The opening stanza is about the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem. The middle three stanzas explain a meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold signified royalty, and frankincense, deity. Myrrh foretold that the Christ child was born to die. The last stanza summarizes the song, calling Jesus the “King and God and Sacrifice,” and ending in a peal of alleluias.
The Epiphany carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” was composed by John Henry Hopkins in 1857 and later published in his book Carols, Hymns, and Songs in 1863. However, the first line of the song contains two historical inaccuracies. Firstly, the visitors from the East were magi rather than kings. Secondly, while Matthew 2:11 mentions three gifts presented to Jesus, there is no specific mention of three magi; this association is based on tradition rather than biblical evidence. Nonetheless, it has become a longstanding tradition and the remainder of the song focuses on these three gifts without mentioning their bearers.
There are five stanzas and a refrain. The first stanza describes the journey of the magi, following the star. The next three stanzas elaborate on the significance of each gift, and the final stanza summarizes the song. The only significant textual variation is the last line of the fifth stanza, which is given several renditions with the same basic meaning: the whole creation echoes the joy that Christ has come.
Contents
- 0.0.1 Tune:
- 0.0.2 The Lyrics of We Three Kings From the Orient
- 0.0.3 Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
- 0.0.4 Lyrics of We Three Kings from the East
- 0.0.5 We Three Kings From the East: Lyrics
- 0.0.6 Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
- 0.0.7 Lyrics of We Three Kings from the East
- 0.0.8 We Three Kings From the East: Song Lyrics
- 0.0.9 Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
- 0.0.10 Lyrics: We Are the Three Kings from the East
- 0.0.11 The Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
- 1 The origin of the song We Three Kings
- 2 The significance of the Three Kings
- 3 Does We Three Kings pertain to the wise men?
- 4 Are Three Kings of the Catholic faith?
Tune:
Hopkins composed the melody KINGS OF ORIENT specifically for his lyrics, and it was initially released together with them. This tune can be sung in harmony during the opening and closing verses as well as each refrain, but should be sung in unison during the middle verses. When deciding on a tempo and atmosphere for this song, envision the smooth pace of a camel and the vibrant hues of a caravan from the Middle East.
The Lyrics of We Three Kings From the Orient
This hymn is most appropriate for Epiphany, and may be one of the first songs to come to mind about the story of the magi in Matthew 2. The first published edition of this song was arranged for a trio of men, representing the three kings. They were given the names Gaspard (or Caspar, who sang the melody), Melchior, and Balthazar. The following instructions were given in a footnote: “Each of verses 2, 3, and 4, is sung as a solo to the music of Gaspard’s part to the 1st and 5th verses, the accompaniment and chorus being the same throughout. Only verses 1 and 5 are sung as a trio.” A brief instrumental interlude followed the refrain. contains an arrangement for congregational accompaniment on organ and tambourine that loosely follows Hopkins’ suggestions.
Often, this hymn is sung as a song from a Western culture. Though it was written by an American of European descent, the tune also has the potential to be performed in a manner reminiscent of the Middle Eastern culture in which the Christmas and Epiphany stories actually took place. Two arrangements that can give ideas for this are the organ setting in and the setting for handbells, percussion, and keyboard or synthesizer,
Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
The opening stanza is about the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem. The middle three stanzas explain a meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold signified royalty, and frankincense, deity. Myrrh foretold that the Christ child was born to die. The last stanza summarizes the song, calling Jesus the “King and God and Sacrifice,” and ending in a peal of alleluias.
The carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” was written by John Henry Hopkins in 1857 and published in his book Carols, Hymns, and Songs in 1863. However, the first line of the song contains two historical inaccuracies. Firstly, the visitors from the East were magi and not kings. Secondly, while Matthew 2:11 mentions three gifts, there is no mention of three magi specifically assigned to each gift; this detail is based on tradition rather than biblical evidence. Nonetheless, it has become a long-standing tradition and the remainder of the song focuses on the significance of these three gifts without mentioning their bearers.
There are five stanzas and a refrain. The first stanza describes the journey of the magi, following the star. The next three stanzas elaborate on the significance of each gift, and the final stanza summarizes the song. The only significant textual variation is the last line of the fifth stanza, which is given several renditions with the same basic meaning: the whole creation echoes the joy that Christ has come.
