"" (Oh God, how much heartache) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

hymn in 18 stanzas attributed to

Martin Moller Martin Moller (10 November 1547 – 2 March 1606) was a German poet and mysticism, mystic. Life Moller was born in Ließnitz (now Kropstädt bei Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt) in 1547 and became Cantor (church), cantor in Lwówek Śląski, Lö ...

(1587). It is often catalogued as a paraphrase of the Latin "Jesu dulcis memoria", a medieval hymn attributed to

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through ...

, but only a few lines refer directly to this song. Hymn tunes were composed for the hymn ( Zahn Nos. 547–549), and it is also often sung to a tune composed for "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" (Zahn No. 533). The anonymous hymn tune of "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" first appeared in Wolflein Lochamer's '' Lochamer-Liederbuch'', printed in

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...

around 1455. In

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

in the 1720s,

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 ...

composed settings of Lochamer's hymn based on four of his church cantatas and a sacred motet.

Musical settings and harmonization

used the final three stanzas of "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" to conclude ''Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind'', BWV 153, a

church cantata A church cantata or sacred cantata is a cantata intended to be performed during Christian liturgy. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, with many composers writing an extensive output: Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, ...

composed for the Sunday after New Year's Day, 2 January 1724, and the first stanza of the hymn as movement 4 of ''Sie werden euch in den Bann tun'', BWV 44, for Exaudi, the Sunday after Ascension, 21 May 1724. The entire hymn is also the base for Bach's ''Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid'', BWV 3, a

chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chora ...

composed in Leipzig for the second Sunday after

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

, 14 January 1725. Bach also used the melody in two movements of ''Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid'', BWV 58, a cantata for the Sunday after New Year's Day, 5 January 1727, and he used the melody with the hymn text "O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" for the eponymous motet (BWV 118).

References

{{Hymn tunes by Zahn number 16th-century hymns in German Lutheran hymns Hymn tunes 1587 works