange relish, turkey & stuffing & home made apple jack made by my father...Christmas was more about the meal we created than giving gifts..
The "Feast of Stephen", for those who might not know, is St. Stephen's Day, December 26, one of the "Twelve Days of Christmas". This carol is associated with December 26, since "Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen". It's not a Christmas carol, but associated with the Christmas season nonetheless. One strange thing is the tune, which is taken from a Latin spring carol "Tempus adest floridem" which is all about springtime being the time when flowers bloom again. I've known "Good King Wenceslas" (who was actually a Duke during his lifetime) in this carol for so long, I can't think of the tune as a springtime song. I note that after his assassination at age 27 by his younger brother, Wenceslas the Duke was posthumously declare a King by the Pope as well as a saint, and the Duchy of Bohemia became the Kingdom of Bohemia, with Kings in charge ever after. Today, of course, most of Bohemia lies within the borders of the Czech Republic, also called Czechia, and St. Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czechs. I wouldn't call this carol a hymn because it is never sung in church and, instead, it's a narrative that tells a story about a miracle associated with an act of charity, ending with a moral that instructs Christians to be charitable, because in giving to those in need, the giver will find a blessing.
The words were by an English guy.
The music's Scandanavian.
Wenceslas was five foot six.
He kept his face unshaven.
Though just a Duke throughout his life,
he always ruled so justly.
His kingly title was conferred
upon him posthumously.
I am from the Czech Republic and I think it is amazing how our history has penetrated even to England. We have really interesting history.
But I have some remarks:
1. St. Wenceslas (Václav I.) was a duke not a king, we had some kings, but they were kings until their death, so on succesion title was lost. That changed in year 1212 with document known as "Golden Bull of Sicily" (Zlatá bula Sicilská) which granted title of king even to descendants.
2. He is very controversial character of our history. Despite he was declared as saint, because he was very good Christian, some people and historians says that he didnt care about destiny of Bohemia in case of East Francia´s pressure on borders. But who knows, it is over thousand years ago, but legend about St. Wenceslas is immortal!
I'm an Atheist and I love this hymn. Much love to you Christians and good hearted people. Merry Christmas.
Much love to you.
Me to, but I only love it because it was written where I live, and I've grown up with it being sung at the Christmas Party in the common room which is opposite to where he wrote it.
im a cristan but im also irish so i love dis son
song
amen
“But his deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.”
- Cosmas of Prague, about the reign of Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, a.k.a. Good King Wenceslaus.
+Maren Denison Neat! Thank you for sharing this!
christopher snedeker Nope, if you listen to the lyrics beginning at 2:17, the line begins: "Mark my footsteps good, my page, tread thou in then boldly," meaning that the page ought to step carefully (i.e. "mark well") in his king's footprints, not that he is a "good page."
+Maren Denison A nobleman in everyway.. All Christians should know about him and pay homage when in Prague. I was in Wenceslas Square in 1989. The poor, the wretched and oppressed of Communism were set free. This is indeed a blessing that the good Prince would have smiled upon.
to me this is one of the most beautifully written song ever made it's written about a real person a of royalty that was kind to to people my favorite song
So poignant and beautiful, I love this carol, its so full of what Man is capable of if he is without selfishness and has compassion.
This has always been my favorite Christmas Carol. And the look on peoples faces is always priceless when they ask, 'What's you favorite Christmas Carol', and I say; "Good King Wenceslas." (and no, I'm not Bohemian, if folks today even know what a Bohemian is, or Bohemia was.)
This is a beautiful version. Makes me proud of my Czech heritage.
Learned this song for the Christmas play when I was a child over 40 years ago.
Still remember every word.
Brings back memories. Thanks for uploading.
Merry Christmas!
God bless :)
A lovely traditional English Christmas carol. Beautifully sung! The organ and the choir are rich-sounding, the king's solo voice is grand, and the king's boy-page's solo voice is pure, innocent, crystalline and quite simply, beautiful!
When I was in my church choir as a child this song was my favorite!
Now this is one of my very favorite versions of Good King Wenceslas carol.
Very soothing!
This is absolutely beautiful, (and what a timely thing to hear verse four, which I believe I needed to hear today). Praise God! Saint Wenceslaus, pray for us!
Surely, this is our God; we trusted in Him and He saved us. (Isaiah 25:9)
This carol suddenly came into my head as I was walking home and I wanted to listen to it. A beautiful version and, like Jim, I cried a bit. Thanks for posting.
