"" (Ah dear Christians be comforted) is a

Lutheran hymn Martin Luther was a great enthusiast for music, and this is why it forms a large part of Lutheran services; in particular, Luther admired the composers Josquin des Prez and Ludwig Senfl and wanted singing in the church to move away from the '' ...

in German with lyrics by

Johannes Gigas Johannes Gigas (22 February 1514 — 12 July 1581) was a German Protestant theologian, hymn writer, educator and Reformer. Gigas was born in Nordhausen, Thuringia and died in Schweidnitz (now Świdnica, Silesia, Poland). The libretto of ''Ach, ...

, written in 1561. A penitential hymn, it was the basis for Bach's chorale cantata .

History

, also called Johannes Henne, wrote a hymn of consolation and penitence. It appeared first in

Frankfurt an der Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

in 1561, mentioning Gigas as the author ("durch Johan. Gigas"). It was part of a hymnal ''Gesangbüchlin'' in Augsburg in 1570, and of a Leipzig hymnal of 1586. In an 1817 hymnal, it appears in the section "Trost in Sterbegefahr" (Consolation in danger of death). It has also been described as a penitential hymn.

Lyrics

The lyricist tries to give comfort to "dear Christians" (lieben Christen). From the second stanza, he uses the plural "uns" (us) including himself as part of a group united in the same situation. The text is in six stanzas of seven lines each: The lyricist is convinced that affliction may be a deserved punishment, and invites an attitude of penitent remorse, placing everything in God's hands. He compares man to a grain of wheat, meant to bear fruit, which is possible on fertile soil. He recommends dying in the manner of Simeon, who "recognises his sins, grasps Christ" (sein Sünd' erkennt, Christum ergreifst). In the fifth stanza, he compares the shelter of God for body and soul to a hen covering her chicks with her wings. Finally, he confirms that we belong to God whether we are awake or sleep, that we are helped by Christ in all need, and he ends with praise.

Tune and music

Zahn 4521b is a

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

composed for "".

Johannes Zahn Johannes Christoph Andreas Zahn (1 August 1817 in Eschenbach/ Pegnitz – 17 February 1895 in Neuendettelsau) was a German theologian and musicologist best known for his opus ''Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder'', a critical ...

(1893) ''

Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder A Lutheran chorale is a musical setting of a Lutheran hymn, intended to be sung by a congregation in a German Protestant Church service. The typical four-part setting of a chorale, in which the sopranos (and the congregation) sing the melody al ...

''
Vol. V, p. 502.
Gütersloh: Bertelsmann The hymn has been associated with several other melodies, including the well-known tune of "

Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält "" (, original: ) is a Lutheran hymn by Justus Jonas, a paraphrase of Psalm 124 in eight stanzas. It was first published in 1524 in the Erfurt ''Enchiridion''. The theme of the psalm is the need of help against raging enemies. It has been translat ...

", Zahn 4441a.

(1890) ''

''
Vol. III, p. 75.
Gütersloh: Bertelsmann

Gottfried Vopelius Gottfried Vopelius (28 January 1645 – 3 February 1715), was a German Lutheran academic and hymn-writer, mainly active in Leipzig. He was born in Herwigsdorf, now a district of Rosenbach, Oberlausitz, and died in Leipzig at the age of 70. Rober ...

(1682). ''

Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch Gottfried Vopelius (28 January 1645 – 3 February 1715), was a German Lutheran academic and hymn-writer, mainly active in Leipzig. He was born in Herwigsdorf, now a district of Rosenbach, Oberlausitz, and died in Leipzig at the age of 70. Rober ...

''
p. 843
/ref>

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

used the hymn, with the Zahn 4441a melody, in his

chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chora ...

, composed in 1724 for the 17th Sunday after Trinity. BWV^2a (1998), p. 481 He used three stanzas of the original text, the first as a chorale fantasia, the third with the solo soprano singing, and he closed the work with a four-part setting of the final stanza. The chorale harmonisation

BWV 256 Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale harmonisations, alternatively named four-part chorales, are Lutheran hymn settings that characteristically conform to the following: * four-part harmony * SATB vocal forces * pre-existing hymn tune allotted to the ...

is another setting of the hymn by Bach, using the same melody. Other extant uses by Bach of the Zahn 4441a tune refer to other hymn texts.

References

{{Lutheran hymns 16th-century hymns in German Lutheran hymns