Højt fra træets grønne top" blev skrevet til juleaften i København i året 1847 af en far, som ville glæde sin familie med en julesang. Jubelen havde endnu ikke lagt sig efter "sejren" over prøjserne og juletræet, som netop i disse år var ved at finde vej til danske hjem, blev pyntet med symboler for Danmark og den "sejrrige "krig: guirlander med dannebrogsflag, trommen på grenen, som "Peter har så kær", trompeter og sabler. Og gaverne vidner om national stolthed: "Vid det er en ære Dannebrog at bære!" 

Sangskriveren er Peter Faber. De personer, som nævnes i sangen, holdt jul hos familien Faber det år. Og det er i høj grad beskrivelsen i denne sang, der foruden "Peters Jul" indeholder beskrivelsen af en "ægte" dansk jul.

Sangen viste sig at være så god Peter Faber får sin gode ven, komponisten Emil Horneman, til at sætte musik til. Og sammen udgiver de den som skillingvise. Det ender med at sangen bliver en af de mest populære julesange nogen sinde. Og sådan er det stadigt - de fleste danske familier har den på programmet hvert år, når der danses om træet. 

Familien Faber boede på Gammel Strand nr. 10, 3.sal midt i København. Den var en del af byens borgerskab - altså en fin familie, som ikke manglede penge. I stuen stod været fine blanke mahognimøbler, lette hvide gardiner af mol ved vinduerne og et fint pyntet juletræ. Familien drak kaffe og chokolade af kongeligt porcelæn og spiste småkager og sukkergodt, der svarer til vores juleslik.

Det år skulle Peter Faber og hans kone Frantzine holde jul for deres første barn - den 11 mdr. gamle søn William - og med til julefesten havde de inviteret Peters bror Niels Faber og hans kone Elisabeth, som i øvrigt var søster til Frantzine, og deres 3 børn - Anna Margrethe på 9 (i sangen kaldet Anna), Peter på 7 og Frandsine på 2½ (i sangen kaldet Sine). Brødrenes far, børnenes bedstefar, Rasmus Faber, var også med til julefesten. Desuden deltog husets 2 unge tjenestepiger Hanne og Lotte. 

Børnene har naturligvis fundet det meget morsomt, sådan at være med i julesangen. 

Om Sine fortælles i strofe 2 (= 2. vers), at hun er så ivrig efter at få pillet sin dukke ned fra træet, at hun næsten får "kvalt" dukkebarnet i snoren - dengang hang gaverne nemlig uindpakket på træet.

Om Peter fortælles i strofe 3, at han har fået øje på den gren, hvorpå der hænger en tromme, som han mener, må være gaven til en rask dreng som ham. Da familien danser om træet, standser Peter hver gang, han befinder sig ud for trommen. Om Anna fortælles i strofe 4, at hun utålmodigt venter på sin pakke, som er uldstof til en ny vinterfrakke. Man syede selv sit tøj dengang, og da Anna selv er dygtig til at sy, fortjener hun det dyre fine stof.

Strofe 5 var ikke med i den oprindelige udgave. Det er det vers, hvor "Henrik" nævnes. Der vat ikke nogen "Henrik" tilstede den juleaften hos familien Faber. Henrik er en opdigtet person, som blev digtet ind i sangen, da den året efter blev trykt som skillingsvise ... og altså kunne købes af befolkningen. I skillingsvisen inkluderedes verset med Henrik. "Henrik" rimer jo på "Fændrik". Fændrik er en militærgrad mellem løjtnant og sergent - en fændrik fører altså kommando over soldater i krig. Peter Faber ville vise Danmark ære i de svære krigsår under 3-årskrigen mod svenskerne 1848-50.

Om den lille William fortælles i den originale sangs strofe 6, at han gerne må lege med guldpapiret, men at han skal passe på indholdet - det er nemlig til hans amme. Dengang var det normalt, at fine fruer ikke selv ammede deres barn, men betalte en fremmed kvinde for at amme den lille. 

(Denne 6. strofe er tilsyneladende gledet helt uf af sangen i alle moderne udgaver, såvel de trykte, som på CD).

I strofe 7 nævnes bedstefar, som får en dejlig varm hue, samt Lotte og Hanne, som har fremstillet huen. Selvom der ikke bliver nævnt noget om gaver til de to tjenestepiger, må det imidlertid være en ære for dem, sådan at blive nævnt i familiesangen. 

I strof 8 fortæller Peter Faber, at han nu er træt af legen og trænger til julegodter, som hans kone, "moder", er i køkkenet efter. Og han sluttet sangen med at sige dét, som er blevet alle tiders julecitat: "julen varer længe, koster mange penge". 

Peter Faber (1810 - 1877)
Statstelegrafdirektør og praktisk naturvidenskabsmand

Peter Faber, der skrev vor mest kendte julesang - "Højt fra træets grønne top" og soldatervisen - "Dengang jeg drog af sted", var af tysk afstamning. Familien Faber fra Sødinge i Ringe sogn nedstammer på mandssiden fra den i Lübech fødte Matthias Bückmann, der i året 1667 blev ansat som gartner på herregården Gelskov i Sallinge, Hillerslev sogn.
 

   "Højt fra træets grønne top" was written one Christmas Eve in Copenhagen in the year 1847 by a father who wanted to please his family with a Christmas song. The cheers had not yet faded away after the victory over the Prussians, and the Christmas tree that in those days were finding its way to the Danish homes, were decorated with symbols of Denmark and the victorious war: Festoons with a Dannebrog flag, the drumming on the twig which Peter love so deeply, trumpets and swords. And the presents bore witness of national pried: "Know it is an honour Dannebrog to carry!" 

The song writer is Peter Faber. The persons mentioned in the song had their Christmas with the Faber family this year. And it is to a great extend the description in this song that besides "Peters Jul" contains the account of a real Danish Christmas. 

The song turned out to be so good that Peter Faber lead his good friend, the composer Emil Horneman, to put notes on it. And together they publish it as a broadsheet ballad. It ended up being one of the most popular Christmas songs ever sung. And this is still the case – most of the Danish families include it in their program each year, when they dance around the Christmas tree. 

The Faber family lived on Gammel Strand Nr. 10, 3. floor in the middle of Copenhagen. The family belonged to the middle classes – that is it was a distinguished family who wasn't short of money. In the living room were shining mahogany furniture, light, white curtains of muslin by the windows and a fine decorated Christmas tree. The family drank coffee and chocolate made of royal porcelain and ate sweet biscuits and candy that corresponds to our Christmas goodies. 

That year Faber and his wife Frantzine should celebrate Christmas for their first child – the eleven month old son William, and to the Christmas celebration they had invited Peter's brother Niels Faber and his wife Elisabeth (who actually was a sister of Frantzine) together with there tree children, Anna Margrethe, 9 years of age (the song called Anna), Peter who was 7 and Frandsine, 2½ years of age (in the song called Sine). The children's father, their grandfather, Rasmus Faber was also present at this feast. Further more the two young maids of the house Hanne and Lotte were also participating. 

Of course the children found it amusing being in the Christmas song. 

About Sine it is said that she were so eager to get her doll down from the tree that she almost got the child struggled in the string – at that time the presents hung unwrapped on the tree. 

About Peter it is told (in verse 3) that he spotted the branch where a drum is hanging which he feel must be the present for a plucky boy like him. When the family is dancing around the Christmas tree, Peter stops every time he finds himself towards the drum. 

About Anna it is told (in verse 4) that she impatiently waits for her package, wool material for a new winter coat. In those days one sewed ones own clothing, and as to the fact that Anna herself is good at sewing, she deserves the fine expensive fabric. 

