"" (lit. "Christ, you Lamb of God") is a Lutheran hymn, often referred to as the German Agnus Dei. Martin Luther wrote the words of the hymn as a translation of the Latin Agnus Dei from the

liturgy of the mass Mass is the main Eucharistic liturgy, liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term ''Mass'' is commonly used in the Catholic Church, in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Western Rite Orthodox, in Old Catholic Church, Old Cathol ...

. The tune,

Zahn Zahn is a German and Ashkenazi Jewish surname. Notable persons with the surname include: *Albert Zahn, folk artist from Wisconsin, decorated the Albert Zahn House with carvings. * Anthony Zahn (born 1976), American cyclist * Ernst Zahn (1867–1952 ...

58, was taken from an older liturgy. The hymn was first published in 1528 and has been the basis for several musical settings by composers such as Bach,

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 music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

and Hessenberg. It appears in modern German hymnals, both the Protestant '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (EG 190:2) and the Catholic '' Gotteslob'' (GL 208).

Background and usage

When Luther began the Reformation, he wanted to keep most of the order of the mass but to have it performed in German. In 1526, he published '' Deutsche Messe'' as a German language alternative to the Catholic liturgy. Before this publication, his liturgy was first used in the

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

of 1525. The document contains several German hymns, rather than using a German translation of the Credo and Agnus Dei from the Latin liturgy. Instead of using a translation of the Agnus Dei, " Jesus Christus, unser Heiland" was sung during communion because it was more instructive. The hymn first appeared with the Zahn 58 tune in Bugenhagen's Braunschweig order of church service, printed in Wittenberg in 1528. The Protestant hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' of 1993 has this hymn as EG 190:2. The Catholic hymnal '' Gotteslob'' of 2013 has the hymn as GL 208, with a slightly different melody.

Tune

Robin A. Leaver points out that Luther used the tune of the Kyrie for this hymn in his ''Deutsche Messe'' to achieve symmetry. The tune is a Gregorian chant in the first mode (

Dorian Dorian may refer to: Ancient Greece * Dorians, one of the main ethnic divisions of ancient Greeks * Doric Greek, or Dorian, the dialect spoken by the Dorians Art and entertainment Films * ''Dorian'' (film), the Canadian title of the 2004 film ' ...

). Leaver notes that although the Zahn 58 tune was not printed with the hymn until 1528, it was already implied in Luther's 1526 ''Deutsche Messe''. Bwv619-preview

The hymn has been featured by composers through the centuries, often in elaborate settings. Bach used it several times, notably in the lost Weimarer Passion, in

his cantata His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, ...

for the last Sunday before

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

''Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn'', BWV 23, in the second version of his ''St John Passion'', and in a chorale prelude, BWV 619, a canon at the twelfth interval, as part of his '' Orgelbüchlein''.

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 ...

used this hymn in 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 ...

for choir and orchestra. Kurt Hessenberg also employed this hymn in a five-part

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

published in 1951.

References

External links

{{Hymns and songs for Lent and Passiontide 16th-century hymns in German Hymn tunes Hymns by Martin Luther 1528 works