"" (Now, brothers, we are cheerful) is a German Catholic

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

. It was written by

Georg Thurmair Georg Thurmair (7 February 1909 – 20 January 1984) was a German poet who wrote around 300 hymns, a writer, journalist and author of documentary films. Career Born in Munich, he took commercial training and worked from 1926 as a secretary at the ...

as both a pilgrimage song and a

Marian hymn Marian hymns are Christian songs focused on Mary, mother of Jesus. They are used in both devotional and liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. They are often used in the mont ...

. The melody was composed by Adolf Lohmann, who wrote a choral setting in 1936. Related to youth pilgrimages to an image of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

at the

Altenberger Dom The Altenberger Dom (or Bergischer Dom) is the former abbey church of Altenberg Abbey which was built from 1259 in Gothic style by Cistercians. Listed as a cultural heritage, it is located in Altenberg, now part of Odenthal in the Rheinisch-Be ...

, it is also known as "" (Altenberg pilgrimage song). The song is regarded as an (Oppositional song), in subtle protest against the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. In the process of adapting the text to

gender-neutral language Gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language is language that avoids bias towards a particular sex or gender. In English, this includes use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions, formation of phrases in a c ...

, the first line has been changed, replacing "brothers" by "we all", "friends" or "Christians". Several regional sections of the Catholic hymnal ''

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 ...

'' offer alternatives. It is "" in the Diocese of Hamburg, GL 902, "" in the

Diocese of Münster In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

of 1996, GL 875, and "" in the

Diocese of Limburg The Diocese of Limburg (Latin: ''Dioecesis Limburgensis'') is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It belongs to the ecclesiastical province of Cologne, with metropolitan see being the Archdiocese of Cologne. Its territory encompasses ...

, GL 878.

History

Haus Altenberg Haus Altenberg is a house for education and meetings of young people (''Jugendbildungsstätte'') of the Diocese of Cologne, located in Altenberg, now part of Odenthal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was the centre of the Katholische Jugendbe ...

next to the

was founded in 1922 as a meeting place for Catholic youth by Carl Mosterts. His successor made it in 1926 the centre of the Catholic ''Jugendbewegung'' in Germany. From 1935, the movement was restricted to strictly religious meetings by the Nazi government, leading to an increase in events such as pilgrimages. The 1530 sculpture of Mary in the centre of the Altenberger Dom became the destination of processions, including , processions with candles and torches at night. The tradition has continued after World War II as the . Wolker declared the and the (Queen of the union) and encouraged the publication of a hymnal '' Kirchenlied'', which became the source of common Christian singing in German. Several new songs were written, including works by the secretary of the youth movement,

, set to music by Adolf Lohmann. One of them was the 1935 song "". Thousands of young people met for the processions until 1938. The song expressed the protest of the Catholic youth in subtle, cryptic ways, for example by using metaphors such as (dark ban), and by requesting of Mary: "" (Now stretch out your hands, then no enemy will harm us.) The song became known as the "" (Altenberg pilgrimage song).

Publication and reception

The hymn was first published in 1935 in the youth magazine for which Thurmair was an editor. It became known when it was included in the in 1938, subtitled (A selection of spiritual song for the youth), a collection of 140 old and new hymns from different periods. Thurmair included the song also in a 1938 poetry collections, (The first poems to the friends), which was banned by the Nazis shortly after publication. The song has been regarded as an (Oppositional song), in subtle protest against the

. Its text was distributed among young people also in form of a (Decorated leaf) useful to hang on a wall. Adolf Lohmann wrote a five-part choral setting, which was published in 1936 as "" in the . In the first common Catholic hymnal, the 1975 ''Gotteslob'', it was not part of the common section (), but in 16 regional sections.Thomas Labonté: ''Die Sammlung "Kirchenlied" (1938). Entstehung, Korpusanalyse, Rezeption.'' Francke Verlag, Tübingen 2008, , pp 196–209. In the 2013 edition, it was again not included in the common section, but in several regional sections, however avoiding the term "" in the first line as not neutral to gender.

References

External links

Nun, Brüder, sind wir frohgemut
jubilate-verlag.com, p. 2
Regensburger Domspatzen / The Finest Songs Of Mary

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Orgelimprovisationen

Franz Lehrndorfer Franz Lehrndorfer (10 August 1928 – 10 January 2013) was a German organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Franz Lehrndorfer was born in Salzburg and spent his youth in Kempten. He received his first music lessons from his father, a cho ...

{{authority control Catholic hymns in German 20th-century hymns in German Marian hymns 1935 songs