The sentiments and power of this song fill me with inspiration in a dark time.
When I feel not unlike that poor man, I will hope for a Good King Wenceslas. And when times are better, to be not unlike the Good King myself.
Thank you for sharing this Megan :) x
There's a square in Prague, Czech Republic called Wenceslas Square which has been the sight of historical events such as when Soviet Tanks rolled into Prague and when the Soviet ruled government fell.
+ebf1957 Yes, "Good King Wenceslas" is actually the Czech Svaty Vaclav (Saint Wenceslas) whose monument dominates Wenceslas Square. He was Duke of Bohemia when was killed by his brother Boleslav. Because of his martyrdom he was declared king of Bohemia after his death and canonized as the saint patron of the Czech State. His grandmother, Ludmila, was also assessinated for political interests and canonized as Saint Ludmila.
Hello. I thought it might mean a lot to you to know that this song doesn't just get to humans' hearts. It always calms my Beagle mix down, and he has a ton of anxiety, so I play it or sing it for him frequently. This one seems to be his favorite version, too. Thank you very much for saving me from endless barking lol and thank you for helping him feel better.
This version is so beautiful, I've heard this hymn often but never known the words until today and this is so beautiful, when the male soloist first began, the voice was so kingly and majestic that it sounded like the King himself singing, the second voice was beautiful too, delicate and expressive. God bless you so much for sharing this. And merry Christmas.
I absolutely love Good King Wenceslas!! How could anyone troll this peaceful song about helping the poor!?
Speaking of that, the only thing I never understood about this song since I was little is, why would need wealth or rank in order to bless the poor? Just about anyone can help the poor. The less you have, the more sacrificial your aid is, but it is a blessing nonetheless! God bless you all! :)
I guess that was why he was "Good" King Wenceslas, as opposed to, say, Marie Antoinette. The more wealth you have to bestow, the more good you can do, but paradoxically the more wealth you crave.
I think it's meant to mean that men with wealth and rank SHOULD give more. Generosity, or "largesse" as the French called it, was an important value in the medieval chivalric class. Believe it or not, it was expected of them as NOBLE men. No one expected commoners to give what they already lacked, but the noblemen were expected to be generous. The rich could give easily but not all did.
But Duke Wenceslas 1st of Bohemia was an exceptional man, known for going out barefoot in the winter giving alms to all the unfortunates. His good deeds made him a local legend in Bohemia, and then the rest of the Christian world, and an epitome of a good man, and in the 19th century, this song was written and made him famous in the English world. Essentially, duke Wenceslas was an example men of wealth and rank should strive to follow.
I always took it to mean "regardless of wealth or rank" and that they just sacrificed a word to preserve the flow. "Therefore Christian men be sure, whether wealth or rank possessing"
I think this is more or less supported by the fact that the Wenceslas is not alone on this quest. He's trying to teach his page the value of charity, even though his page is not necessarily rich, by encouraging him to also "see him dine" and to help carry the alms to help someone in need. Without the pageboy, Wenceslas would never have known where the poor man lived or who he was. Because of this, we know that the page must have worked among the poor and is not himself in possession of much rank or wealth. Without his master, the page may have lost heart and died in the cold. They both needed each other to do this act of goodwill.
But it could also just be a bit of encouragement to the rich who are often cited in scripture as being very unlikely to enter heaven. That God will remember their charity in the end.
Nice to listen to this beautiful English Christmas carol about old Czech king Wenceslas (Saint Václav, the patron of Czech republic). John Mason Neale created it from his translation of Václav Alois Svoboda' s poem. Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas from Czech republic :-)
i'm glad you've not disabled comments or else i couldn't say thanks for the lovely carol/piece of music.. i'm not at all religious and i enjoy "secular christmas'" but i love the old church carols the best... musically they are amazing and this is a truly lovely rendition!!!!
Over 20 years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a year living in the homeland of Good King Wenceslas, now the Czech Republic. Christianity was just re-emerging from decades of living in the shadows of an atheistic dictatorship. This famous carol composed in England about a popular figure from Czech history was translated into the local language and appeared in print in a national publication. I was delighted to see it.
an amazing song that has inspired Christians and others to put aside self and help others less fortunate ! and what better way to do this than a timely reminder every Christmas . the world would be a much better place if we all took a lesson from this song ! thanks for this clip .
There's nothing better at Christmas than a good traditiional Christmas carol, such as this one. Thanks for posting this.
