Hans C. von Schweinitz

Schweinitz, Hans Christoph von, of Friedrichsdorf and Niederleube, son of Baron Hans Christoph von Schweinitz, of Crane and Hahnichen, in Silesia, was born at Crane, Feb. 1, 1645. After studying at Breslau, Strassbnrg, Leyden, and Paris, and taking a prolonged tour in Italy and elsewhere, he returned to Silesia in 1668, where he was appointed Landesältester for the district of Görlitz, and afterwards Rath and Kammerherr, by August II., in his capacity of King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. He resigned his post as Landesältester, in 1708, and retired to Leube, where he died Nov. 10, 1722.

Only two hymns are known by him. One of these is:—
Wird das nicht Freude sein? Eternal Life. This beautiful hymn, on the Joys of Heaven, was written on the death of his first wife, Theodora von Schweinitz (nee Festenberg). It was first printed, as a broadsheet, at Lauban, in 1691, with music, in 5 parts, by Christoph Adolph, diaconus at Niederwiese, who d. in 1698 (melody from this broadsheet in Dr. J. Zahn's Psalter und Harfe, 1886, No. 522). The broadsheet, of which there is a copy in the Town Library at Breslau, is entitled Den letzten Liebesdienst, &c, and has the note :—"The following hymn was composed from the late Frau von Schweinitz's own words, and from a conversation she held, shortly before her happy end, and was sung after the end of the [funeral] sermon." The translation in common use is:—
Will that not joyful be? This is a full and very good translation by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1st Ser., 1854, p. 7. Another tr. is, “Will it not pleasure be." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]

--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)