Lyrics of We Three Kings from the East
Hopkins composed the melody KINGS OF ORIENT specifically for his lyrics, and it was initially released together with them. The melody allows for harmonious singing during the first and last verses as well as the refrain, while unison singing is suitable for the middle verses. When selecting a tempo and atmosphere, envision the relaxed pace of a camel and the vibrant hues of a caravan in the Middle East.
We Three Kings From the East: Lyrics
This hymn is most appropriate for Epiphany, and may be one of the first songs to come to mind about the story of the magi in Matthew 2. The first published edition of this song was arranged for a trio of men, representing the three kings. They were given the names Gaspard (or Caspar, who sang the melody), Melchior, and Balthazar. The following instructions were given in a footnote: “Each of verses 2, 3, and 4, is sung as a solo to the music of Gaspard’s part to the 1st and 5th verses, the accompaniment and chorus being the same throughout. Only verses 1 and 5 are sung as a trio.” A brief instrumental interlude followed the refrain. contains an arrangement for congregational accompaniment on organ and tambourine that loosely follows Hopkins’ suggestions.
Frequently, the hymn is sung in a Western style despite being composed by an American of European origin. However, the melody has the capacity to be performed in a way that reflects the Middle Eastern culture where the Christmas and Epiphany narratives originated. Two arrangements that can serve as inspiration for this are an organ version and a rendition using handbells, percussion, keyboard or synthesizer.
Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
The opening stanza is about the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem. The middle three stanzas explain a meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold signified royalty, and frankincense, deity. Myrrh foretold that the Christ child was born to die. The last stanza summarizes the song, calling Jesus the “King and God and Sacrifice,” and ending in a peal of alleluias.
John Henry Hopkins penned this carol during the year 1857, and it was initially included in his publication titled Carols, Hymns, and Songs in 1863. The opening line of the song contains two historical inaccuracies. Firstly, the individuals from the East were magi rather than kings. Secondly, while Matthew 2:11 mentions three gifts, there is no biblical confirmation that there were also three magi – one for each gift; this notion stems from tradition. Nonetheless, this longstanding tradition is not mentioned further in the song as it primarily focuses on the three gifts without specifying their bearers.
There are five stanzas and a refrain. The first stanza describes the journey of the magi, following the star. The next three stanzas elaborate on the significance of each gift, and the final stanza summarizes the song. The only significant textual variation is the last line of the fifth stanza, which is given several renditions with the same basic meaning: the whole creation echoes the joy that Christ has come.
Lyrics of We Three Kings from the East
Hopkins composed the melody KINGS OF ORIENT specifically for his lyrics, and it was initially released together with them. The melody allows for harmonious singing during the first and last verses as well as the refrains, while the middle verses are meant to be sung in unison. When selecting a tempo and setting a mood for this song, envision the leisurely pace of a camel and the vibrant atmosphere of a Middle Eastern caravan.
We Three Kings From the East: Song Lyrics
This hymn is most appropriate for Epiphany, and may be one of the first songs to come to mind about the story of the magi in Matthew 2. The first published edition of this song was arranged for a trio of men, representing the three kings. They were given the names Gaspard (or Caspar, who sang the melody), Melchior, and Balthazar. The following instructions were given in a footnote: “Each of verses 2, 3, and 4, is sung as a solo to the music of Gaspard’s part to the 1st and 5th verses, the accompaniment and chorus being the same throughout. Only verses 1 and 5 are sung as a trio.” A brief instrumental interlude followed the refrain. contains an arrangement for congregational accompaniment on organ and tambourine that loosely follows Hopkins’ suggestions.
Frequently, the hymn is sung in a Western style despite being composed by an American of European origin. However, the melody has the capacity to be performed in a way that reflects the Middle Eastern culture where the Christmas and Epiphany narratives originated. Two arrangements that can serve as inspiration for this are the organ version and the arrangement for handbells, percussion, keyboard or synthesizer.
Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
The opening stanza is about the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem. The middle three stanzas explain a meaning for each of the three gifts. Gold signified royalty, and frankincense, deity. Myrrh foretold that the Christ child was born to die. The last stanza summarizes the song, calling Jesus the “King and God and Sacrifice,” and ending in a peal of alleluias.
John Henry Hopkins penned this carol during the year 1857 and later included it in his publication, Carols, Hymns, and Songs in 1863. The opening line of the song contains two historical inaccuracies. Firstly, the individuals from the East were magi rather than kings. Secondly, while Matthew 2:11 mentions three gifts, there is no explicit mention of three magi in the Bible; this association is based on tradition. Nonetheless, this tradition has endured over time and subsequent verses of the song focus solely on the significance of these three gifts without mentioning their bearers.
