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Martin Luther
1483 - 1546 Person Name: M. Luther Composer of "[Er kommt, der Herr, schon ist Er nah']" in Die Glaubensharfe (With Melodies) Luther, Martin, born at Eisleben, Nov. 10, 1483; entered the University of Erfurt, 1501 (B.A. 1502, M.A.. 1503); became an Augustinian monk, 1505; ordained priest, 1507; appointed Professor at the University of Wittenberg, 1508, and in 1512 D.D.; published his 95 Theses, 1517; and burnt the Papal Bull which had condemned them, 1520; attended the Diet of Worms, 1521; translated the Bible into German, 1521-34; and died at Eisleben, Feb. 18, 1546. The details of his life and of his work as a reformer are accessible to English readers in a great variety of forms. Luther had a huge influence on German hymnody.
i. Hymn Books.
1. Ellich cristlich lider Lobgesang un Psalm. Wittenberg, 1524. [Hamburg Library.] This contains 8 German hymns, of which 4 are by Luther.
2. Eyn Enchiridion oder Handbuchlein. Erfurt, 1524 [Goslar Library], with 25 German hymns, of which 18 are by Luther.
3. Geystliche Gesangk Buchleyn. Wittenberg, 1524 [Munich Library], with 32 German hymns, of which 24 are by Luther.
4. Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert. Wittenberg. J. Klug, 1529. No copy of this book is now known, but there was one in 1788 in the possession of G. E. Waldau, pastor at Nürnberg, and from his description it is evident that the first part of the Rostock Gesang-Buch, 1531, is a reprint of it. The Rostock Gesang-Buch, 1531, was reprinted by C. M. Wiechmann-Kadow at Schwerin in 1858. The 1529 evidently contained 50 German hymns, of which 29 (including the Litany) were by Luther.
5. Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert. Erfurt. A. Rauscher, 1531 [Helmstädt, now Wolfenbüttel Library], a reprint of No. 4.
6. Geistliche Lieder. Wittenberg. J. Klug, 1535 [Munich Library. Titlepage lost], with 52 German hymns, of which 29 are by Luther.
7. Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert. Leipzig. V. Schumann, 1539 [Wernigerode Library], with 68 German hymns, of which 29 are by Luther.
8. Geistliche Lieder. Wittenberg. J. Klug, 1543 [Hamburg Library], with 61 German hymns, of which 35 are by Luther.
9. Geystliche Lieder. Leipzig. V. Babst, 1545 [Gottingen Library]. This contains Luther's finally revised text, but adds no new hymns by himself. In pt. i. are 61 German hymns, in pt. ii. 40, of which 35 in all are by Luther.
For these books Luther wrote three prefaces, first published respectively in Nos. 3, 4, 9. A fourth is found in his Christliche Geseng, Lateinisch und Deudsch, zum Begrebnis, Wittenberg, J. Klug, 1542. These four prefaces are reprinted in Wackernagel’s Bibliographie, 1855, pp. 543-583, and in the various editions of Luther's Hymns. Among modern editions of Luther's Geistliche Lieder may be mentioned the following:—
Carl von Winterfeld, 1840; Dr. C. E. P. Wackernagel, 1848; Q. C. H. Stip, 1854; Wilhelm Schircks, 1854; Dr. Danneil, 1883; Dr. Karl Gerok, 1883; Dr. A. F. W. Fischer, 1883; A. Frommel, 1883; Karl Goedeke, 1883, &c. In The Hymns of Martin Luther. Set to their original melodies. With an English version. New York, 1883, ed. by Dr. Leonard Woolsey Bacon and Nathan H. Allen, there are the four prefaces, and English versions of all Luther's hymns, principally taken more or less altered, from the versions by A. T. Russell, R. Massie and Miss Winkworth [repub. in London, 1884]. Complete translations of Luther's hymns have been published by Dr. John Anderson, 1846 (2nd ed. 1847), Dr. John Hunt, 1853, Richard Massie, 1854, and Dr. G. Macdonald in the Sunday Magazine, 1867, and his Exotics, 1876. The other versions are given in detail in the notes on the individual hymns.
ii. Classified List of Luther's Hymns. Of Luther's hymns no classification can be quite perfect, e.g. No. 3 (see below) takes hardly anything from the Latin, and No. 18 hardly anything from the Psalm. No. 29 is partly based on earlier hymns (see p. 225, i.). No. 30 is partly based on St. Mark i. 9-11, and xvi., 15, 16 (see p. 226, ii.). No. 35 is partly based on St. Luke ii. 10-16. The following arrangement, however, will answer all practical purposes.
