December 13 - Heinrich Heine; Phillips Brooks (The Musical Birthday Series)

Today's offerings are not musicians, but rather writers whose works were used by composers in vocal works. 


Heinrich Heine (13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a great German Romantic lyric poet.

Auf Flügeln des Gesanges

For a German Romantic musician

It was almost the default position

When seeking for verse

Both lyric and terse

To reach for a Heine edition.

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ 

Phillips Brooks (December 13, 1835 – January 23, 1893) was a Boston clergyman and author of the hymn considered below.

Alternate Tunes

In England, as preferred by them,

“O Little Town of Bethlehem”

    Is sung to Forest Green.

While in the States the tune St. Louis

Is what is most familiar to us,

   Chromatic and serene.

Sir Walford Davies added more,

And hymn books offer half a score

   To vary the routine.

Whichever setting we may use

It’s Phillips Brooks’s verse we choose

   To set the Christmas scene.

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