Good King Wenceslas (1905) (Traditional)

Traditional/Neale
O: Edison Carol Singers Edison 2 minute 13354, November 1905



Good King Wenceslas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


"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 (907–935), known in the Czech language as Svatý Václav.

The tune is based on a 13th century spring carol "Tempus adest floridum" ("It is time for flowering") first published in the 1582 Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones. The "Wenceslas" lyrics were written much later in 1853 by the English hymnwriter John Mason Neale (1818–1866) and substituted for the original Latin (to which they bear no relation) in collaboration with his music editor Thomas Helm

Some recordings

Edison Carol Singers. - Good King Wenceslas 1905

Ames Brothers - Good King Wenceslas - 1950

Percy Faith - Good King Wenceslas - 1954

Joan Sutherland - Good King Wenceslas - 1965

Ivy League,the - Good King Wenceslas - 1965

John Fahey - Good King Wenceslas - 1968

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Good King Wenceslas - 1970

Shakatak - Good King Wenceslas - 1993

Loreena Mckennitt - Good King Wenceslas - 1995

R.E.M. - Good King Wenceslas - 1998

Klezmonauts - Good King Wenceslas - 1998

The Irish Rovers - Good King Wenceslas - 2000

Judy Collins - Good King Wenceslas - 2000

Butthole Surfers - Good King Wenceslas - 2000

Crash Test Dummies - Good King Wenceslas - 2002

Heather Dale - Good King Wenceslas - Flower Carol - 2004

Steeleye Span - Good King Wenceslas - 2004

The Manhattan Transfer - Good King Wenceslas - 2005

Robin Gibb - Good King Wenceslas - 2005

Blackmore's Night - Good King Wenceslas - 2006

Tori Amos - Good King Wenceslas - 2009

Wynton Marsalis - Good King Wenceslas - 2009

Sufjan Stevens - Good King Wenceslas - 2012.



Here the oldest recording i could find.