When I first heard this hymn being sung, I was a young American man living in Germany in 1982. It was like the very voice of God speaking to me about His Christ and was a part of His call to me to have faith in Him alone.
Michael Praetorius certainly did compose a classic - one of the works destined to be written by someone, as it is from the cosmos. It had to be written and realized.
David Hurley is AWESOME! KS never fail to impress me. I actually got to have tea with Simon Carrington back in 1992 at his home... very cool. Keep it up, gentlemen!
Probably the best version of this piece of music, which is simply one of the best pieces of music anyway. I can't imagine an improvement they could make, every syllable is crystal clear, and the harmonising identifies the chord variation. Quite awesome, if only it would last 60 minutes!
Listen to the King's Singers and then to a standard pop-singer... The difference in accuracy and vocal precision is astounding. I'm not saying that "mainstream"-music or artists are bad, not at all, but it really puts into perspective what a true "singer" really is. Most pop-artists are much closer to entertainers than true singers. Especially these days where you'll find some sort of voice-editing in the vast majority of songs.
I sang this hymn in a group in high school. Always loved it even tho I didn’t know Jesus at the time. Didn’t know it was German or anything about it really. It seems to me that any song secular or sacred always sounds best in the original language. Or maybe it’s because these men are so good.
***** You are correct about part of the first line being about a rose in spring, but the context with the rest of the verse must have been lost. The English title of the song is Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming and the lyrics are as follows. Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung! Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung. It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter, When half spent was the night. Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind; With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind. To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior, When half spent was the night. The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright, How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night. To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him, As angel heralds said. This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere; True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us, And lightens every load. O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe, O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know; Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven, And to the endless day!
***** Kristoffer: "There is a rose uprising"--in modern English, "uprising" gives the sense of something getting noisy in the street and trying to tear down the government. And I don't know what you expect about "Christmassy", but I suspect that Pretorius and other Lutherans of his era expected a lot of biblical/theological allusions in their Advent and Christmas music, and this song has them. In any case, this song is usually sung during the Advent/Christmas season.
From the Cosmos. Had to be written and realized. We understand that here, Michael Praetorius channeled the Eternal, the Divine, the Essence. He is not the first nor the last to do so. It will happen.
Sandy Loam He became the Head of Vocal Studies at the Cheltenham Ladies College. The group also likes to "stay young" which I think is understandable. Still, I don't care for this new basso; His pitch wander all over in his lowerrange and his mid range is far too gravelly.
***** I think your bias is making you hear things that aren't really there. His pitch does not "wander all over in his lowerrange" as you have posited; at least not in this piece. And I don't hear anything "gravelly" either. Of course, the "gravelly" comment can be summed up to personal preference, so that's really neither here nor there. Personally, I believe he is a fantastic bass and holds his own quite well in Stephan's magnificent shadow. And seeing as he became a member of the group, the King's Singers seem to think so as well. ;)
HickoryDickory86 By gravelly, I mean he doesn't round his sound in general. DON'T EVEN COMPARE HIM TO STEPHAN. Stephan was pretty much a profundo, and from the sounds of it, this kid can barely hit an Eb2
THE KING'S SINGERS - Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen Veröffentlicht am 05.02.2013 Music video by The King's Singers performing Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen. (C) 2011 Signum Records Musik "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" von The King's Singers (Google Play • eMusic • iTunes) Kategorie Musik Lizenz Standard-UA-cam-Lizenz Name: ES IST EIN ROS Harmonizer: Michael Praetorius (1609) Meter: 76 76 676 Key: F Major Source: Alte Catholische Geisliche Kirchengasäng, Cologne, 1599 ::::::: "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" ("A rose has sprung up"), most commonly translated to English as "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" or "A Spotless Rose", is a Christmas carol and Marian Hymn of German origin.
the weird thing is, they've transposed this piece down a tone - it's usually sung in F but this is in E-flat, so if the critics of Jonathon Howard's bass singing are correct, and his bottom register lacks the resonance of his predecessor (Stephen Connolly), why would they make him sing a full tone *lower* than the standard key? I'm a bass myself and I agree that Stephen was a superb bass and a very hard act to follow. Not easy to take the place of a singer blessed with a voice like he has. I also miss the tenor Paul Phoenix from the KS line-up - he was a huge asset to the group for many years.
you're right. I would add, that E-flat here isn't that low, and any bass aiming on singing in such group should be able to sing it - I'm pretty sure that it's one of the main criteria in the admission process. We can probably all agree that Stephen was the best bass of the KS history, just as Paul Phoenix was probably the best tenor (although I like Bill Yves a lot), Jonathan is more than good enough. Moreover, bass voice takes a lot time to mature, the golden age of bass singer should be his 40s, so, he has some time and we have something to look forward. Only a mention to Paul Phoenix, he is incredibly gifted in his musicality, he's able to sing top-level classical, just as top-level pop, definitely not a sure thing, or something that would occur often - his I'm Yours is probably better than the original. This all also makes the KS the group we love :)
Perhaps singing it in E♭ better suited the higher of the two countertenors, the one singing the soprano part, or it might even have been to suit the countertenor singing the alto part. Perhaps singing the highest notes for one of them was too much and it sounded better a step lower. Another possibility might be that tuning in ancient music was lower than in modern music. I note that groups who recreate baroque music using period instruments often tune to A=405Hz instead of A=440Hz, the modern standard. There was no scientifically defined pitch for "A" in the baroque era or prior to it, but surviving ancient instruments prove that tuning was lower in the baroque era and before that. Since Michael Praetorius' harmony heard here for "Est ist ein Ros" ensprungen" was published in 1609, perhaps they were going for lower tuning based on what is known of woodwind instruments from 1609 such as the cornett or recorder. My guess is that it was to accommodate the countertenors or at least one of them.
Ich habe dieses Lied oft selber gesungen (Regensburger Domspatzen) und sehr oft gehört. Ich glaube hinsichtlich der Intonation und Harmonie kann man das nicht besser machen! PERFEKT! Aber an der Phrasierung ist deutlich zu erkennen, dass die Sänger nicht in ihrer Muttersprache agieren. Wenn das auch noch der Fall wäre, wäre diese Einspielung unerreicht!!
Aber du musst zugeben, das diese Version viel besser als die meisten Versionen von Sängern mit deutscher Muttersprache klingt. Hier ist jede Stimme einzeln zu hören und alle Töne sitzen. Dafür, das die vier Männer das gesamte Spektrum abdecken, klingt es phantastisch.
+Yiannis K Get over it! I am fed up with all this backward looking rubbish. They are who they are. We'd all to see Stanley Matthews scoring goals, but that was THEN. This is now.
I'm with you, walshamite. What I hear in this rendition is very fine and I don't want it to be different. The bass is more than resonant enough for me.
+M0butu Enjoy a famous version by a relatively small ensemble, The Prague Madrigalists, under Miroslav Venhoda, (from 1965), Supraphon. The organ is, I think, Jaroslav Vordrazka. play.spotify.com/album/4h803ynE2ESRZTcrW329hH It is in the key above.
I think not. In 1609 when Michael Praetorious published "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen", they didn't have big choruses the way they do today. Choruses started to get big during the Romantic era. 16 voices was about standard a hundred years after 1609 and possibly even smaller groups beforehand. However, when you're listening to the King's Singers, what you're typically going to hear is six singers. Here you heard four because they were going with the Praetorius harmony and it's four-part harmony. Six voices wouldn't have worked. There's no hard and fast rule about the number of voices to sing a piece like this. What I can tell you is when you have too many of them, a piece like this gets muddy and the counterpoint cannot be heard. Here part of the beauty of the performance is the clarity and precision these four accomplished singers provided.
