I was browsing about today and found this wonderful song cycle by Peter Cornelius. I’ve seen it before and even performed one of the songs, The Three Kings, but I was delighted to see it online for free.

• Weihnachtslieder, Op.8 (Cornelius, Peter) - this link will take you to imslp.org

My favorite of these is the second version of Die Könige or The Three Kings. It is a true classic for the classical Christmas soloist. The melody floats over a chorale played in the piano, reminiscent of a Bach cantata - I’m sure that’s the effect Cornelius intended.

Here is the acappella version:

• The Three Kings for SATB and Soloist - this link will take you to CantateDomino.org

Here is a video of King’s College performing The Three Kings acappella: