Hymns of Martin Luther Set to their original melodies; with an English version

Martin Luther

• Publisher: pubOne.info
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9782819926689
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. FIRST MELODY, 1524. Harmony by H. Schein, 1627.

LEONARD WOOLSEY BACON

1 Quoted in the Christian Examiner, 1860, p. 240; transcribed Philadelphia, 1875.

2 The popular impression that the hymn “Ein' feste Burg” was produced in these circumstances is due, doubtless, to a parallel in the third stanza, to the famous saying imputed to Luther on the eve of the Diet of Worms: “I'll go, be there as many devils in the city as there be tiles on the roofs. ” The time of its composition was in the year 1529, just before the Diet of Augsburg. If not written in his temporary refuge, the noble “Burg” or “Festung” of Coburg, it must often have been sung there by him; and it was sung, says Merle d'Aubigne, “during the Diet, not only at Augsburg, but in all the churches of Saxony. ”

3 This much-quoted phrase is from Richter. It is reported as an expression of Melanchthon, looking on Luther's picture, “ Fulmina erant singula verba tua. ”

4 Merle d'Aubigne, History of the Reformation, Vol. III.

5 This interesting and characteristic document was printed first in the Syntagma Musicum of Michael Praetorius, many of whose harmonies are to be found in this volume. It has been repeatedly copied since. I take it from Rambach, “Ueber D. Martin Luthers Verdienst um den Kirchengesang, oder Darstellung desjenigen was er als Liturg, als Liederdichter und Tonsetzer zur Verbesserung des oeffentlichen Gottesdienstes geleistet hat. Hamburg, 1813. ”

6 Quoted in Rambach, p. 215.

7 In more than one of his cantatas, especially that for the Reformationsfest.

Luther's First Preface.

To the “Geystliche Gsangbuechlin, Erstlich zu Wittenberg, und volgend durch Peter schoeffern getruckt, im jar m. d. xxv. Autore Ioanne Walthero. ”

That it is good, and pleasing to God, for us to sing spiritual songs is, I think, a truth whereof no Christian can be ignorant; since not only the example of the prophets and kings of the Old Testament (who praised God with singing and music, poesy and all kind of stringed instruments) but also the like practice of all Christendom from the beginning, especially in respect to psalms, is well known to every one: yea, St. Paul doth also appoint the same (I Cor. xiv. ) and command the Colossians, in the third chapter, to sing spiritual songs and psalms from the heart unto the Lord, that thereby the word of God and Christian doctrine be in every way furthered and practiced.

Accordingly, to make a good beginning and to encourage others who can do it better, I have myself, with some others, put together a few hymns, in order to bring into full play the blessed Gospel, which by God's grace hath again risen: that we may boast, as Moses doth in his song (Exodus xv. ) that Christ is become our praise and our song, and that, whether we sing or speak, we may not know anything save Christ our Saviour, as St. Paul saith (I Cor. ii).

These songs have been set in four parts, for no other reason than because I wished to provide our young people (who both will and ought to be instructed in music and other sciences) with something whereby they might rid themselves of amorous and carnal songs, and in their stead learn something wholesome, and so apply themselves to what is good with pleasure, as becometh the young.

Beside this, I am not of opinion that all sciences should be beaten down and made to cease by the Gospel, as some fanatics pretend; but I would fain see all the arts, and music in particular, used in the service of Him who hath given and created them.

Therefore I entreat every pious Christian to give a favorable reception to these hymns, and to help forward my undertaking, according as God hath given him more or less ability. The world is, alas, not so mindful and diligent to train and teach our poor youth, but that we ought to be forward in promoting the same. God grant us his grace. Amen.

Luther's Second Preface.

To the Funeral Hymns: "Christliche Geseng, Lateinisch und

Deudsch, zum Begrebnis. Wittemberg, Anno m. d. xlii. "

DR. MARTIN LUTHER TO THE CHRISTIAN READER. St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, that they should not sorrow for the dead as others who have no hope, but should comfort one another with God's word, as they who have a sure hope of life and of the resurrection of the dead. For that they should sorrow who have no hope is not to be wondered at, nor indeed are they to be blamed for it, since, being shut out from the faith of Christ, they must either regard and love the present life only, and be loth to lose it, or after this life look for everlasting death and the wrath of God in hell, and be unwilling to go thither.

But we Christians who from all this have been redeemed by the precious blood of the...

Table of contents

• DEAR CHRISTIANS, ONE AND ALL REJOICE.
• LOOK DOWN, O LORD, FROM HEAVEN BEHOLD.
• THE MOUTH OF FOOLS DOTH GOD CONFESS.
• OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY TO THEE.
• BY HELP OF GOD I FAIN WOULD TELL.
• SAVIOUR OF THE HEATHEN, KNOWN.
• NOW PRAISE WE CHRIST, THE HOLY ONE.
• ALL PRAISE TO JESUS' HALLOWED NAME.
• CHRIST WAS LAID IN DEATH'S STRONG BANDS.
• COME, GOD CREATOR, HOLY GHOST.
• JESUS CHRIST, WHO CAME TO SAVE.
• COME, HOLY SPIRIT, LORD OUR GOD.
• THAT MEN A GODLY LIFE MIGHT LIVE.
• CHRIST, WHO FREED OUR SOULS FROM DANGER.
• MAY GOD BE PRAISED HENCEFORTH AND BLEST FOREVER.
• MAY GOD UNTO US GRACIOUS BE.
• HAPPY THE MAN WHO FEARETH GOD.
• THOUGH IN MIDST OF LIFE WE BE.
• NOW PRAY WE ALL GOD, THE COMFORTER.
• IN PEACE AND JOY I NOW DEPART.
• WILT THOU, O MAN, LIVE HAPPILY.
• GOD, THE FATHER, WITH US STAY.
• WE ALL BELIEVE IN ONE TRUE GOD.
• HAD GOD NOT COME, MAY ISRAEL SAY.
• FROM THE GERMAN MASS, 1526.
• THESE THINGS THE SEER ISAIAH DID BEFALL
• -STRONG TOWER AND REFUGE IS OUR GOD.-
• IN THESE OUR DAYS SO PERILOUS.
• LORD GOD, THY PRAISE WE SING.
• FROM JOSEPH KLUG'S GESANGSBUCH, 1535?
• FROM HEAVEN ABOVE TO EARTH I CAME.
• OUR FATHER, THOU IN HEAVEN ABOVE.
• IN KLUG'S GESANGBUCH, 1543.
• TO SHEPHERDS, AS THEY WATCHED BY NIGHT.
• MELODY, 1543.
• LORD, KEEP US IN THY WORD AND WORK.
• WHY, HEROD, UNRELENTING FOE.
• LEONARD WOOLSEY BACON
• Copyright