Wow that was a inspiring story about a king, ranking high in power would help the poor man who had no power.
the thing is, I'm not necessarily religious but that doesn't matter because this song whether for religious purposes or not is. really. good
I heard this song on an album with many traditional songs and I fell in love with all of them. This one in particular got me with the tenor singer and the powerful chorus.
Thank you for uploading, Merry Holidays!
I love this it makes me want to be a lady of my own palace and hold my own feasts and help the poor... beautiful what effect music has on us
It's never too early for awesome Christmas songs!
Mom baking in the kitchen,The Tree up and decorated, Snow falling outside and the World was Magic. what have children got today? The times certainly have changed.
Jesus. I hope.
GOOD KING? Indeed! This choir as well the carol makes Wenceslas BEST. Merry Christmas.
My daughter was born on the Feast of St. Stephen, aka Boxing Day. :)
+Meredith Williams they're on the same day, but I think unrelated holidays, Boxing day specifically is an english holiday, whereas the feast of Stephen is the second day of Christmas
...love this traditional hymn, which tells a lovely story of charity and kindness...
The Kingslayer's brothers brought me here!
+Daniela stor the irony :D
Megan Smith hahahha xD
lol TWD brought me here
***** yeah! :D
Same!
My all time favorite Christmas Carol. This tells of the true spirit of Christmas and the words are wonderfully plain and meaningful. I love this traditional rendering. Thanks!
It is very pretty song for our czech people. King Wenceslas was duke saint Václav. :D
I love this carol, the way it sends out the real message of giving to someone who really needs it. I feel I am there in this carol and living it,-- very beautiful indeed !
every christmas we all get to choose a song and each time i pick this one :D Definitely my favorite along with We Three Kings of Orient and God rest ye merry gentlemen
Only a pig would leave a negative comment on such a lovely posting. Many thanks to Megan Smith for this timeless Christmas classic.
You might look in vain to hear this beautiful Christmas carol played over the holidays. Thanks for You Tube, though. It's always been one of my favorites.
I love this hymn. Very moving. Thank you for posting. Best wishes to you.
Thanks so much for posting this beautiful carol for i have been looking for it for ages. we used to sing it in school , St. Mary's School, Shillong taught by the good nuns, especially Mother Cecil. God bless you! - greetings from Mussoorie, India
+Indesr Pringles The Abode of the Clouds :) I'm so glad you enjoy the music. Merry Christmas!
+Megan Smith You seem familiar with my beloved Shillong, Have you been there? And you are right about the abusers on the net - they are only inflicting self-punishment by depriving themselves of the abundant goodness, kindness and beauty that is all around us. They actually deserve our pity and prayers.
This music is amazing! I am sorry for the haters. But I don't have to be like them, and neither does anyone else. We are free. Choose to be kind, or choose to be silent. Either one works for me.
Absolutely gorgeous rendition of my favourite Christmas carol. Thank you, Megan. Pax vobiscum.
Wenceslas (sv. Václav) is Czech king and patron of the Czech lands ;)
His statue is in Prague on Wenceslas square ;)
One of my favorite carols! Interestingly, the music was taken from "Tempus Adest Floridum", a 13th century SPRING carol!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful carol with us. And it's so true to the Spirit of Giving that Christ imparted on His people. I thank you also for the Bible verse at the end of it. Thank you for publicly declaring your faith to us. God Bless and Merry Christmas this season.
I go hunting every year late December when I'm hunting up in the mountains of ossippe, i always listen to this while treading thru the snow, makes the horrid snow bearable
I'm learning this song i n school and my hole class has to look up this song and listen to this video and I think this is a great song merry Christmas
This is the prettiest version of the Good King song I've heard in my 60+ years. Thank you for sharing. This song always reminds of the middle ages. No idea why I suddenly had to listen to it in March!
Proud descendent of The Good King!
magnificent ! happy feast of Saint Wenceslas 9/28 - the feast of Saint Stephen 12/26
I just adore this Carol it signifies human mercy to someone who needs help, by someone who has so much. It has an atmosphere and emotional theme I love !
When I was in 5th grade we performed this song and here we come awassailing. This was my favorite and even is now at 22
I'm in the 6th grade currently and I'm eleven. I'm also going. To singing this at school.
+Sudamii typos...
Best rendition I've ever heard! I've listened to your video with the great slide show so many times. The ending text is a perfect conclusion. Tears me up with gladness XD Thank you!
a lovely straight version with no tinkering.
