"Glauben können wie du" (Being able to believe like you) is a Christian poem by Helmut Schlegel, written in 2009, and made a hymn of the genre

Neues Geistliches Lied ''Neues Geistliches Lied'' (, ''new spiritual song''), abbreviated NGL, is a music genre of songs in German intended for church usage, and based on contemporary lyrics and with music by contemporary composers. History The idea to reach youn ...

with a melody by

Joachim Raabe Joachim Raabe (born 1974) is a German church musician and a composer of sacred music, especially of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied. Career Born in Haiger, Raabe studied church music from 1997 to 2002 at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold. He wa ...

the same year. It addresses

Mary, the mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, to be imitated living the

theological virtues Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally they have ...

of faith, hope and love. The song is included in song books and the Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob''.

History

The poem was written by the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

Helmut Schlegel in 2009. It is in three similar stanzas, each with five uneven lines without rhyme. It addresses

and refers to biblical scenes from her life. The text has been set to music by

. The hymn appears in the regional part of the Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob'' of the Diocese of Limburg as GL 885. It is also part of ''Junges Gotteslob'', the hymnal for young people, and of the choral songbook ''Die Träume hüten'' (Guarding the dreams) in the section ''Maria'', published by the Dehm-Verlag. The song was included in a four-part setting with orchestra by

Peter Reulein Peter Reulein (born 1966) is a German composer, organ improviser, academic teacher and church musician, from 2000 at the church Liebfrauen in Frankfurt am Main. In 2016 he composed for the Catholic Diocese of Limburg the Franciscan oratorio ''La ...

in his oratorio '' Laudato si''', which premiered in 2016 at the

Limburg Cathedral Limburg Cathedral (german: Limburger Dom, also known as ''Georgsdom'' ("George's Cathedral") after its dedication to Saint George, is located above the old town of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Limburg ...

Text and melody

The first stanza is the model for the others. In the first short line, Mary is addressed, "Glauben können wie du" in the first stanza, "Hoffen können wie du" in the second, "Lieben können wie Du". Glauben, Hoffen, Lieben relates to the teaching of

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

about the

of faith, hope and love. The speaker or singer acknowledges that Mary is able to believe, hope and love, and wishes to be able to do the same. The second and third line, both much longer, describe more precisely what the action comprises. The long fourth line leads to a biblical quotation. This is in the first stanza "Großes hat er getan." () from the Magnificat, in the second stanza "Was er euch sagt, das tut." () from the Wedding at Cana, and finally "Mir geschehe dein Wort" () from the

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

. The final short line of a stanza is the first to use "ich" (I) and expresses the wish of the singer to imitate Mary: "So will ich glauben (hoffen, lieben), Maria" (I want to believe (hope, love) like this, Mary.). The melody is in

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...

and 6/8 time. It is built in six phrases of mostly two measures. The first and last lines end on long notes, while the second and third line carry their longer text in mostly even eighth-notes. The announcement of the biblical quotation is an extra measure, then the quotation is represented by a rising line which ends on the longest note of the song. The last line is a gentle downward line. The melody has been described by Manuel Braun, organist in the Diocese of Limburg, as easy to learn.

References

External links

Glauben können wie du
(in German) Christliche Liederdatenbank * * {{authority control German poems Catholic hymns in German Contemporary Christian songs 2009 songs Neues Geistliches Lied 21st-century hymns in German