"" (He who allows dear God to rule him) is a 1641 hymn by

Georg Neumark Georg Neumark (16 March 1621 – 8 July 1681) was a German poet and composer of hymns. Life Neumark was born in Langensalza, the son of Michael Neumark and his wife Martha. From 1630 he attended the gymnasium in Schleusingen and later transfer ...

, who also composed the melody for it. It has seven verses and deals with the Christian putting their trust in God. Its author referred to it as a "Trostlied" or song of consolation and it first appeared in his (published in

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

in 1657). It also appeared in

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 bo ...

's 1672 ''

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 ...

'' and in the first part of

Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (2 December 1670 in Bad Gandersheim — 12 February 1739 in Halle) was a theologian of the pietist Halle School and a scholar and follower of August Hermann Francke. He was the second director of the Franckesche ...

's 1704 . It has inspired musical settings, and is part of current German hymnals, both Protestant and Catholic.

Melody

Twenty other melodies have since been written for the text, though none have reached the same popularity as the original, Zahn No. 2778. The original melody has a wide usage in Protestant hymnody, including several other texts. Neumark's original is in the

dorian mode Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the medieval musical modes; or—mos ...

, although later settings, such as by Bach, render this into G harmonic minor. ''Melody in 3/2 time by Georg Neumark 1657'' ''Version of melody in 4/4 time used by J. S. Bach'' \addlyrics

Text

Below is Neumark's original German text with the English translation of

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 ...

Neumark's 1657 hymnbook

In his 1657 hymnbook, , Neumark devoted five pages to the text, a prelude, melody and accompaniment of the hymn "". File:Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten Neumark-68.jpeg, 1st page, instrumental introduction, violin 1, beginning of violin 2 File:Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten Neumark-69.jpeg, 2nd page, violin 2 continued, figured bass File:Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten Neumark-70.jpeg, 3rd page, melody with text of the first stanza, figured bass File:Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten Neumark-71.jpeg, 4th page, text of stanzas 1–4 File:Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten Neumark-72.jpeg, 5th page, text of stanzas 5–7

Use in musical compositions

After it was written, the hymn tune has frequently been used by baroque composers. These include

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 t ...

by Johann Samuel Welter and

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesh ...

as well as

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 ...

s by

Georg Friedrich Kauffmann Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (14 February 1679 – 24 March 1735) was a Baroque composer and organist from northern-central Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice. Biography Early life and career Georg Friedrich Kauffm ...

Johann Gottfried Walther Johann Gottfried Walther (18 September 1684 – 23 March 1748) was a German music theorist, organist, composer, and lexicographer of the Baroque era. Walther was born at Erfurt. Not only was his life almost exactly contemporaneous to that ...

and

Georg Böhm Georg Böhm (2 September 1661 – 18 May 1733) was a German Baroque organist and composer. He is notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J. S. Bach. Life Böhm was born in 1661 in Hohenkirchen. He ...

Christoph Graupner Christoph Graupner (13 January 1683 – 10 May 1760) was a German composer and harpsichordist of late Baroque music who was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel. Life Born in Hartmannsdorf ...

, a close colleague of Telemann, composed numerous cantatas based on the chorale, including GWV 1148/44 and GWV 1156/09.

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 w ...

repeatedly used the hymn tune in his compositions, most notably in

BWV 93 The (BWV; ; ) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version o ...

, his cantata of the same name, for the fifth Sunday after Trinity, composed for 9 July 1724. Its text is based on Neumark's original, which is retained verbatim in the first and last verses and rewritten elsewhere. The same melody was set to different words in other hymns, notably "" ("Who knows how near is my end?"). Cantatas

BWV 21 The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

BWV 27 The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

BWV 84 The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

BWV 88 Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata (Behold, I will send out many fishers), 88 in Leipzig for the fifth Sunday after Trinity within the liturgical year and first performed it on 21 July 1726. Bach composed the cantata after seve ...

BWV 166 ("Where are you heading?", literally: "Where do you go?"), 166, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for Cantate, the fourth Sunday after Easter, and first performed it on 7 May 1724. History and words Bach ...

BWV 179 The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

and

BWV 197 (God is our confidence), BWV 197.2 (formerly BWV 197), is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. History and text In 1728 in Leipzig, Bach composed a Christmas cantata, (Glory be to God in the Highest), which he revised in 1736– ...

use the original melody, with words taken from one or other of the texts. Cantata 21 links two stanzas with a three-part fugue (''Sei nun wieder zufrieden, meine Seele''); the tenor and soprano sing the cantus firmus. BWV 642 in the ''

Orgelbüchlein The ''Orgelbüchlein'' (''Little Organ Book'') BWV 599−644 is a set of 46 chorale preludes for organ — one of them is given in two versions — by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three were written between 1708 and 1717 when Bach served as org ...

