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O wie selig sind die, die mit Arbeit und Müh'

Author: Charles Wesley Appears in 4 hymnals

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Published text-tune combinations (hymns) from specific hymnals

O wie selig sind die

Hymnal: Die Geistliche Viole #80 (1839) Languages: German

O wie selig sind die

Author: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 Hymnal: Die kleine geistliche Viole #d85 (1818) Languages: German

O wie strahlt die Lebenskrone

Author: Gustav Knak Hymnal: Die Glaubensharfe (With Melodies) #741 (1886) Languages: German

1707 - 1788 Person Name: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 Author of "O wie selig sind die" in Die kleine geistliche Viole Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepened, and he became one of the first band of "Oxford Methodists." In 1735 he went with his brother John to Georgia, as secretary to General Oglethorpe, having before he set out received Deacon's and Priest's Orders on two successive Sundays. His stay in Georgia was very short; he returned to England in 1736, and in 1737 came under the influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, especially of that remarkable man who had so large a share in moulding John Wesley's career, Peter Bonier, and also of a Mr. Bray, a brazier in Little Britain. On Whitsunday, 1737, [sic. 1738] he "found rest to his soul," and in 1738 he became curate to his friend, Mr. Stonehouse, Vicar of Islington, but the opposition of the churchwardens was so great that the Vicar consented that he "should preach in his church no more." Henceforth his work was identified with that of his brother John, and he became an indefatigable itinerant and field preacher. On April 8, 1749, he married Miss Sarah Gwynne. His marriage, unlike that of his brother John, was a most happy one; his wife was accustomed to accompany him on his evangelistic journeys, which were as frequent as ever until the year 1756," when he ceased to itinerate, and mainly devoted himself to the care of the Societies in London and Bristol. Bristol was his headquarters until 1771, when he removed with his family to London, and, besides attending to the Societies, devoted himself much, as he had done in his youth, to the spiritual care of prisoners in Newgate. He had long been troubled about the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and strongly disapproved of his brother John's "ordinations." Wesley-like, he expressed his disapproval in the most outspoken fashion, but, as in the case of Samuel at an earlier period, the differences between the brothers never led to a breach of friendship. He died in London, March 29, 1788, and was buried in Marylebone churchyard. His brother John was deeply grieved because he would not consent to be interred in the burial-ground of the City Road Chapel, where he had prepared a grave for himself, but Charles said, "I have lived, and I die, in the Communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church." Eight clergymen of the Church of England bore his pall. He had a large family, four of whom survived him; three sons, who all became distinguished in the musical world, and one daughter, who inherited some of her father's poetical genius. The widow and orphans were treated with the greatest kindness and generosity by John Wesley. As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique. He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly marvellous how many there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumours of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift. Nor must we forget his hymns for little children, a branch of sacred poetry in which the mantle of Dr. Watts seems to have fallen upon him. It would be simply impossible within our space to enumerate even those of the hymns which have become really classical. The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley; for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream. It has been the common practice, however for a hundred years or more to ascribe all translations from the German to John Wesley, as he only of the two brothers knew that language; and to assign to Charles Wesley all the original hymns except such as are traceable to John Wesley through his Journals and other works. The list of 482 original hymns by John and Charles Wesley listed in this Dictionary of Hymnology have formed an important part of Methodist hymnody and show the enormous influence of the Wesleys on the English hymnody of the nineteenth century. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone, or in conjunction with his brother. The number of his separate hymns is at least five thousand. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872.

