Mitt hjerte alltid vanker
"Mitt hjerte alltid vanker" ("My Heart Always Wanders") is an old Danish Christmas song, released as a single with Norwegian singer Sissel in 1995. The original Danish lyrics for "Mit hjerte altid vanker" (Danish title) were written by bishop and hymn writer Hans Adolph Brorson. It first came out in print in 1731.[1] These were later set to a melody composed by Carl Nielsen, with Thomas Laub's correspondence.[1] Nielsen also had assistance with Paul Hellmuth in making the harmonies for the song.[1]
| "Mitt hjerte alltid vanker" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Sissel | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Christian, Christmas | |||
| Sissel singles chronology | ||||
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Like the lyrics, Carl Nielsen's melody is meditative and introverted without any drama. It spans only one octave and, for the most part, consists of incremental progressive quarter nodes. The structure of the melody process itself is also quite simple. The first four beats are repeated, after which the melody, in a broken triad, swings up to the highest tune of the melody, so that over the next sixteen beats it moves slowly down to the root in incremental movements.[1]
Thus, text and music are both simple, calm and reflective of the story of the gospel.[1]
Carola Häggkvist recorded the song on her 1999 Christmas album Jul i Betlehem.[2]
References
- "Forunderligt at sige - Det Kongelige Bibliotek". www.kb.dk. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
- "Jul i Betlehem" (in Swedish). Swedish Mediadatabse. 1999. Retrieved 30 December 2013.