'' is an organ chorale prelude, with the hymn tune as its cantus firmus; whilst BWV 647 in the

Schübler Chorales ' ( 'six chorales of diverse kinds, to be played on an organ with two manuals and pedal'), commonly known as the ''Schübler Chorales'' (german: Schübler-Choräle), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastia ...

is an organ transcription of the fourth movement of the cantata

. In addition, two organ adaptations of the hymn are included in the Kirnberger Collection - BWV 690 (with a following figured basso-chorale) and BWV 691 (with an interesting variant and additional interludes). Another variant BWV 691a can be found in the ''

Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach ''Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach'' (Bach's original spelling: ''Clavier-Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach'') is a collection of keyboard music compiled by the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach for his eldest son Wil ...

''. After Bach and his forebears, there have been numerous arrangements of the hymn, in the eighteenth century and beyond. Organ preludes on the theme have been composed by

Johann Peter Kellner Johann Peter Kellner (variants: Keller, Kelner) (28 September 1705 – 19 April 1772) was a German organist and composer. He was the father of Johann Christoph Kellner. Biography He was born in Gräfenroda, Thuringia, and was intended by his par ...

Johann Ludwig Krebs Johann Ludwig Krebs (baptized 12 October 1713 – 1 January 1780) was a German Baroque musician and composer for the pipe organ, harpsichord, other instruments and orchestras. His output also included chamber music, choral works and concertos. ...

Gottfried August Homilius Gottfried August Homilius (2 February 1714 – 2 June 1785) was a German composer, cantor and organist.Dennis Shrock ''Choral Repertoire'' 2009 -- Page 303 "1714–1785 Homilius was born near Dresden, where he was educated and where he served ...

and

Johann Philipp Kirnberger Johann Philipp Kirnberger (also ''Kernberg''; 24 April 1721, Saalfeld – 27 July 1783, Berlin) was a musician, composer (primarily of fugues), and music theorist. He was a student of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to Ingeborg Allihn, Kirnberg ...

. Amongst later generations,

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 ...

adapted the text and melody for a cantata, while

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

used it as a theme at various points in his ''Deutsches Requiem''.

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

arranged the melody for piano as No. 11 of his ''Zwölf alte deutsche geistliche Weisen'', S. 504b (1878-1879).

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 three organ preludes on the hymn: Nos. 45 and 46 of his 52 Chorale Preludes, Op. 67 (1902); and No. 28 of his 30 Short Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a (1914).

Current hymnals

The hymn is No. 369 (EG 369) in the Protestant hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'', and No. 367 in the hymnbook of the Evangelisch-methodistische Kirche in Germany, though in the latter verse 5 is omitted. In the German hymnbook of the Neuapostolische Kirche, stanzas 1–5 and 7 appear as number 154. The hymn became part of the 1938 ''

Kirchenlied ''Kirchenlied'' ("Church song") is a German Catholic hymnal published in 1938. It was a collection of 140 old and new songs, including hymns by Protestant authors. It was the seed for a common Catholic hymnal which was realised decades later, in th ...

''. Three stanzas were included in the first edition 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 ...

'' as GL 295. The same stanzas (1, 2 and 7) are number 451 in the Swiss '. In the ''

'' of 2013, stanzas 1–3, 6 and 7 appear as GL 424. The tune of "Wer nur den lieben Gott" has also been used for a variety of other texts.See

References

Sources

* * Willibald Gurlitt,

Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht (5 January 1919 – 30 August 1999) was a German musicologist and professor of historical musicology at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg. Life Eggebrecht was born in Dresden. His father was a Protestant mini ...

(ed.): ''Riemann Musik Lexikon'', Sachteil, Mainz: Schott 1967, page 456 * Hansjakob Becker and others (ed.): ''Geistliches Wunderhorn. Große deutsche Kirchenlieder.'' C. H. Beck, Munich 2001, . * * *

External links

Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten
Bach Cantatas Website 2013
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten
on mutopiaproject.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Wer Nur Den Lieben Gott Lasst Walten 17th-century hymns in German Lutheran hymns 1641 poems 1641 in Christianity 1641 in music