Gustav Friedrich Ludwig Knak

1806 - 1878 Person Name: Gustav Knak Author of "O wie strahlt die Lebenskrone" in Die Glaubensharfe (With Melodies) Knak, Gustav Friedrich Ludwig, son of Christian F. L. Knak, Justiz Commissarius at Berlin, was born at Berlin, July 12, 1806. He matriculated as a student of theology at the University of Berlin, Easter, 1826. In the autumn of 1829 he became tutor in a private school at Königs-Wusterhausen, near Berlin, where he worked manfully for the sick and dying during the cholera year 1831. He returned to Berlin in August, 1832, and acted as one of the editors of the well-known Geistlicher Lieder Schatz (referred to in this Dictionary as the Berlin Geistlicher Lieder Schatz), to which he contributed a number of hymns, and for which he wrote the preface dated Dec. 11, 1832. In the autumn of 1834 he was ordained pastor of Wusterwitz, near Dramburg, in Pomerania; and in the end of 1849 was appointed Gossner's successor as Pastor of the Lutheran-Bohemian congregation (Bethlehemskirche) in Berlin. During a holiday visit to a married daughter at Dünnow, near Stolpemünde, he was taken suddenly ill, and died there July 27, 1878; his body being removed to Berlin and laid to rest in the graveyard belonging to his church (O. Kraus, 1879, p. 266; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xvi. 261, &c). Knak was a man of prayer, a faithful and successful preacher and pastor, and greatly interested in Missions at home and abroad, especially in the Lutheran missions to China and the Chinese Orphanage at Hong Kong. As a hymn-writer he is distinguished by elegance of style, harmony of rhythm, and deep love to the personal Christ. His hymns appeared in his Simon Johanna, hast du mich lieb? Berlin, 1829 (enlarged editions pub. at Berlin 1840, and again in 1843 as his Zionsharfe); in the Berlin Geistlicher Lieder Schatz, ed. 1832; and in his Liebe urn, Liebe . . . Nachtrag zu dessen Zionsharfe. Werder, 2nd ed. 1849 (3rd ed. Berlin, 1850). Those of Knak's hymns which have passed into English are:— i. Lasst mich geh'n, lasst mich geh'n. Longing for Heaven. Of the origin of this favourite hymn, 0. Kraus, 1879, p. 269, gives the following account:— "Knak's earnest zeal in the cause of missions to the heathen had the natural result, that for many years he was summoned as festival preacher to the most distant Mission services. On the way to fulfil these engage¬ments many of Knak's hymns had their origin. About 1845, one day the pastor of Wusterwitz [his cure] came to pastor Sondermann at Coprieben, and asked him to play the well-known popular melody 'Morgenroth, orgenroth,' as he had just composed a hymn to that tune. As the desired melody rang out, the poet struck up for the first time that hymn since sung by hundreds of thousands, *Lasst mich geh'n! Lasst mich geh'n.” Later, Knak's blind organist, Voigtlander, in Berlin, composed the pleasing melody, to which at the present time the hymn is generally sung." This hymn appears to have been written on July 23, 1846, and is included in his Liebe um Liebe, 1849 (3rd ed., 1850, No. 48), in 5 stanzas of 5 lines, entitled "Longing after Jerusalem." It soon attained wide popularity, and is given as No. 1597 in the Berlin Geistlicher Lieder Schatz, ed. 1863. Translated as:— 1. To the sky, to the sky. A good and full translation by J. M. Sloan, contributed to J. H. Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865, No. 165, and Songs of Zion, 1878, No. 94; in both cases set to Voigtländer's melody. 2. Let me go, let me go, Jesus, face to face, to know. In full, by Mrs. Edmund Ashley, in the British Herald, Sept., 1867, p. 139; repeated in Reid's Praise Book, 1872. In the Christian Hymns, Adelaide, 1872, No. 347 begins with st. ii. "Glorious light, glorious light." Other translations are, (1) "Let me close, let me close," as No. 12 in Heart Melodies , Lond., Morgan, N.D., signed “A. P. E. J." (2) "Let me flee, let me flee," by E. Massie, 1866. (3) "Let me go, let me go, Lord to me," by Mrs. H. R. Spaeth, in the Southern Lutheran Service & Hymns for Sunday Schools , Philadelphia, 1883. (4) "Let me go! ah, let me go," by J. Kelly, 1885. Other hymns by Knak which have been translated into English are:— ii. Herr, du hast uns reich gesegnet. Close of Divine Service. Zionsharfe, 1843, No. 92, in 2 st. Tr. as "Lord, we've tasted Thy rich blessing," in L. Rehfuess's Church at Sea, 1868. iii. Ich bin ein Pilger Gottes hier auf Erden. Pilgrimage of Life. Liebe um Liebe, 3rd ed. 1850, No. 45, in 4 stanzas. Translated as "God's pilgrim am I here, on earth below," by J. Kelly, 1885. iv. Jesus sei mit dir auf alien Wegen. Birthday wish. Liebe um Liebe, 3rd ed. 1850, No. 36, in 22 lines. Tr. as (1) "Jesus be with thee in thy ways, Jesus favour," in L. Rehfuess's Church at Sea, 1868. (2) “Jesu be with thee in all thy ways, Jesu crown," by J. Kelly, 1885. v. Mit der Sehnsucht heissen Blicken. Love to Christ. Zionsharfe, 1840, p. 4, in 6 stanzas. Translated as "With the glow of ardent longing," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, Sept. 1865, p. 141. vi. Sei getrost, o Seele. Cross and Consolation. Zionsharfe, 1840, p. 2, in 3 stanzas. Translated as "O my soul, be comforted, Give not," by J. Kelly, 1885. vii. Wenn Seelen sich zusammenflnden. Communion of Saints. Berlin Geistlicher Lieder Schatz, ed. 1832, No. 1857, in 5 stanzas. Tr. as "When they may chance to meet together," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 186). viii. Zieht im Frieden eure Pfade. Farewell. Zionsharfe, 1843, No. 86, in 11 lines. Tr. as "Now in peace go on your ways," in L. Rehfuess's Church at Sea, 1868. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)