Description
Es ist ein Reis entsprungen is a 16th century Christmas carol of German origin. In English it is most commonly known as Lo, how a rose e’er blooming but there are also translations in which it is called A Spotless Rose and Behold a Rose of Judah. The rose in the German text is a symbolic reference to the Virgin Mary.
It is most commonly sung to a melody harmonized by the German composer Michael Praetorius in 1609. The carol has been set by a number of composers over the centuries including Brahms, Herbert Howells and Schoenberg. The version arranged here is by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. He wrote his version of Es ist ein Reis entsprungen in 1906/7 when he was in his early 20s and studying with Schoenberg. Both composers had yet to venture into the world of atonality and 12-tone technique and they were still very much influenced by the music of the high romantic period.
Berg’s setting is very beautiful. An unusual addition to the Christmas repertoire.
Here in free PDF arrangements for wind quintet and wind quartet.
