"Now thank we all our God" is a popular Christian hymn.
Catherine Winkworth
Catherine Winkworth (13 September 1827 – 1 July 1878) was an English hymnwriter and educator. She translated the German chorale tradition of church hymns for English speakers, for which she is recognized in the calendar of the Evangelical Lut ...
translated it from the German "", written by the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
pastor
Martin Rinkart
Martin Rinkart, or Rinckart (23 April 1586, Eilenburg – 8 December 1649) was a German Lutheran clergyman and hymnist. He is best known for the text to "Nun danket alle Gott" (" Now thank we all our God") which was written c. 1636. It was set t ...
. 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 refrain ...
,
Zahn No. 5142, was published 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 ...
in the 1647 edition of his ''
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 ...
''.
Background
Martin Rinkart was a Lutheran pastor who came to
Eilenburg
Eilenburg (; hsb, Jiłow) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig.
Geography
Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge o ...
,
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, at the beginning of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
. The
walled city
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
of Eilenburg became the refuge for political and military fugitives, but the result was overcrowding, deadly
pestilence and famine. Armies overran it three times. The Rinkart home was a refuge for the victims, even though he was often hard-pressed to provide for his own family. During the height of
a severe plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only surviving pastor in Eilenburg, conducting as many as 50 funerals in a day. He performed more than 4,000 funerals in that year, including that of his wife.
Rinkart was a prolific
hymn writer
A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...
. In Rinkart's (Leipzig, 1636), "" appears under the title "", as a short prayer before meals. The exact date is debated, but it is known that it was widely sung by the time the
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...
was signed in 1648.
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 ...
published it in the 1647 edition of his ''
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 ...
''.
Text
![Catherine Winkworth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Catherine_Winkworth.jpg)
Below is the text in a modern version from the German hymnal ''
Evangelisches Gesangbuch'', and a 19th-century translation by
Catherine Winkworth
Catherine Winkworth (13 September 1827 – 1 July 1878) was an English hymnwriter and educator. She translated the German chorale tradition of church hymns for English speakers, for which she is recognized in the calendar of the Evangelical Lut ...
:
Melody
\new Staff <<
\clef treble
\new Voice = "Soprano"
>>
The melody is sometimes attributed to Rinkart, but it is usually considered to be 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.
Musical settings
![Mendelssohn Bartholdy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Mendelssohn_Bartholdy.jpg)
It is used in
J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suite ...
's
cantata
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 ...
s, such as
BWV 79,
192 (music lost), harmonized for four voices in
BWV 252 and
386, and set in a
chorale prelude
In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 ...
,
BWV 657, as part of the
Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes
The Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668, are a set of chorale preludes for organ prepared by Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig in his final decade (1740–1750), from earlier works composed in Weimar, where he was court organist. The wo ...
. The now-standard harmonisation was devised by
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 sy ...
in 1840 when he adopted the hymn, sung in the now-standard key of
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 with its original German lyrics, as the chorale to his ''
Lobgesang
''Lobgesang'' (''Hymn of Praise''), Op. 52 ( MWV A 18), is an 11-movement "Symphony-Cantata on Words of the Holy Bible for Soloists, Choir and Orchestra" by Felix Mendelssohn. After the composer's death it was published as his Symphony No. 2 in ...
'' or ''Hymn of Praise'' (also known as his Symphony No. 2).
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University ...
composed a chorale prelude as No. 27 of his
52 Chorale Preludes, Op. 67 in 1902. The late-Romantic German composer
Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (November 21, 1877April 9, 1933) was a German composer in the early twentieth century, best known for his compositions for pipe organ and reed organ.
Biography
Karg-Elert was born Siegfried Theodor Karg in Oberndorf am Neckar, ...
used it in his ''Marche Triomphale''. In 1969 Mr. Jo Mama also used Martin Rinkart's hymn to write a song entitled ''We Must Rejoice.'' ("For 2 tubas, 2 violas, and Organ with vibraphone"). John Rutter composed ''
Now thank we all our God
"Now thank we all our God" is a popular Christian hymn. Catherine Winkworth translated it from the German "", written by the Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart. Its hymn tune, Zahn No. 5142, was published by Johann Crüger in the 1647 edition o ...
'' for choir and brass in 1974. In 1977 Czech-American composer
Václav Nelhýbel
Václav Nelhýbel (September 24, 1919 – March 22, 1996) was a Czech American composer, mainly of works for student performers.
Life and career
He was born the youngest of five children in Polanka, Czechoslovakia. He received his early mu ...
arranged a contemporary setting entitled ''Now Thank We All Our God:'' Concertato for 2 trumpets, 2 trombones and organ with tuba and timpani which incorporated "Nun Danket alle Gott" for congregational singing. Hermann Chr. Bühler made an elaborate setting of Johann Crüger's version.
Leuthen Chorale
It is claimed that after the
Battle of Leuthen
The Battle of Leuthen was fought on 5 December 1757 and involved Frederick the Great's Prussian Army using maneuver warfare and terrain to rout a larger Austrian force completely, which was commanded by Prince Charles of Lorraine and Cou ...
in 1757, the hymn was taken up by the entire assembled Prussian army. This narrative is however questioned by historians and musicologists, who identify the story as a later invention of Prussian propaganda. Because of this story the melody is sometimes known as the Leuthen Chorale.
References
External links
*
Evangelisches Gesangbuch 321(melody and text in 3 languages) l4a.org
"Now Thank We All Our God"(score and audio version) on the website of the Center for Church Music
Hymns Without Wordslyrics and recording available for download
{{Authority control
17th-century hymns in German
English Christian hymns
Lutheran hymns
Thanksgiving songs