Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Perhaps the most famous German Christmas carol of all, at least in the USA, is this one that was first performed by Joseph Mohr, accompanied by guitar, at a small church in Oberndorf, Austria, on Christmas Eve in 1818. Name that tune!
2. Although the next carol includes the word "Christmas" in its English translation, the German does not. It does talk about a tree that stays green in the wintertime, however. Which is it?
3. Christmas carols are never sung better than by one of the famous German or Austrian boys' or children's choirs. On their album, "Angel Voices," the Bad Tölz Boys' Choir (Tölzer Knabenchor) sings this song, one of my favorites, "Angels We Have Heard on High." What is it in German?
4. Well, we can't have a quiz on German Christmas songs without including one by Martin Luther. He wrote this song in 1534. A portion of the first verse was translated thus in 1855 by Catherine Winkworth: "...I come to bear good news to every home; glad tidings of great joy..." Which song is it?
5. It's hard to top the Vienna Boys' Choir singing a carol that evokes the beauty of a winter night, and including, "...freue dich, Christkind kommt bald" ("rejoice, the Christ child is coming soon") makes this one of my favorites. Which of these is it?
6. I must admit that when I first heard Heintje sing this song, I did not realize it was a Christmas carol, but after having bought several German Christmas albums through the years, I see it from time to time. And when I found the lyrics, I see one verse even says, "...kannst Du in der Krippe das Christkind sehen." My internet sources say it is a traditional Bavarian song in dialect. Since I enjoy Heintje's version and others sing it at Christmastime, I'm putting it in this quiz. Can you name it?
7. While high-schoolers are not small children, I always enjoyed teaching them this carol. Then we would go caroling in the elementary school buildings and sing it to the small children there. With these clues, which carol of the following is most appropriately described?
8. When does the Christ child come down to earth where we mortals are? This German Christmas carol answers that very question. Which is it?
9. One of Germany's most traditional carols is next. Dating back to the 15th Century, it includes among its lyrics (translated into English) this: "...it came, a flower bright, amid the cold of winter..." What song is this that includes the aforementioned line in German as: "...und hat ein Blümlein bracht mitten im kalten Winter..."?
10. The source of our final offering takes us back to 1938 and a German music revue film. The revue was called, in English, "The Stars Shine," and the song bears the same name. I found it on an album released in October of 2015 called "Weihnachten im Alpenland." The song is sung by a group called the Kärntner Viergesang, or the Carinthian Quartet. Which of the following is it?
Source: Author
shvdotr
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
agony before going online.
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