"" ("I shall not leave my Jesus") is a German

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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 ...

, with lyrics by

Christian Keimann Christian Keymann (also ''Christian Keimann''; 27 February 1607 – 13 January 1662) was a German hymnwriter. He is known for writing the chorale "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" in 1658, which served as the base for Bach's Chorale cantata (Bach), ch ...

written in 1658. The theme of the hymn is trust in

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, based on memorial sermons for

John George I, Elector of Saxony John George I (5 March 1585 – 8 October 1656) was Elector of Saxony from 1611 to 1656. He led Saxony through the Thirty Years' War, which dominated his 45-year reign. Biography Born in Dresden, John George was the second son of the Elector C ...

recalling conversations of the elector with his minister on his deathbed. The hymn inspired composers to vocal settings.

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 ...

based his chorale cantata ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'', BWV 124 on the first melody by

Andreas Hammerschmidt Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611 or 1612 – 29 October 1675) was a German Bohemian composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was one of the most significant and popular composers of sacred music in Germany in the middle 17th centu ...

( Zahn No. 3449), and

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University Chu ...

used a later melody by Johann Ulich for a chorale cantata in 1906. The hymn appears, with Ulich's tune, in the 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 ...

'' as EG 402, in modernized German as "Meinen Jesus lass ich nicht".

History

worked as director of a Gymnasium in

Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...

when he wrote the hymn. It was first published in

's choral book ''Fest-, Buß- und Danklieder'' (Songs of feast, penitence and thanks) of 1659, and was probably written shortly before. It was prompted by the death of

on 8 October 1656, who had repeated the first line of the text and its main idea in conversations with his minister on his deathbed. Weller referred to these conversations in his memorial sermons for the elector, for example on 16 October 1656 in Dresden. Keimann paraphrased excerpts from the sermons in the lyrics.

Melodies and settings

The hymn is sung to melodies by Hammerschmidt, Crüger and Ulich.

Hammerschmidt

In the first print, the hymn is set with a melody by

, Zahn 3449, which was still used in the 18th century. Vopelius retained this version in his 1682 ''Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch'', p. 888.

used the hymn with this melody several times, notably in his chorale cantata ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'', BWV 124, and as a closing movement of Part I in an early version of his ''

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets the 26th and 27th chapters of th ...

''.

Crüger

Johann Crüger Johann Crüger (9 April 1598 – 23 February 1662) was a German composer of well-known hymns. He was also the editor of the most widely used Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, '' Praxis pietatis melica''. Early life and education Crüger was b ...

's melody of "Jesus, meine Zuversicht" was the common melody of the hymn until the 19th century.

Ulich

A third melody was composed by Johann Ulich in 1674. This melody is most common today, because it was used for the hymnal ' of 1915 and subsequent versions up to the current Protestant hymnal ''

'', where it appears as EG 402, in the section "Glaube – Liebe – Hoffnung. Geborgen in Gottes Liebe" (Faith – Love – Hope. Sheltered in God's love). Several hymns in English are sung to this hymn tune.

based his chorale cantata ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'' for soprano, choir, violin, viola and organ and ensemble in 1906 on Ulich's melody. It was written on a commission by the ''Kantor'' of the

Leipzig University Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...

for a service on ''

Totensonntag Totensonntag ('', Sunday of the Dead''), also called Ewigkeitssonntag (''Eternity Sunday'') or Totenfest, is a Protestant religious holiday in Germany and Switzerland, commemorating the faithful departed. It falls on the last Sunday of the liturg ...

'', the last Sunday of the church year dedicated to the memory of the dead.

References

External links

BWV 124.6
bach-chorales.com

Bach Cantatas Website

Bach Cantatas Website {{English-language Lutheran hymns Lutheran hymns 17th-century hymns in German 1658 works