German composer Peter Cornelius composed his song cycle ‘Weihnachtslieder’ (‘Christmas Songs’), Opus 8, in 1856. Cornelius, who also was a gifted writer and had first pursued a career as an actor, wrote the poems on six topics. Apparently he completed the text for the cycle before he composed the music. He revised the music in 1859 on a recommendation by Franz Liszt who also gave him ideas such as quoting the melodies of related older Christmas carols in the piano accompaniment. ‘Christbaum’ (‘Christmas Tree’) is the first song of six in the cycle and is now transcribed for voice with accompaniment of a Woodwind Ensemble by Dutch arranger Jos van de Braak.