Never would have thought of it for a big chorus! It's a very delicate, intimate carol, and I've only ever heard it done with small groups or with medium-sized choruses directed to sound small. What's your experience with performances of it?
Ausgezeichnete Aussprache, Hut ab! Ich hab als Kind dieses Lied zu Heilig Abend live vom Thomanerchor in Leipzig gehört. Das berührte mich auch als Nicht-Christ ganz tief... Balanced pronunciation, hats off! As a child I heard this song live on Christmas Eve from the St. Thomas Choir in Leipzig. Even as a non-Christian, that recognized me very deeply ... ua-cam.com/video/PZYxvosELds/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/FhWbJbxDds8/v-deo.html
When I first heard this hymn being sung, I was a young American man living in Germany in 1982. It was like the very voice of God speaking to me about His Christ and was a part of His call to me to have faith in Him alone.
Beautiful share....well, it was written/composed by Pretourious in 1599...divinely inspired, no doubt!
Truly powerfully, inspirational and transforming piece!
En France à Noël on le chante sur les paroles " Dans une étable obscure.." Très beau choral paisible et méditatif...
THAT PART!
Very touching testimony.
So eine gute deutsche Aussprache! Respekt, richtig schön!!!!
agree, german pronounciation is spot on!
One hears that they understand what they are singing.
I just wanted to post: Wait a second they are british right?! ^^ The german pronunciation is immaculate :-)
What I wanted to say because it's still slight accent in German. Süß!
Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't their pronuntiation sound a bit Austrian, with those hard "R"s ?
Their german is also almost spot on! The best version I've ever heard from non native speakers!
Weltklasse Vokalisten.....das ist immer noch Referenz für alle Anderen ! They play a very special "instrument" named "vox humana"....! awesome
Sehr gut!!!! Jah!!!
Nice tempo, dynamics, too
Every year, I keep coming back to this interpretation of this magnificent aria. The King's Singers are just beyond words
I saw these guys from the front row in Salt Lake City, they're the best group I've ever heard.
Perfection, absolute perfection. And listening to David Hurley's voice is bliss.
Yesss!! I love his voice!
BRAVO!!!
"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen - my FAVE of all Christmas songs/tunes.
Just beautiful. Harmony doesn't get any better than in this piece.
What do you mean, this is a simple piece harmonically, but I must agree, the cadences are truly pure and satisfying.
Michael Praetorius certainly did compose a classic - one of the works destined to be written by someone, as it is from the cosmos. It had to be written and realized.
David Hurley is AWESOME! KS never fail to impress me. I actually got to have tea with Simon Carrington back in 1992 at his home... very cool. Keep it up, gentlemen!
Probably the best version of this piece of music, which is simply one of the best pieces of music anyway. I can't imagine an improvement they could make, every syllable is crystal clear, and the harmonising identifies the chord variation. Quite awesome, if only it would last 60 minutes!
Sehr süßer kleiner Schatz! schöne Stimmen! Muy lindo amorcito! lindas voces !🥰🥰🥰🥰
The King's Singers only get better with age. Powerful rendition.
Listen to the King's Singers and then to a standard pop-singer... The difference in accuracy and vocal precision is astounding.
I'm not saying that "mainstream"-music or artists are bad, not at all, but it really puts into perspective what a true "singer" really is. Most pop-artists are much closer to entertainers than true singers. Especially these days where you'll find some sort of voice-editing in the vast majority of songs.
THIS!!!!!!!!
Excellent pronunciation :O
Tears to my eyes. Beautifully sung with fantastic harmonies. bravo
The Christmas mood is here with us again! Beautiful voices indeed!!!
A beautifu rendition of my favorite Christmas song.
To much words.. : "A human instrument !" AMAZING !
We sang this in school choir "Lo how a rose e're blooming".
I sang this hymn in a group in high school. Always loved it even tho I didn’t know Jesus at the time. Didn’t know it was German or anything about it really. It seems to me that any song secular or sacred always sounds best in the original language. Or maybe it’s because these men are so good.
Finally, the right tempo for this piece!
Absolutely stunning.
Beautiful
Gentlemen ! 🎶
Chills! Absolutely beautiful.
Beautiful sounds in a beautiful setting. I love the blue hour and bare tree branches in the window.
Dieser schöne Mann, 2. von Rechts. He is so beautiful, his voice so deep...
Great harmony!! We sang that in the Glen Eira Choir. l liked the composition.
i am singing this at school for a concert!!!!!!!
Habe es gut verstanden! Very beautiful blending from this talented group.
He descubierto un fabuloso grupo musical.
That mere flesh could express such deep emotion and reverence! Thank you!
This is King's Singers. This!
Maravillosas voces¡¡¡ y el aleman un idioma muy dulce para cantar
perfect harmony -- sehr gut
Really beautiful carol and performance .
just started crying
This is one of my favorite Advent/Christmas songs. Thanks for posting it.
These guys are good!
This is a song for spring? Isn't it? it translates to: There is a rose uprising" Pretty crappy translation sorry, but it's not very christmassy
*****
You are correct about part of the first line being about a rose in spring, but the context with the rest of the verse must have been lost. The English title of the song is Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming and the lyrics are as follows.
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.
This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.
O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!
*****
Kristoffer: "There is a rose uprising"--in modern English, "uprising" gives the sense of something getting noisy in the street and trying to tear down the government. And I don't know what you expect about "Christmassy", but I suspect that Pretorius and other Lutherans of his era expected a lot of biblical/theological allusions in their Advent and Christmas music, and this song has them. In any case, this song is usually sung during the Advent/Christmas season.
Thank you!
+Kristoffer sjöström The rose is a metaphor.
Magnificent
Gentlemen🎵
Just had to have this for my otherwise non-Christmas playlist.
A beautiful performance. The gold standard is the erformance by the Waverly Consort, also on You Tube
Super schön!
WONDERFUL! I love it !!! *____________*
HALLELUJAH LORD JESUS!
absolutely beautiful singing, well done
Saw them at the Lyric Theatre 20 Feb 2014 Wonderful
BRAVO! PRACHTVOLL!
i love the guy 2nd to the right. he looks like a character from wollace and gromit
It gives me goosebumps. Great rendition!
Vedo il Bambino Gesù molto felice nella sua mangiatoia all'udire queste voci celestiali!!!
Love this song. Moving rendition. Thank you
Simply awesome! God bless you all
Sublime.
Fantastic!
So clear, so beautiful.
oOOOH ! LA VOZ HUMANA, the most beautifull instrument .
Mega👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Qué maravillosa interpretación!! Las voces están tan perfectamente amalgamadas y a su vez, cada una brilla en su cuerda o registro: felicitaciones!!!
Meraviglia pura straordinari.
Équilibre parfait dans voix super beau!
Muito lindo!
Absolutamente maravilloso Gracias totales!
excellent!
Beautiful.
Toll! Toll! Toll!
Would love to know the name of the venue. It adds to the performance.
Wunderbar!
Maravilloso!!!
From the Cosmos. Had to be written and realized. We understand that here, Michael Praetorius channeled the Eternal, the Divine, the Essence.
He is not the first nor the last to do so.
It will happen.
Outstanding.
Well done gents 😊
Very nice interpretation. There were a couple of places where the vibrato got in the way, but that was minor.
outstanding!
thank you!
Maaagnificent! Thanx, O.M.!
Holy Mary, Pray for Us.
Brilliant
their bass has improved his sound, i really miss stephan, he had a such a fantastic bass tone, and would always rail everything he sings.
Amen!
Do you know why he left? Just for change?
Sandy Loam He became the Head of Vocal Studies at the Cheltenham Ladies College. The group also likes to "stay young" which I think is understandable. Still, I don't care for this new basso; His pitch wander all over in his lowerrange and his mid range is far too gravelly.
***** I think your bias is making you hear things that aren't really there. His pitch does not "wander all over in his lowerrange" as you have posited; at least not in this piece. And I don't hear anything "gravelly" either. Of course, the "gravelly" comment can be summed up to personal preference, so that's really neither here nor there. Personally, I believe he is a fantastic bass and holds his own quite well in Stephan's magnificent shadow. And seeing as he became a member of the group, the King's Singers seem to think so as well. ;)
HickoryDickory86 By gravelly, I mean he doesn't round his sound in general. DON'T EVEN COMPARE HIM TO STEPHAN. Stephan was pretty much a profundo, and from the sounds of it, this kid can barely hit an Eb2
Sounds good
its so good to see marshall eriksen singing for the KS! hahah.
Weihnachten!
Υπεροχο!
Bravo
THE KING'S SINGERS - Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Veröffentlicht am 05.02.2013
Music video by The King's Singers performing Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen. (C) 2011 Signum Records
Musik
"Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" von The King's Singers (Google Play • eMusic • iTunes)
Kategorie
Musik
Lizenz
Standard-UA-cam-Lizenz
Name: ES IST EIN ROS
Harmonizer: Michael Praetorius (1609)
Meter: 76 76 676
Key: F Major
Source: Alte Catholische Geisliche Kirchengasäng, Cologne, 1599
:::::::
"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" ("A rose has sprung up"), most commonly translated to English as "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" or "A Spotless Rose", is a Christmas carol and Marian Hymn of German origin.
Die deutschen Weihnachtslieder sind feierlicher als die amerikanischen
the weird thing is, they've transposed this piece down a tone - it's usually sung in F but this is in E-flat, so if the critics of Jonathon Howard's bass singing are correct, and his bottom register lacks the resonance of his predecessor (Stephen Connolly), why would they make him sing a full tone *lower* than the standard key? I'm a bass myself and I agree that Stephen was a superb bass and a very hard act to follow. Not easy to take the place of a singer blessed with a voice like he has. I also miss the tenor Paul Phoenix from the KS line-up - he was a huge asset to the group for many years.
you're right. I would add, that E-flat here isn't that low, and any bass aiming on singing in such group should be able to sing it - I'm pretty sure that it's one of the main criteria in the admission process. We can probably all agree that Stephen was the best bass of the KS history, just as Paul Phoenix was probably the best tenor (although I like Bill Yves a lot), Jonathan is more than good enough. Moreover, bass voice takes a lot time to mature, the golden age of bass singer should be his 40s, so, he has some time and we have something to look forward. Only a mention to Paul Phoenix, he is incredibly gifted in his musicality, he's able to sing top-level classical, just as top-level pop, definitely not a sure thing, or something that would occur often - his I'm Yours is probably better than the original. This all also makes the KS the group we love :)
Perhaps singing it in E♭ better suited the higher of the two countertenors, the one singing the soprano part, or it might even have been to suit the countertenor singing the alto part. Perhaps singing the highest notes for one of them was too much and it sounded better a step lower. Another possibility might be that tuning in ancient music was lower than in modern music. I note that groups who recreate baroque music using period instruments often tune to A=405Hz instead of A=440Hz, the modern standard. There was no scientifically defined pitch for "A" in the baroque era or prior to it, but surviving ancient instruments prove that tuning was lower in the baroque era and before that. Since Michael Praetorius' harmony heard here for "Est ist ein Ros" ensprungen" was published in 1609, perhaps they were going for lower tuning based on what is known of woodwind instruments from 1609 such as the cornett or recorder. My guess is that it was to accommodate the countertenors or at least one of them.
I'm positive it was to help out the countertenors, who are kind of in the stratosphere. And I don't think the bass is so terrible.
@@GoldinDr , the typical pitch for baroque music was 415, not 440, as used nowadays. That's a full semitone lower.
@@lindaybariloche Except this isn't even a baroque piece.
Pressoché perfetti!
Ich habe dieses Lied oft selber gesungen (Regensburger Domspatzen) und sehr oft gehört. Ich glaube hinsichtlich der Intonation und Harmonie kann man das nicht besser machen! PERFEKT! Aber an der Phrasierung ist deutlich zu erkennen, dass die Sänger nicht in ihrer Muttersprache agieren. Wenn das auch noch der Fall wäre, wäre diese Einspielung unerreicht!!
Aber du musst zugeben, das diese Version viel besser als die meisten Versionen von Sängern mit deutscher Muttersprache klingt. Hier ist jede Stimme einzeln zu hören und alle Töne sitzen. Dafür, das die vier Männer das gesamte Spektrum abdecken, klingt es phantastisch.
Excellent! But I still miss the wonderfull bass (Steven , was it)?
+Yiannis K I agree. He is talented, but those low notes are a little too brassy and not as full and resonate.
+isaiah baggett --we await with great anticipation a video of your incomparable bass voice.
+Yiannis K Get over it! I am fed up with all this backward looking rubbish. They are who they are. We'd all to see Stanley Matthews scoring goals, but that was THEN. This is now.
I'm with you, walshamite. What I hear in this rendition is very fine and I don't want it to be different. The bass is more than resonant enough for me.
Bit on the fast side for me but quality all the way.
I’m trying to figure out who’s singing with the super high voice? Is the short bald dude or the guy next to him?
Superb! I'd like to know the name of the place where they are singing.
England...
I would like to get the full score, can someone tell me where can I find it? Thanks, by the way and nice version! You guys sound wonderful.
It's on imslp . com
flawless performance, judging based on my little experience. but imho, Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen is for big chorus.
+M0butu Enjoy a famous version by a relatively small ensemble, The Prague Madrigalists, under Miroslav Venhoda, (from 1965), Supraphon. The organ is, I think, Jaroslav Vordrazka. play.spotify.com/album/4h803ynE2ESRZTcrW329hH It is in the key above.
al bowler love is the sweetestthing
I think not. In 1609 when Michael Praetorious published "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen", they didn't have big choruses the way they do today. Choruses started to get big during the Romantic era. 16 voices was about standard a hundred years after 1609 and possibly even smaller groups beforehand. However, when you're listening to the King's Singers, what you're typically going to hear is six singers. Here you heard four because they were going with the Praetorius harmony and it's four-part harmony. Six voices wouldn't have worked. There's no hard and fast rule about the number of voices to sing a piece like this. What I can tell you is when you have too many of them, a piece like this gets muddy and the counterpoint cannot be heard. Here part of the beauty of the performance is the clarity and precision these four accomplished singers provided.
Never would have thought of it for a big chorus! It's a very delicate, intimate carol, and I've only ever heard it done with small groups or with medium-sized choruses directed to sound small. What's your experience with performances of it?
toll
❤
Ausgezeichnete Aussprache, Hut ab!
Ich hab als Kind dieses Lied zu Heilig Abend live vom Thomanerchor in Leipzig gehört. Das berührte mich auch als Nicht-Christ ganz tief...
Balanced pronunciation, hats off!
As a child I heard this song live on Christmas Eve from the St. Thomas Choir in Leipzig. Even as a non-Christian, that recognized me very deeply ...
ua-cam.com/video/PZYxvosELds/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/FhWbJbxDds8/v-deo.html
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
That's got to be a classically trained countertenor, right? There's no way that's just a barbershop tenor with that gorgeous a falsetto.
Both David Hurley (Leftmost) and Timothy Wayne-Wright (2nd left) are classically trained countertenors.
Goed,zonder muziek,bravo
I've always thought it was a bit sad that when German is sung, you pronounce the R as a palatal tap instead of a velar fricative.
Oh, pleeeeeze.