O Tannenbaum
O Tannenbaum (German: [oː ˈtanənbaʊm]; O fir tree), known in English as O Christmas Tree, is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song that was unrelated to the holiday, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree.
== History ==
The modern lyrics were written in 1824 by the Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz. A Tannenbaum is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir's evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness.
Anschütz based his text on a 16th-century Silesian folk song by Melchior Franck, Ach Tannenbaum. In 1819 August Zarnack wrote a tragic love song inspired by this folk song, taking the evergreen, faithful fir tree as contrasting with a faithless lover. The folk song first became associated with Christmas with Anschütz, who added two verses of his own to the first, traditional verse. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in the course of the 19th century, and the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol. Anschütz's version still had treu (true, faithful) as the adjective describing the fir's leaves (needles), harking back to the contrast to the faithless maiden of the folk song. This was changed to grün (green) at some point in the 20th century, after the song had come to be associated with Christmas.
== Melody ==The tune is an old folk tune attested in the 16th century. It is also known as the tune of Es lebe hoch der Zimmermannsgeselle and of Lauriger Horatius.
== Lyrics ==
== Other uses ==
The tune has also been used (as a contrafactum) to carry other texts on many occasions. Notable uses include:The Red Flag, anthem of the British and Irish Labour Parties
Florida – Florida, My Florida, former state song
Maryland – Maryland, My Maryland, former state song
Michigan – Michigan, My Michigan, widely believed to be the official state song
Iowa – The Song of Iowa, official state song
Labrador – Ode to Labrador, regional anthem
Dickinson College's alma mater, Noble Dickinsonia, with words written by Horatio Collins King.
The College of the Holy Cross's alma mater is sung to the tune of O Tannenbaum.
When traveling by bus, schoolchildren in Sweden sing En busschaufför (Swedish for a bus driver) or Vår busschaufför (Our bus driver) to the melody.
St. Bonaventure University alma mater, With Myrtle Wreath We'll Deck Thy Brow
Scout Vespers, used by the Boy Scouts of America, is sung to the melody. Similarly, Softly Falls in which used by the Girl Scouts of the USA, is sung to the melody, as referenced in the song On My Honor.
In the  1988 movie Moon over Parador, the Parador National Anthem is sung to the melody.
List of Christmas carols
Snoopy's Christmas

== External links ==Eglite – old recording of the song and article from The Hermann von Helmholtz Center for Cultural Technology (in German)
Notes O Tannenbaum (sheet music in GIF)
O Tannenbaum multilingual – MIDI and lyrics for O Tannenbaum and O Christmas Tree
Sheet music in JPEG format, MIDI, and lyrics to O Tannenbaum
Lyrics and MP3 of O Christmas Tree by the Layaways
Free-scores.com