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- O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)
A German folk tune with Christmas words from 1824, sung in German: the opening “O Tannenbaum,” a middle part a fifth higher and the opening again, in three with a dotted rhythm.
O Tannenbaum is a German folk tune. Its Christmas words come from Ernst Anschütz, a Leipzig teacher, who in 1824 kept the first verse of an older song and made the rest about the tree alone. You sing that first verse in German, with the line most people know today, “wie grün sind deine Blätter”: the opening, a middle part a fifth higher, and the opening again. It moves in three with a dotted long-short rhythm and has 46 notes in about 25 seconds.
How to do it
- Wait for the two count-in clicks; the piano plays the first phrase alone, then plays along.
- Sing “O Tannenbaum” with the dotted rhythm: a long “Tan-,” a short “nen,” and “baum” on the same note.
- On “deine,” drop from the top of the line to the note just below the root and land it cleanly.
- Start the middle part, “Du grünst,” a fifth higher and reach the top note on “nur” without pushing.
Coach's tip: Sing the dotted “Tan-nen” long-short and keep the three notes of “Tannenbaum” at one height. On “deine,” the tune drops a tritone to the note just below the root – hear it before you sing it.
What to watch out for
The repeated notes of “Tannenbaum” tend to sag, especially the long “baum” in the second half of the line, so keep them at one height. The drop on “deine” spans a tritone, an unusual interval that often lands too high. The short sixteenth note likes to disappear; give it its own pitch. Keep the three-beat swing light and don't rush the short rests between the parts.
Who it's for
Level 1, for beginners and anyone who wants a short carol that almost everyone knows. Warm up with 5-note scale and Interval: perfect fourth. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often if you chose the Folk / country style. It works as a light opener or a quick closer.
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