There are five stanzas and a refrain. The first stanza describes the journey of the magi, following the star. The next three stanzas elaborate on the significance of each gift, and the final stanza summarizes the song. The only significant textual variation is the last line of the fifth stanza, which is given several renditions with the same basic meaning: the whole creation echoes the joy that Christ has come.
Lyrics: We Are the Three Kings from the East
Hopkins composed the melody KINGS OF ORIENT specifically for his lyrics, and it was initially released together with them. The melody can be sung in harmony during the first and last verses as well as every refrain, but should be sung in unison during the middle verses. When selecting a tempo and atmosphere for this song, envision the relaxed pace of a camel and the vibrant hues of a Middle Eastern caravan.
The Lyrics of We Three Kings from the Orient
This hymn is most appropriate for Epiphany, and may be one of the first songs to come to mind about the story of the magi in Matthew 2. The first published edition of this song was arranged for a trio of men, representing the three kings. They were given the names Gaspard (or Caspar, who sang the melody), Melchior, and Balthazar. The following instructions were given in a footnote: “Each of verses 2, 3, and 4, is sung as a solo to the music of Gaspard’s part to the 1st and 5th verses, the accompaniment and chorus being the same throughout. Only verses 1 and 5 are sung as a trio.” A brief instrumental interlude followed the refrain. contains an arrangement for congregational accompaniment on organ and tambourine that loosely follows Hopkins’ suggestions.
Frequently, the We Three Kings Of Orient Are hymn is sung in a Western style. However, despite being composed by an American of European ancestry, the melody has the potential to be performed in a way that reflects the Middle Eastern culture where the Christmas and Epiphany stories originated. Two arrangements that can serve as inspiration for this are an organ version and a rendition featuring handbells, percussion, and either a keyboard or synthesizer.
The origin of the song We Three Kings
In this timeless hymn, each verse focuses on one of the three kings and their symbolic gifts for baby Jesus. The first king is Melchior from Arabia, who presents gold as a symbol of royalty and wealth. The second king is Caspar from India, offering frankincense which signifies divinity and worship. Lastly, Balthazar from Africa brings myrrh as a representation of mortality and sacrifice.
Despite being written over a century ago by John Hopkins in England¹² , this carol has transcended time and cultural boundaries to become an integral part of Christmas celebrations around the world today. Its enduring popularity can be attributed to its beautiful melody combined with meaningful lyrics that retell an important biblical story during Christmastime.
The significance of the Three Kings
The celebration known as the Feast of Epiphany takes place on January 6, exactly 12 days after Christmas. This significant event is rooted in the biblical story of the Three Kings, who are also referred to as wise men or magi. These three individuals, named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, embarked on a journey guided by the Star of Bethlehem in search of the birthplace of Baby Jesus.
Today, many cultures celebrate Epiphany with various customs and traditions. In India specifically, Christians commemorate this occasion through special church services where prayers are offered and hymns are sung in honor of the Three Kings. Additionally, some communities engage in processions or reenactments depicting their journey towards Bethlehem.
Does We Three Kings pertain to the wise men?
The song begins by introducing the three kings or wise men who came from distant lands known as Orient. They are often referred to as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar in Christian tradition. The lyrics describe them following a star that guided them towards Bethlehem where they sought to find and worship the newborn King.
As they journeyed through deserts and mountains, enduring hardships along the way, these three kings were filled with anticipation and excitement about meeting this special child. The carol portrays their determination to reach their destination despite challenges such as harsh weather conditions or unfamiliar territories.
“We Three Kings of Orient Are” captures not only the physical journey undertaken by these wise men but also highlights their spiritual quest for truth and faith. It serves as a reminder of how people from different backgrounds can come together in unity to honor something greater than themselves – an infant who would later become known as Jesus Christ – bringing hope and salvation to all mankind.
Are Three Kings of the Catholic faith?
Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany, is a significant celebration observed by Roman Catholics on January 6th. This day marks the culmination of the 12 days of Christmas and holds great religious importance. While Christmas Day itself commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, it is believed that the three Wise Men or Kings did not arrive to visit him until twelve days later.
The reason behind celebrating Three Kings Day on the 12th day of Christmas lies in biblical accounts. According to Christian tradition, these wise men traveled from distant lands following a star that led them to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. It took them twelve days to complete their journey and present their gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – to honor the newborn King.