Verse 5 did not appear in the original edition. It is the verse where Henrik is mentioned. No such person was present on that Christmas Eve at the Faber family. Henrik is a fictitious person who came into the song, when the year after it was printed as a broadsheet ballad and so could be bought by the population. In the broadsheet ballad is included a verse with Henrik. Henrik rhymes with "Fændrik". Fændrik is a military rank between lieutenant and sergeant – a Fændrik being in charge of soldiers at war. Peter Faber wanted to show Denmark the honour during the difficult 3-years war against the Swedes in 1848 – 50. 

About the little William it is told in the original verse 6 of the song that he can play with the golden paper, but that he must beware of the contents: this is namely for his nurse. At that time it was normal that fine ladies did not nurse their child themselves but paid a stranger to do it. 

(This 6. verse is apparently dropped out of the song in all modern editions both the printed editions as well as those on CD). 

In verse 7 grandfather is mentioned who is given a nice warm cap together with Lotte og Hanne who knitted it. Even if nothing is mentioned about presents for the two maids, it must have been an honour for them to be mentioned in the family song. 

In verse 8 Peter Faber now says that he is getting tired of the game and that he needs some Christmas sweets, which his wife has went to the kitchen to get. And he ends the song by saying what has become the Christmas quotation of all time: "Julen varer længe, koster mange penge." 

Peter Faber (1810 – 1877). 
Governments telegraph director and a practical scientist. Peter Faber, who wrote our best known Christmas song "Højt fra træets grønne top" and the army song "Dengang jeg drog fasted" was of German descend. The Faber family from Sødinge in Ringe parish, comes from (on their male line) Matthias Bückmann, born in Lübeck. In 1667 he was employed as a gardener on the estate Gelskov in Sallinge, Hillerslev parish. 

Peter Faber was a skilful man. He collected family history and autobiographical pieces of information. These collections contain many interesting information which can seem pretty surprising. 

In fact he was known mostly for the ballads and songs he wrote. When we here the Christmas song, Faber is as a rule invited to the feast. Throughout his life songs and verses were flowing from his pen at any occasion in the many different environments he visited. 

The most popular of his songs: "Højt fra træets grønne top", "Sikken voldsom trængsel og alarm" and "Den tapre landsoldat" brought him honour and fame. It is first of all for these tunes he is remembered today. According to his family and friends throughout his life Peter Faber was a carefree soul, who took the challenges of the life as well as its possibilities as the came. 

But apart from that he was a practical scientist. As the director of the state-supported telegraph through many years (1852 – 1877) he got a crucial role for enlarging the Danish telegraph net. To Peter Faber his life work was lying first of all in his achievements as a graduate of engineering. 

Being inspector of Polyteknisk Læreanstalt Peter Faber carefully followed the development of the new electromagnetic telegraphing devise. On the imitative of the General post direction together with Professor H. C. Ørsted he worked out a rapport about the possibilities for building telegraph lines in Denmark. Faber's insight in the new technology made him an obvious person as in 1852 a new director was appointed for the new telegraph line between Helsingør and Hamborg. At the opening of Øresundslinien in 1854 he took the full responsibility for the operation and the further construction of telegraph lines in the country. 

It was not a major company that Faber took over the management. On the nine lines of Øresundslinien just under 35 persons was employed. His first essential challenges were to improve the many technical weaknesses of the line. He realized early the limited life span for the subterranean cables and he gradually replaced them with air cables. 

After a hesitating start the Danish telegraphing was getting moving during the 1860'ties and 1870'ties. During Peter Faber's 25 years as the director the telegraph net grew from around 530 kilometres to well over 2,800 kilometres. The 9 stations had gradually grown to 200 spread all over the country. At that time Faber was the chief for 300 employees. 

He considers himself his work keeping the telegraph contact between Danish troops during the second Slesvig war in 1863 – 1864 to be the most important achievement in his life. War, bad weather and other obstacles could not keep Faber from his work. He died in 1877 from pneumonia, he had got during an inspection travel in cold and damped weather.

 Translation: Erik Morsing (forfatter)