A. Translations from the Latin.
i. From Latin Hymns:
1. Christum wir sollen loben schon. A solis ortus cardine
2. Der du bist drei in Einigkeit. O Lux beata Trinitas.
3. Jesus Christus unser Heiland, Der von. Jesus Christus nostra salus
4. Komm Gott Schopfer, heiliger Geist. Veni Creator Spiritus, Mentes.
5. Nun komm der Beidenheiland. Veni Redemptor gentium
6. Was flirchst du Feind Herodes sehr. A solis ortus cardine
ii. From Latin Antiphons, &c.:
7. Herr Gott dich loben wir. Te Deum laudamus.
8. Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich. Dapacem, Domine
9. Wir glauben all an einen Gott.
iii. Partly from the Latin, the translated stanzas being adopted from Pre-Reformation Versions:
10. Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott.
11. Mitten wir im Leben sind. Media vita in morte sumus.
B. Hymns revised and enlarged from Pre-Reformation popular hymns.
12. Gelobet seist du Jesus Christ.
13. Gott der Vater wohn uns bei.
14. Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet.
15. Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist.
C. Psalm versions.
16. Ach Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein.
17. Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu dir.
18. Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott.
19. Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl.
20. Es wollt uns Gott genädig sein.
21. War Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit.
22. Wohl dem, der in Gotten Furcht steht.
D. Paraphrases of other portions of Holy Scripture.
23. Diess sind die heilgen zehn Gebot.
24. Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah.
25. Mensch willt du leben seliglich.
26. Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin.
27. Sie ist mir lieb die werthe Magd.
28. Vater unser im Himmelreich.
E. Hymns mainly Original.
29. Christ lag in Todesbanden.
30. Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam.
31. Ein neues Lied wir heben an.
32. Erhalt uns Herr bei deinem Wort.
33. Jesus Christus unser Heiland, Der den,
34. Nun freut euch lieben Christengemein.
35. Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her.
36. Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar.
In addition to these —
37. Fur alien Freuden auf Erden.
38. Kyrie eleison.
In the Blätter fur Hymnologie, 1883, Dr. Daniel arranges Luther's hymns according to what he thinks their adaptation to modern German common use as follows:—
i. Hymns which ought to be included in every good Evangelical hymn-book: Nos. 7-18, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38.
ii. Hymns the reception of which into a hymn-book might be contested: Nos. 2, 3, 4, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 33.
iii. Hymns not suited for a hymn-book: Nos. 1, 5, 6, 27, 31, 37.
[Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Martin Luther
Frederic Adolphus Krummacher
1767 - 1845 Person Name: Fried. Adolf Krummacher, 1767-1845 Author of "Er kommt der Herr, schon ist er nah'!" in Gemeinschafts-Lieder. 7th ed. Krummacher, Friedrich Adolf, was a native of Tecklenburg, Westphalia, where his father, Friedrich Jacob Krummacher was Burgomaster and Hoffiscal. He was baptized there, July 22, 1767, and apparently born July 13, 1767. In 1786 he entered the University of Lingen (since 1819 ranked as a Gymnasium), and in 1787 that of Halle. After concluding his theological studies in 1789, he was for some time tutor in the family of Senator Meyer in Bremen; was then appointed, in 1790, Conrector of the Gymnasium at Hamm, and in 1793 Rector of the Gymnasium at Mors (Meurs), near Düsseldorf. In the end of 1800 he became Professor of Theology and Eloquence at the Reformed University of Duisburg. When, after the battle of Jena (Oct. 14, 1806), Duisburg was taken from Prussia, the salaries of the professors ceased, but Krummacher lectured on till his audience consisted of one student. He was then, in the autumn of 1807, appointed pastor of Kettwig, on the Ruhr; in 1812 Chief Court Preacher and General Superintendent at Bernburg; and finally, in 1824, he became chief pastor of the St. Ansgarius Church at Bremen. By reason of growing infirmities he resigned his charge in June, 1843, and died at Bremen, April 4, 1845 (0. Kraus, 1879, p. 310; Blätter für Hymnologie, 1886, p. 80, &c).
Krummacher is best known as a preacher; and as the author of the well-known Parabeln, first published in 1805, which passed through many editions, and ranks as the standard German work of its class. His hymns are little suited for church use, being often allegorical and high-flown, and not for the most part sufficiently simple and direct, though in some cases he does write in a popular, natural style, and with a beauty of his own. His hymns mostly appeared in his Festbüchlein, a work consisting of allegorical narratives, conversations, &c, with interspersed hymns. Of this the 1st part, entitled Der Sonntag, was published 1808 (2nd ed. 1810; 3rd ed. 1813; 4th ed. 1819); pt. ii., entitled Das Christfest, in 1810 (2nd ed. 1814; 3rd ed. 1821); and pt. iii., entitled Das Neujahrsfest, in 1819.
