"Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn ehren" (Praise the Lord, all who honour him) is a sacred morning song with a text by

Paul Gerhardt Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheran minister and hymnodist. Biography Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. His father died in ...

and a melody by

Johann Crüger Johann Crüger (9 April 1598 – 23 February 1662) was a German composer of well-known hymns. He was also the editor of the most widely used Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, '' Praxis pietatis melica''. Early life and education Crüger was b ...

, who first published it in the fifth edition of his hymnal ''

Praxis Pietatis Melica ''Praxis pietatis melica'' (''Practice of Piety in Song'') is a Protestant hymnal first published in the 17th century by Johann Crüger. The hymnal, which appeared under this title from 1647 to 1737 in 45 editions, has been described as "the most ...

'' in 1653. The

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 ...

is still popular and appears in hymnals including the Protestant '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' and the Catholic ''

Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speaki ...

''.

History

Gerhardt wrote the text of the song in ten stanzas of four lines each.

composed a melody to fit and published it, first with the incipit "Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn fürchten" (... who fear him), in 1653 in the fifth edition of his hymnal ''

'', in a section "Tägliche Morgengesänge" (daily morning songs). It is part of many hymnals in German. Georg Thurmair included it as one of several songs by Protestant authors in his hymnal '' Kirchenlied'' in 1938 in the section Morning. It is part of the Protestant '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (1995) as EG 447, and the Catholic ''

'' (2013), as GL 81, however without stanzas 4, 5 and 9. The first line decorates a plaque for Paul Gerhardt at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin where he was minister. Memorial plaque for Paul Gerhardt at the Nikolaikirchplatz, Berlin-Mitte.

Text

The poem has ten stanzas, each with three lines of eleven syllables and final line of five syllables, always the same picking up the first call, "Lobet den Herren". This ''Strophe'' format was often used in poetry of German Humanism and Baroque, and was called

Sapphic stanza The Sapphic stanza, named after Sappho, is an Aeolic verse form of four lines. Originally composed in quantitative verse and unrhymed, since the Middle Ages imitations of the form typically feature rhyme and accentual prosody. It is "the longes ...

. It is also used in hymns such as "

Herzliebster Jesu "Herzliebster Jesu" (often translated into English as "Ah, Holy Jesus", sometimes as "O Dearest Jesus") is a Lutheran Passion hymn in German, written in 1630 by Johann Heermann, in 15 stanzas of 4 lines, first published in ''Devoti Musica Cordis ...

" by Johann Heermann. The rhyming is unconventional, rhyming within the two halves of the first line, but leaving the final line without rhyme. All new hymnals change in the first line "fürchten" to "ehren" to comply with the scheme. The repeated line "Lobet den Herren" has the same function as the biblical

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

: both a call to praise, and the praise. Gerhardt uses it for a morning prayer, beginning the day with praise, motivated in stanzas 2 to 5 by thanks for protection from dangers of the night. They may have been inspired by dangers experienced in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. Stanzas 6 to 9 are a prayer for further for guidance on a way following divine sommandments, expecting the second coming of Christ ("deiner Zukunft"). The last stanza envisions, in an

eschatological Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...

outlook, the ultimate praise in community with the

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

Melody and musical settings

Johann Crügers in C major responds to the positive mood of the text. By changes of quarternotes and halfnotes, the rhythm of the Sapphic stanza is hidden. Crüger added a

figured bass Figured bass is musical notation in which numerals and symbols appear above or below (or next to) a bass note. The numerals and symbols (often accidentals) indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones that a musician playing piano, harpsi ...

in his editions. The melody had baroque expressivity, but it often changed in modern editions, as also a syncope at the end of the third line. Among the settings of the song is a cantata by Gustav Gunsenheimer for soloists, choir and instruments to his own melody.

References

External links

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Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn ehren
johann-crueger.de
Lobet den Herren alle, die ihn ehren
Christliche Liederdatenbank {{authority control Lutheran hymns 17th-century hymns in German 1653 works Hymns by Paul Gerhardt