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=                    We Three Kings Of Orient Are                    =
======================================================================

                             Introduction                             
======================================================================
"We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known
as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a
Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At
the time of composing the carol, Hopkins served as the rector of
Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and he wrote
the carol for a Christmas pageant in New York City. It was the first
widely popular Christmas carol written in America.


                                Lyrics                                
======================================================================
Three Kings of Orient
|All	We Three Kings of Orient are,	Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,	Moor and mountain,	Following yonder Star.
|'Refrain'	O Star of Wonder, Star of Night,	Star with Royal Beauty
bright,	Westward leading,	Still proceeding,	Guide us to Thy perfect
Light.
|Gaspard	Born a King on Bethlehem plain,	Gold I bring to crown Him
again,	King for ever,	Ceasing never	Over us all to reign.	'Refrain'
|Melchior	Frankincense to offer have I,	Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising	All men raising,	Worship Him God on High.
'Refrain'
|Balthazar	Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume	Breathes a life of
gathering gloom;—	Sorrowing, sighing,	Bleeding, dying,	Sealed in the
stone-cold tomb.	'Refrain'
|All	Glorious now behold Him arise,	King, and God, and Sacrifice;
Heav’n sings Hallelujah:	Hallelujah the earth replies.	'Refrain'


 Composition 
=============
\header { tagline = ##f }
\layout { indent = 0 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t
\context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" }
\context { \Voice \consists "Melody_engraver" }
}

global = { \key e \minor \time 3/8 }

chordNames = \chordmode {
\global \set midiInstrument = #"acoustic guitar (steel)"
\repeat volta 2 { e4.:m\p | e:m | b:7 | e:m }
\once \set chordChanges = ##f e:m | d | g | g | a:m | e4:m b8:7 |
e4.:m \bar "||"
d:7 | \repeat volta 2 { g | g | c | g | }
e:m | d4 g8 | c4 g8 | d4 g8 | g4 c8 | g4. | c | g \bar "|."
}

soprano = \relative c' {
\global \set midiInstrument = #"trumpet" \tempo 4=100
\repeat volta 2 { b4 a8 | g4 e8 | fis g fis | e4 r8 | }
g4 g8 | a4 a8 | b4 b8 | d (c) b | a b a | g4 fis8 | e4 r8 \bar "||"
\tempo 4=45 fis4\fermata (\tempo 4=24 a8) | \tempo 4=100 \repeat
volta 2 { g4 g8 | g4 d8 | g4 e8 | g4 r8 | }
g4 g8 | a4 b8 | c4 b8 | a4 b8 |
g4 g8 | g4 d8 | g4 e8 | g4. \bar "|."
}

alto = \relative c' {
\global \set midiInstrument = #"trumpet"
\repeat volta 2 { e4 fis8 | e4 b8 | dis dis dis | b4 r8 | }
e4 e8 | fis4 fis8 | g4 g8 | g (a) g | e e e |e4 dis8 | b4 r8 \bar
"||"
d4. | \repeat volta 2 { d4 d8 | d4 b8 |e4 c8 | d4 r8 | }
e4 e8 |fis4 g8 | g4 g8 | fis4 g8 | g4 e8 | d4 d8 | e4 c8 | d4. \bar
"|."
}

tenor = \relative c' {
\global \set midiInstrument = #"french horn"
\repeat volta 2 { g4 b8 | b4 g8 | a b a | g4 r8 | }
b4 b8 |d4 d8 | d4 d8 | d4 d8 | c c c | b4 a8 g4 r8 \bar "||"
c4.\fermata | \repeat volta 2 { b4 b8 | b4 g8 | g4 g8 | b4 r8 | }
b4 b8 |d4 d8 | e4 d8 |d4 d8 | b4 c8 | b4 g8 | g4 a8 | b4. \bar "|."
}

bass = \relative c {
\global \set midiInstrument = #"french horn"
\repeat volta 2 { e4 e8 | e4 e8 | b b b | e4 r8 | }
e4 e8 |d4 d8 | g4 g8 | b (fis) g | a a a | b4 b,8 | e4 r8 \bar "||"
d4. | \repeat volta 2 { g4 g8 | g4 g8 | c,4 c8 | g4 r8 | }
e'4 e8 | d4 g8 | c,4 g'8 | d4 g8 | g4 g8 | g4 b,8 | c4 c8 | 4. \bar
"|."
}

verse = \lyricmode {
We three kings of O -- ri -- ent are,
Field and foun -- tain, Moor and moun -- tain,
Fol -- low -- ing yon -- der star.

