"Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich" (Praise God, all Christians equally) is a German

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

with lyrics and melody by

Nikolaus Herman Nikolaus Herman (first name also ''Nicolaus'' or ''Niklas''; 1500 – 3 May 1561) was a German Lutheran cantor and teacher, creating numerous Protestant hymns. Some of them are contained in hymnals in several languages. Career Herman was born ...

. It is part of Protestant and Catholic hymnals, has inspired musical settings, and has been translated. The title is also known as "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich".

History

The song is traditionally dated 1560, because it appeared then in eight

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

s with the melody, Zahn No. 198, in Wittenberg. The melody was connected before in 1554 with the text "Kommt her, ihr lieben Schwesterlein". An early version of text and melody appeared already around 1550 on a leaf ("Liedblatt") ''Drey geistliche Weyhnacht/ lieder, vom Newgebornen kindlin Jesu / für die kinder im Joachimstal'' (Three sacred Christmas songs, of the newborn little child Jesus / for the children in the Joachimstal). Herman based the melody on the Gregorian

introit The Introit () is part of the opening of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, psalm verse and '' Gloria Patri'', which are spoken or sung at the ...

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are usually taken from the Psalms or Scripture, but may also be freely compo ...

for Christmas " Puer natus est nobis" (A boy is born for us"). The first line was often rendered as "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich" from the beginning of the 17th century, which became the title of musical settings of the period. The hymn was translated by as "Praise God the Lord, ye sons of men". In the German Protestant hymnal ''

Evangelisches Gesangbuch ''Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (''EG''; , "Protestantism, Protestant song book") is the current hymnal of German-language congregations in Germany, Alsace and Lorraine, Austria, and Luxembourg, which was introduced from 1993 and 1996, succeeding ...

'', the hymn was adopted as EG 27, with six stanzas (1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8), and in 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-speak ...

'' as GL 247, with four stanzas (1, 2, 3 and 8).

Musical setting

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 ...

composed a

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 ...

, BWV 609, in his ''

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 ...

''."Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich"
(''Orgelbüchlein'') BWV 609 / Chorale setting

Bach Digital Bach Digital (German: ), developed by the Bach Archive in Leipzig, is an online database which gives access to information on compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and members of his family. Early manuscripts of such compositions are a major foc ...

Michel Corrette Michael Corrette (10 April 1707 – 21 January 1795) was a French composer, organist and author of musical method books. Life Corrette’s father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Little is known of his early life. In 1726, ...

composed a Noel Allemand on the theme

Text and melody

Four stanzas, as in ''Gotteslob'': Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich, in seinem höchsten Thron, der heut schließt auf sein Himmelreich , : und schenkt uns seinen Sohn. :, Er kommt aus seines Vaters Schoß und wird ein Kindlein klein, er liegt dort elend, nackt und bloß , : in einem Krippelein. :, Er äußert sich all seiner G'walt, wird niedrig und gering und nimmt an eines Knechts Gestalt, , : der Schöpfer aller Ding. :, Heut schließt er wieder auf die Tür zum schönen Paradeis; der Cherub steht nicht mehr dafür. , : Gott sei Lob, Ehr und Preis! :, Praise God the Lord, ye sons of men, Before His highest throne; Today He opens heaven again , : And gives us His own Son. :, He leaves His heavenly Father's throne, Is born an infant small, And in a manger, poor and lone, , : Lies in a humble stall. :, He veils in flesh His power divine A servant's form to take; In want and lowliness must pine , : Who heaven and earth did make. :, He opens us again the door Of Paradise today; The angel guards the gate no more, , : To God our thanks we pay. :,

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References

External links

"27 Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich"
''Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch''

Christliche Liederdatenbank * {{authority control Christmas carols in German 16th-century hymns in German 1560 works

History

Musical setting

Text and melody

See also

References

External links