I came here because I found out I am related to king wenceslaus. Beautiful song.
The organ in this is very nice!
Singing this song at my concert with my grade today. I had to memorize the song but I forgot to so I came here to listen to it. LOVE IT!
My piano lessons have been decades passed, but I still remember this as one of the first that I practiced. Always loved this song. While there are many performers who do this song justice, I like this version best. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this song ever since we had to learn it for my elementary school choir winter concert MERRY Christmas and god bless
And a tear is shed.......................
Oh my! Thank you!!! Takes me straight back to primary school guitar and choir! None of this new crud- something traditional to warm the heart!
My favorite Christmas Song! Thanks for the lovely rendition.
St Wenceslas Ora Pro Nobis!!!!
Merry Christmas.
A wonderful song, Megan. This has been one of my favorite Christmas hymns for years. Thanks SO much for posting it!
I came just because I'd never heard the whole thing. It sounds very nice
Absolutely incredible breathtaking beyond description. Thank you for sharing it
My favourite carol. Love it.
His real name was Svaty Voklav and he wasn't a king, he was the duke of Bohemia.
Hello Megan.. This song is soooo lovely!! It brings warmth to the soul!
This is awesome! I have been teaching my 4th graders to play this song and I wanted them to hear the whole thing. Thanks and Merry Christmas
I learn abut this in willow next week i will have a aasembly but we sing it and we just love to sing is also we learn (o tumembum) we lovit also it gives a pont of viow .
It is nice to sing
I really love this song
a beautiful rendition!
Never had heard the words to this song before. Nice version, Thanks for sharing this with us.
I heard the tune of this song somewhere and was about to give up on finding the title to listen to the whole thing. But I ended up finding the title and now I can finally listen to the song. Happy Holidays!
My school brought me here and I was very interested on how unusual it is that people from different places comment.
Have a blessed Feast of Stephen! Happy Second Day of Christmas! There's a typo I think, but fine video with the words for us who never paid attention to this carol before. Much appreciated! I was reading about this carol and needed to revisit it with words. Well done. Thank you!
Reading about this musical canon inversion in Douglas Hofstadter's book, "Godel, Escher, Bach."
Beautiful.
I've always loved this carol but learning the lyrics is wonderful and true. Bless the poor and you will be blessed.
so true!
Thing is sometimes the poor are not really poor. Its just a scam.lol
Chris Coppola I know what you mean. I gave a 20 to a man on the street, then he tells me he makes more money on that corner than working. And the time I ran into the same man twice who told me the same "I need bus fair" story. I told him he needed to change his story! lol
Good song. It gets stuck in my head
Thank you for this video. :) I have only heard the first verse in the movie "Love Actually" up until now. I must say, it is a lovely tune.
It's never to early to get into the Christmas spirit!
(... and. of course, Much Thanks & Appreciation to you for making and posting it !!! !!! !!!)
beautiful version. Thank You.
This song has quickly become a favorite tune of mine for the season! This version is nice; I also love the Irish Rovers version and Blackmore's Night version! I must say, that Blackmore's Night got it right when they put "therefore every man..." instead of "therefore Christian men"--I don't have a problem with saying "Christian men" because Wenceslas himself was Christian (a saint no less) and if your audience is going to be Christians (say if a choir is singing it at a mass or something) then it's encouraging, but the message about being repaid with blessing if you bless the poor is totally applicable to EVERY man.
Anyways I just love the story behind the song; hopefully I can convince my music class this semester to sing it at our Christmas concert! We get to lobby for songs to do, and while I don't think many would know it nearly as well as the typical ones, if at all, it's not a hard tune to get used to at all. The lyrics might take a bit of practice but the tune itself is pretty simple.
My music teacher introduced me to this song and he said the exact same thing, the lyrics were going to be the hardest things to remember. Also, I agree with your statement about the "Christian Men" part, but maybe the song was made specially for Christians? The ending sounded like the end of a religious story.
A very good song and video. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from Alabama.
My mom used to sing this to my sister and I when we were kids.
A very beautiful version of this song. Thank you.
Thanks to my music teacher to makee know this beautiful music !
A carol fit for December 26!
nice! good to see the words here too, they are not so simple to understand when you just hear it.
I just was texting my friend and put sence and it autocorrected to Wenceslas and im like hey lets look it up and wasnt disappointed, is this a religious song, sounds good i will add to my mixtape
Lindo! Obrigado por compartilhar.
Você é bem-vindo!