"Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand" () is a

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 ''hymn'' d ...

for

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

. The text originated in 1524. Johannes Zahn listed three

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

s for it. Two of these, Zahn Nos. 1976 and 1977, were published in 1724. A third, Zahn No. 1978, is attributed to Luther and was first published in 1529. Variants of this melody originated up to the early 17th century.

Text

Below is the original German version of the text Jesus Christus unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand, ist auferstanden, die Sünd hat er gefangen. Kyrie eleison. Der ohn Sünden war geboren, trug für uns Gottes Zorn, hat uns versöhnet, dass Gott uns sein Huld gönnet. Kyrie eleison. Tod, Sünd, Leben und auch Gnad, alls in Händen er hat; er kann erretten alle, die zu ihm treten. Kyrie eleison. Jesus Christ, our Saviour true, He who Death overthrew, Is up arisen, And sin hath put in prison. Kyrieleison.

Settings

One of the early melodies for "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand" appeared in the ''

Erfurt Enchiridion The ''Erfurt Enchiridion'' (wikt:enchiridion, enchiridion, from , hand book) is the second Lutheranism, Lutheran hymnal. It appeared in 1524 in Erfurt in two competing editions. One of them contains 26 songs, the other 25, 18 of them by Martin L ...

''. The later hymn tune, Zahn No. 1978, was adopted, for instance, in compositions by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. BWV^2a (1998), p. 476

''Erfurt Enchiridion'' (1524)

The 1524 ''Erfurt Enchiridion'' contained the hymn with the Zahn No. 1977 melody:

Zahn No. 1978

Two four-part settings of the 1529 melody of the hymn were included in

Samuel Scheidt Samuel Scheidt (baptized 3 November 1587 – 24 March 1654) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. Life and career Scheidt was born in Halle, and after early studies there, he went to Amsterdam to study with ...

's 1650 ''Görlitzer Tabulaturbuch'' (SSWV 441-540). Further

chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for pipe organ, organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque music, Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works ...

s for organ were composed by

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow or Zachau (14 November 1663 – 7 August 1712) was a German musician and composer of vocal and keyboard music. Life Zachow was born in Leipzig. He probably received his training from his father, the piper Heinrich Za ...

( LV 36), by

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and ...

( PC 60) and by

( BWV 626 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 ...

''). Johann Sebastian Bach also wrote a chorale harmonization ( BWV 364):BWV 364
at Luke Dahn's bach–chorales.com (2018)

References

Sources

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External links

"Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand"
at * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod uberwand Lutheran hymns 16th-century hymns in German Hymns by Martin Luther Easter hymns Songs about Jesus