"We Three Kings", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol written by Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who wrote both the lyrics and the music as part of a Christmas pageant for the General Theological Seminary in New York City. It is suggested to have been written in 1857 but did not appear in print until his Carols, Hymns and Song in 1863. Hopkins composed the song in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he was a pastor at Christ Episcopal Church (which still stands at the corner of Fourth and Mulberry Streets).[1]
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Recordings
- The Beach Boys recorded a version with an orchestral arrangement by Dick Reynolds on their 1964 album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.
- The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan did a version of this song which they combined with another carol, " God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," for their 2004 Christmas album Barenaked for the Holidays.
- Harry Connick, Jr. on his 2008 album What a Night! A Christmas Album.
- Odds originally recorded a version of the song on the 1991 A Lump of Coal compilation. It reappeared most recently on their 2000 greatest hits album Singles: Individually Wrapped.
- Kamelot played an instrumental of "We Three Kings" on their first live album.
- Burl Ives sings this song on his album Christmas at the White House (1972).
- Aly & AJ did a cover of this song on their 2006 Christmas album Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
- Toby Keith covered the song on his 2007 album A Classic Christmas.
- Patti Smith - A Very Special Christmas 3 album, (1997)
- Bradley Joseph - solo piano arrangement on his 2008 album, Classic Christmas.
- Andrew Parrott and the Taverner Consort on their 1993 EMI album The Carols Album 2, using the original arrangement.
- John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers on their 1997 album Christmas Star
- Martin Neary and the Choir of Westminster Abbey on their 1997 album Christmas Carols from Westminster Abbey
- Antony Pitts and Tonus Peregrinus on the 2003 album The Naxos Book of Carols[2]
- Lycia on their 2001 release Compilation Appearances Volume 2
- Jonas Brothers recorded "Joyful Kings," a combination of this song and "Joy to the World" for the Target exclusive Christmas album All Wrapped Up.
- Blackhawk covered the song in 1998 on the "Country Cares for Kids" album.
- Overboard recorded a dance remix version for their 2008 holiday album, "Tidings".
- Steve Ouimette recorded an instrumental version of "We Three Kings" as a playable track in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
- Rob Halford covers this song for his solo album Halford III - Winter Songs
- Tori Amos recorded a version of the carol for her solstice album, Midwinter Graces
See also
References
- ^ "Biography of Rev. John Henry Hopkins". http://poetry.poetryx.com/poets/108/bio/. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
- ^ www.naxoscarols.com
Further reading
- Fuld, James (1966). The Book of World Famous Music Classical, Popular and Folk.
External links
- Images of early editions of the carol and historical information[1]
- Free typeset sheet music from Cantorion.org
- Lyrics to We Three Kings
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