O star of won -- der, star of night,

West -- ward lead -- ing,
Still pro -- ceed -- ing,
Guide us to Thy per -- fect light.
}
verseR = \lyricmode { % This is a terrible hack to get the lyrics
aligned.
Bear -- ing gifts we tra -- verse a -- far,
"" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" Star with roy -- al
beau -- ty bright,
}

chordsPart = \new ChordNames { \set chordChanges = ##t \chordNames }

choirPart = \new ChoirStaff &lt;&lt;
\new Staff \with { \consists "Merge_rests_engraver" }
&lt;&lt;
\new Voice = "soprano" { \voiceOne \soprano }
\new Voice = "alto" { \voiceTwo \alto }
&gt;&gt;
\new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \verse
\new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" \verseR
\new Staff \with { \consists "Merge_rests_engraver" }
&lt;&lt;
\clef bass
\new Voice = "tenor" { \voiceOne \tenor }
\new Voice = "bass" { \voiceTwo \bass }
&gt;&gt;
&gt;&gt;

\score {
&lt;&lt;
\chordsPart
\choirPart
&gt;&gt;
\layout { }
}
\score { \unfoldRepeats { &lt;&lt; \chordsPart \\ \soprano \alto \\
\tenor \bass &gt;&gt; }
\midi {
\context { \Score midiChannelMapping = #'instrument }
\context { \Staff \remove "Staff_performer" }
\context { \Voice \consists "Staff_performer" }
}
}

:Source

John Henry Hopkins Jr. organized the carol in such a way that three
male voices would each sing a solo verse in order to correspond with
the three kings. The first and last verses of the carol are sung
together by all three as "verses of praise", while the intermediate
verses are sung individually with each king describing the gift he was
bringing. The refrain proceeds to praise the beauty of the Star of
Bethlehem. The Magi's solos are typically not observed during
contemporary performances of the carol.

The carol's melody has been described as "sad" and "shifting" in
nature. Because of this, it highly resembles a song from the Middle
Ages and Middle Eastern music, both of which it has been frequently
compared to.


 Context 
=========
The carol centres around the Biblical Magi, who visited Jesus as a
child in a Manger () sometime after his Nativity and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh while paying homage to him. Though the
event is recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, there are no further
details given in the New Testament with regards to their names, the
number of Magi that were present or whether they were even royal.
There are, however, verses in the Old Testament that foretell of the
visitors: Isaiah 60:6: "The wealth of the nations will come to you. A
multitude of camels will cover you. The young camels of Midian and
Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and
frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises of the Lord."
(New American Standard Bible), and two selections from the Psalms -
Psalm 72:10: "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay
tribute, and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts" and Psalm
72:15: "...and may there be given to him gold from Arabia" (New
American Standard Bible). Hence, the names of the Magi—Melchior,
Caspar and Balthazar—and their status as kings from the Orient are
legendary and based on tradition. The number three stems from the fact
that there were three separate gifts that were given.


                       Background and influence                       
======================================================================
At the time he was writing "We Three Kings" in 1857, John Henry
Hopkins Jr. was serving as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Although he originally worked as a
journalist for a New York newspaper and studied to become a lawyer, he
chose to join the clergy upon graduating from the University of
Vermont. Hopkins studied at the General Theological Seminary in New
York City and after graduating and being ordained a deacon in 1850, he
became its first music teacher five years later, holding the post
until 1857 alongside his ministry in the Episcopal Church.

During his final year of teaching at the seminary, Hopkins wrote "We
Three Kings" for a Christmas pageant held at the college. It was
noteworthy that Hopkins composed both the lyrics and music;
contemporary carol composers usually wrote either the lyrics or music
but not both. Originally titled "Three Kings of Orient", it was sung
within his circle of family and friends. Because of the popularity it
achieved among them, Hopkins decided to publish the carol in 1863 in
his book 'Carols, Hymns, and Songs'. It was the first Christmas carol
originating from the United States to achieve widespread popularity,
as well as the first to be featured in 'Christmas Carols Old and New',
a collection of carols that was published in the United Kingdom. In
1916, the carol was printed in the hymnal for the Episcopal Church;
that year's edition was the first to have a separate section for
Christmas songs. "We Three Kings" was also included in 'The Oxford
Book of Carols' published in 1928, which praised the song as "one of
the most successful of modern composed carols".


                           In popular music                           
======================================================================
Jazz, rock, and reggae musicians recorded "We Three Kings".
*Percy Faith (1958)
*Ramsey Lewis (1964)
*The Beach Boys (1964)
*Jethro Tull (2003) "We Five Kings"
*Blondie (2009)


                               Parodies                               
======================================================================
Since the 1950s, the carol has been frequently parodied by children.
The subject of the lyrics vary widely depending upon the region, with
references to smoking explosive rubber cigars, selling counterfeit
lingerie, or travelling to an Irish bar by taxi, car, and scooter.


                               See also                               
======================================================================
* List of Christmas carols


                            External links                            
======================================================================
*
*
[http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/we_three_kings_of_orient_are.htm
"We Three Kings of Orient Are"], images of early editions of the carol
and historical information, hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com
* [http://cantorion.org/musicsearch/title/We%20Three%20Kings Sheet
music], Cantorion.org


 License 
=========
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Three_Kings_Of_Orient_Are