"" (Mary, to love you is always on my mind) is a

Marian hymn Marian hymns are Christian songs focused on Mary, mother of Jesus. They are used in devotional and liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. Some have been a ...

in German. It was created in the beginning of the 18th century as "" (Loving Mary is always on my mind), and became the most popular Marian hymn in German. The common Catholic hymnal in German, ''

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 ...

'', has a version modernised by

Friedrich Dörr Friedrich Dörr (7 March 190813 May 1993) was a German Catholic priest and professor of theology, who is known as a hymnwriter. He shaped the first common German Catholic hymnal, ''Gotteslob (1975), Gotteslob'', published in 1975. Life Friedri ...

that already appeared in its first edition from 1975. It shares with the older version only the first line.

History

The author and composer of the hymn "" are unknown. It was created in the beginning of the 18th century, and became the most popular Marian hymn in German. The text expresses in erotic language the spiritual love of the lyrical subject, to

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The song was possibly derived from a secular love song. It was used to conclude a pilgrimage to a place dedicated to Mary, describing the close relationship that had developed between the pilgrim and Mary. The song was extant in several versions reproduced in leaflets, until

Heinrich Bone Heinrich Bone (25 September 181310 June 1893) was a German educator and hymnwriter. He wrote a reader for German studies which was used for higher education in Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria, until it was banned during the Kulturkampf. ...

created a version in his 1847 hymnal '' Cantate!'', which reduced the text to five stanzas. His version is focused on intimate love with an outlook into eternal life.

Joseph Mohr Josephus Franciscus Mohr, sometimes spelled Josef (11 December 1792 – 4 December 1848) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and writer, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol "Silent Night." Early life and education Mohr was born in S ...

created a version in nine stanzas, based on Bone and earlier sources, namely leaflets from Meschede (1752) and Paderborn (1765); his version incorporates doctrines. It was one of 23 ' (common songs) that a 1916 bishops' conference in Fulda created. When a second approach to unify German Catholic hymns was undertaken by a bishops' conference in 1947, resulting in 72 songs, three of the additional stanzas were cut, resulting in the song's period of highest publication. The first edition of the ''

'' contained a version that retained only the (modified) first line from the original song, written by

, as GL 594. It was transferred without change to the 2013 edition as GL 521.Maria zu lieben
(in German) Goethe University Frankfurt

Melody

\header \layout melody = \new Voice = "melody" \relative f' verse = \new Lyrics \lyricmode \score \score

References

External links

"Maria zu lieben"
hymnary.org

evangeliums.net
"Maria zu lieben ist allzeit mein Sinn"
volksliederarchiv.de

Forschungsstelle für fränkische Volksmusik {{authority control Marian hymns Catholic hymns in German 18th-century hymns in German

History

Melody

References

Further reading

External links