"" (Lord God, we praise you) 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 ''a ...
, which
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
wrote in 1529 as a translation and partial paraphrase of the Latin
Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...
. It is sometimes called the German Te Deum. The hymn was first published in 1529. Its
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 refrai ...
,
Zahn No. 8652, is a simplification of the melody of the traditional .
It has appeared in 24
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...
s.
Text and melody
Luther translated and slightly expanded the Latin text of the
Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...
,
which is also known as the Ambrosian Hymn, but is currently credited to
Nicetas of Remesiana, a bishop of the 4th century. Luther wrote 27 verses, intending it for two responsorial groups.
The song of praise, thanks and petition is used regularly on festive occasions.
For a melody, Luther used a simplified version of the traditional melody of the early Christian Te Deum.
The early tune is based on an evening song of the Greek church, which in turn may go back to early Christian rites or an evening song of the synagogue. Luther's version was first published in Joseph Klug's (Spiritual Songs) in
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...
in 1529. No copy of this edition is extant.
It has appeared in 24
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...
s.
Musical settings
Johann Hermann Schein composed in 1618 for four choirs and two instrumental groups ("Capellen"); and in 1627 a setting for four-part choir and continuo.
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 wo ...
used parts of the text and melody in
cantatas
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of th ...
for New Year's Day, , and .
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...
composed a setting ''Herr Gott, dich loben wir (Te Deum)'' for solo voices, double chorus, four trombones, strings, and organ, first performed at the
Berlin Cathedral
The Berlin Cathedral (german: link=yes, Berliner Dom), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental German Evangelical church and dynastic tomb ( House of Hohenzollern) on the Museum Island in centra ...
on 6 August 1843, to mark "the millennium of the founding of the German Reich".
See also
*
List of hymns by Martin Luther
The Protestant Reformers, reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnodist, regarded music and especially hymns in German as important means for the development of faith.
Luther wrote songs for occasions of the liturgical year (Advent, Christmas, Pre ...
References
External links
* Reinhard Schmidt-Rost
Predigt im Semesterschlußgottesdienst am 27.Januar 2013 über Luthers Te Deum, EG 191Bonn University
The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
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16th-century hymns in German
Hymn tunes
Hymns by Martin Luther