"Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein" (Lord, we bring in bread and wine) is a Christian

offertory The offertory (from Medieval Latin ''offertorium'' and Late Latin ''offerre'') is the part of a Eucharistic service when the bread and wine for use in the service are ceremonially placed on the altar. A collection of alms (offerings) from the c ...

hymn with German text by , and a melody by

Peter Janssens Peter Janssens (17 June 1934 – 24 December 1998) was a German musician and composer who wrote and performed incidental music for several theatres, and songs and musicals of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied, a pioneer of . He worked at a Germa ...

. The song, of the genre

Neues Geistliches Lied ''Neues Geistliches Lied'' (, ''new spiritual song''), abbreviated NGL, is a music genre of songs in German intended for church usage, and based on contemporary lyrics and with music by contemporary composers. History The idea to reach youn ...

(NGL), is part of German hymnals, including ''

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 ...

'', and songbooks.

History

The song "Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein" was written as part of the "

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

er Universitätsmesse" (Innsbruck University mass), which was commissioned to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

in 1969. The theologian and

hymnodist 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 ...

Hans Bernhard Meyer and the composer

wrote the mass in collaboration, in an effort to express faith in contemporary texts and music in a genre later known as

(NGL). The mass was titled "Gute Nachricht für alle Völker" (Good news for all peoples) and first published in print and on record in 1970. The complete mass consists of the following songs: * Zum Eingang: Herr, dein Wort ist gute Nachricht * Kyrielitanei * Antwortpsalm: Singt dem Herrn alle Völker und Rassen * Allelujavers mit Klangmeditationen * Gabenbereitung: Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein * Lied zum Brotbrechen: Lamm Gottes According to some sources, Meyer may have based the text on a 1965 work in Dutch by

Huub Oosterhuis Hubertus Gerardus Josephus Henricus "Huub" Oosterhuis (; 1 November 19339 April 2023) was a Dutch theologian and poet. He is mainly known for his contribution to Christian music and liturgy in Dutch and also in German, used in both Protestant ...

. Meyer created a song with three verses and a refrain "Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein unsere Welt zu dir. Du schenkst uns deine Gegenwart im österlichen Mahl." (Lord, we bring in bread and wine our world to you. You give us the gift of Your presence in the meal of Easter.) In a broadcast about the hymn, the theologian Thomas Weißer noted that bread and wine, the gifts of the

in preparation of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

, are already symbols in a general way, bread as a necessity for survival and wine standing for an abundance of extra enjoyment, which together can represent the world. The song was included in the German Catholic hymnal ''Gotteslob'' of 1975 as GL 534, but only the refrain. Winfried Offele composed a four-part choral setting with organ or piano and a melody instrument such as flute in 1973. The song was included, now with the complete text, in the 2013 edition as GL 184, in the section "Gesänge - Woche - Gesänge zur Gabenbereitung" (Chants – Week – chants for offertory). The song is included in several songbooks.

References

External links

Texte zur Gabenbereitung
(in German) liturgie.dsp.at * {{Authority control Contemporary Christian songs 1969 songs Neues Geistliches Lied 20th-century hymns in German