Those of Krummacher's hymns translated into English are:—
i. Allgemach aus Dammerung und Nacht. Advent. In his Festbüchlein, pt. ii., 1810 (1814, p. 154), in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled "The Prophets of Nature"; and given after the conversation on Zacharias, the father of St. John the Baptist. Included as No. 34 in J. P. Lange's Deutsches Kirchenliederbuch, Zurich, 1843. The unity of idea is violated by the concluding lines of st. v.
"Wie die leisen Lispel den Propheten
Einst auf Horeb's Felsenspitz umwehten."
And thus in his preface, p. vii., Dr. Lange sug¬gests that st. v. should read thus:—
"Allgemach und siegreich fort und fort
Bricht durch unser Fleisch das ew'ge Wort;
Die Propheten grüsst es durch Gesichte,
Dann wird's Mensch und himmlische Geschichte."
Translated as:—
Slowly, slowly from the caves of night. A full and good tr. from Lange by Dr. Kennedy, as No. 42 in his Hymnologia Christiana, 1863.
ii. Eine Heerde und ein Hirt. Missions. First published in the 3rd. ed., 1821, of pt. ii. of his Festbüchlein, p. 163, in 6 stanzas of 6 lines, at the close of the section on "Israel and the Strangers." In the Berlin Geistliche Lieder Schatz, ed. 1863, No. 1365, and many other recent collections. The translations are:—
1. One, only One, shall be the fold. By Miss Dunn, in her Hymns from the Germany 1857, p. 49.
2. One Shepherd and one fold to be. In Cantica Sanctorum, 1880, No. 96.
iii. Ja furwahr! uns fiihrt mit sanfter Hand. Ps. xxiii. In his Festbüchlein, pt. i. (3rd ed. 1813, p. 118), in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, with Hallelujahs. It is given in the story of the festal rededication of a village church destroyed in time of war, as a choral hymn sung by boys and girls after the Holy Communion. In the Württemberg Gesang-Buch, 1842, No. 72. Translated as:—
1. Yes! our Shepherd leads with gentle hand, Through. A good and full translation by Miss Borthwick, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1st Ser., 1854, p. 59 (1884, p. 60), repeated in Kennedy, 1863; Mrs. Brock's Children's Hymn Book, 1881; the Christian Hymn Book, Cincinnati, 1865, and others.
2. Yea! our Shepherd leads, with gentle hand, Along. In full by M. W. Stryker, as No. 164 in his Christian Chorals, 1885.
iv. Hag auch die Liebe weinen. Love, Faith and Hope. Festbüchlein, pt. i., 1808, p. 136, in 3 st. of 4 1., in the section entitled "The Setting Sun," for Sunday evening. It is appended to a story in which the father has been speaking of the Resurrection of Christ the Sun of Righteousness, as celebrated on that day, the hymn being introduced as sung by the family and neighbours, as he ceased to speak. Included in the Württemberg Gesang-Buch, 1842, No. 628. It is most suited to be sung at a choral funeral. Koch, 2nd ed., iv. p. 695, says it was sung at the author's funeral at Bremen, April 10, 1845, and that st. iii. is on the cross over his grave. He adds that stanzas i., iii. were sung July 17, 1850, at the funeral of Dr. August Neander, the church historian in Berlin; followed by an address by Krummacher’s son, Friedrich Wilhelm (author of the well-known Elijah, Elisha and other works). Tr. as:—
Though Love may weep with breaking heart. A good and full translation by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 121. Repeated in Flett's Collection, Paisley, 1871, and in H. L. Hastings's Songs of Pilgrimage, 1887.
Other translations are, (1) "Let love weep,—It cometh," by Miss Warner, 1858, p. 584. (2) "Yea, Love may weep when death prevails," by Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 57.
A number of other pieces by Krummacher are translated in the Sacred Lyrics from the German, Philadelphia, 1859; by C. T. Brooks, 1847; by Mrs. Follen, 1851, and by Miss Fry, 1859. As they are poems rather than hymns they are not noted here. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Frederic Adolphus Krummacher
Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher
1796 - 1868 Person Name: Dr. F. W. Krummacher Author of "Er kommt, der Herr, schon ist Er nah'" in Die Glaubensharfe (With Melodies)
Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher
