Christian Singers Of Germany

1 PREFACE. 2 |A PREFACE TO ALL GOOD HYMN-BOOKS.| 3 CHAPTER I. THE EARLY DAWN OF GERMAN SACRED POETRY AND SONG. A. D. 800-900 4 Ambrosian Church Music 5 Gregorian Church Music 6 A Benedictine Monastery 7 Notker's Sequences 8 The Heliand 9 Otfried of Weissenburg 10 MYSTICE DE REVERSIONE MAGORUM AD PATRIAM. 11 CHAPTER II. A LONG TWILIGHT. A.D. 900-1100. 12 Early Hymns 13 ST. PETER. 14 PRAYER. 15 ANOTHER PRAYER (Ninth Century). 16 CHAPTER III. THE MORNING. A.D. 1100-1250 17 German Sequences 18 Another |Leich| or |Sequence| of his, which became extremely popular, is 19 Another of his poems is called 20 The Minne-Singers 21 THE BEAUTY OF THIS WORLD. 22 But in the list we also find the greatest of the knightly Minne-singers, Hartmann von der Aue, Reinmar von Hagenau, Gottfried von Strasburg, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and the noble singer Walther von der Vogelweide. 23 Another crusading song, which was very widely used on pilgrimages in these days, was sung to a melody which has been preserved to the present time, by its connexion with one of Luther's hymns; it is this:-- 24 Another crusader and Minne-singer of those days, Sir Reinmar of Hagenau, gives us a glimpse of the struggle that must have gone on in many minds between the love of pleasure and the self-control that befitted a soldier of the Cross, a struggle of which we 25 A little anonymous poem of the same date, the last verse of which appears, from the metre, to be incomplete, surprises us by what seems to us the modern tone of its tender and passionate 26 Walter von der Vogelweide 27 So die bluomen uz dem grase dringent 28 MAY MIRACLES 29 But others treat of higher and more serious themes, and show us a man deeply engaged in the political and religious life of his day. He was a warm lover of his country, but he does not hesitate to rebuke and satirize his countrymen, whether clergy or lait 30 THE PRAISE OF GERMANY. 31 A MORNING PRAYER. 32 EQUALITY BEFORE GOD. 33 REPENTANCE. 34 IN THE HOLY LAND. 35 The Minne-songs 36 CHAPTER IV. DARK TIMES AND BRIGHT TIMES. A.D.1253-1500 37 Tauler 38 WHAT I MUST DO. 39 ONLY JESUS. 40 The Master-Singers 41 DEATH WILL CONQUER. 42 NO MORE DESPAIR. 43 The Drama 44 CHRISTMAS CAROL 45 Another Christmas carol of this date is the following on 46 A favourite song, or we might almost call it a ballad for Easter, was this one:-- 47 Easter Sequence 48 A sequence found about the same date is called in old manuscripts 49 We have a testimony to the use of Easter hymns in church in the following poem by Conrad von Queinfurt, belonging to the fourteenth century (he died in 1382 in Silesia), which is quite in the style of the Minne-singers both in thought and the carefully va 50 Many also of the popular songs were translated 51 Henry of Loufenburg 52 HOME-SICKNESS. 53 Another tenderly-conceived little poem of his is this:-- 54 Henry of Loufenburg also wrote and widely introduced the use of many hymns in mixed Latin and German. Verses of this kind had long been a favourite amusement among the monks 55 Earliest Hymn-Books 56 Hymns to the Virgin 57 CHAPTER V. LUTHER AND HIS FRIENDS. A.D. 1500-1580. 58 Ulrich von Hutten 59 ULRICH VON HUTTEN'S SONG. 60 The Reformation 61 Martin Luther 62 THE STRONGHOLD 63 Still more popular in its own day was the second hymn that Luther ever wrote; no doubt from its containing in short compass a complete epitome 64 We add Luther's version of the Song of Simeon:-- 65 Justus Jonas 66 PSALM CXXIV. 67 Paul Eber 68 DEATH IN THE LORD. 69 CHAPTER VI. HYMNS OF THE REFORMATION. A.D. 1520-1600. 70 Paul Speratus 71 Wie's Gott gefällt, gefällt's mir auch 72 Or take the following hymn, which surely embodies a noble conception of the duty and the aspirations of a Christian sovereign, and was composed by the prince whose name it bears. 73 Hans Sachs 74 A FAIR MELODY: TO BE SUNG BY GOOD CHRISTIANS. 75 As this poem makes us understand what many men must have felt when the Gospel was once more made accessible to them in their own language 76 Bohemian Brethren 77 AN ANTIPHON ON THE PRAISE OF GOD. 78 The next is a 79 The last is one of a class of hymns for which they are celebrated--morning and evening hymns. 80 Johann Matthesius 81 Nicolas Hermann 82 HYMN FOR THE DYING. 83 And of Matthesius we give this Miner's Song: 84 CHAPTER VII. AN INTERVAL. A.D. 1560-1616. 85 Bartholomew Ringwaldt 86 PENITENCE. 87 Nicholas Selnecker 88 EVENING-TIDE. 89 For his own daily prayer he wrote this:-- 90 Louis Helmboldt 91 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN'S VADE-MECUM. 92 Weingartner 93 CONSOLATION. 94 A THANKSGIVING. 95 Philip Nicolai 96 A SPIRITUAL BRIDAL SONG OF THE BELIEVING SOUL, CONCERNING HER HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM. 97 Church Music 98 CHAPTER VIII. THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR. A.D. 1618-1650. 99 Martin Opitz 100 MORNING HYMN. 101 Paul Flemming 102 The following little poem is inscribed 103 SO HATH GOD LOVED THE WORLD. 104 Andreas Gryphius 105 PASSING AWAY. 106 SONNET. 107 Hymn Writers 108 PRAISE. 109 Martin Rinkart 110 The Königsberg Circle 111 Heinrich Albert 112 Simon Dach 113 HEAVEN. 114 Robert Roberthin 115 MAY-TIME IN WAR. 116 Johann von Rist 117 EASTER EVE. 118 As many hymns of Rist's are accessible to the English reader, we choose one that is less known, but that strongly illustrates his character. 119 Johann Heermann 120 A SONG OF TEARS. 121 A SONG OF COMFORT. 122 In 1638 Heermann's health became so much worse that he was obliged to relinquish his charge at Köben altogether 123 Du süsser Jesu Christ 124 IN BODILY PAIN. 125 IN TEMPTATION. 126 AT THE APPROACH OF DEATH. 127 CHAPTER IX. PAUL GERHARDT AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES. A.D. 1620-1680. cPaul Gerhardt 128 THE HOPE OF THE CONTRITE. 129 THE TRUST OF THE TRIED. 130 THE MARRIAGE OF CHRISTIAN HEARTS. 131 Electress Louisa 132 PENITENCE. 133 George Neumarck 134 Anton Ulrich 135 PATIENCE AND HUMILITY. 136 Albinus 137 Johann Frank 138 TO THE SAVIOUR. 139 CHAPTER X. THE NEW SCHOOL. A.D. 1635-1700. 140 Friedrich von Logau 141 RETRIBUTION. 142 EPITAPH ON HIS WIFE. 143 Johann Valentin Andrea 144 FORGOTTEN LOVE. 145 Among the leaders of this didactic school may be mentioned a whole family of the name of Olearius, who throughout this century were clergymen and hymn-writers, and the last of whom publishcd, in 1707, one of the earliest works on German hymnology. In the 146 Friedrich von Spee 147 A LOVE-SONG OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST, IN EARLY SUMMERTIDE. 148 Johann Scheffler (Angelus Silesius) 149 THE HIGHEST SEEKS THE LOWEST. 150 A SONG AT DAY-BREAK. 151 Aphorisms 152 The Second Silesian School 153 AGAINST THE LUST OF THE WORLD. 154 WHY MY SOUL IS GLAD. 155 CHAPTER XI. THE PIETISTS. A.D. 1660-1750. 156 Philip Jacob Spener 157 August Herrmann Franke 158 Freylinghausen 159 JESUS IS ALL IN ALL. 160 QUIETNESS OF HEART. 161 Later Pietists 162 Carl Heinrich von Bogatsky 163 THE ALMIGHTY GOD. 164 Benjamin Schmolck 165 Wolfgang Christoph Dessler 166 A SONG OF THE CROSS. 167 Albert Bengel 168 Philip Frederick Hiller 169 THE GROUND OF ALL THINGS. 170 HE MAKETH ALL OUR BED IN OUR SICKNESS. 171 Joachim Neander 172 SONG OF SUMMER. 173 CHAPTER XII. THE MYSTICS AND SEPARATISTS. A.D. 1690-1760. 174 Gottfried Arnold 175 THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 176 LIFE'S VOYAGE 177 TRUTH. 178 Gerhard Tersteegen 179 Jesu, mein Erbarmer, höre 180 THE MOTE IN THE SUNBEAM. 181 WITHIN AND WITHOUT. 182 Hinein, hinein 183 AT EVENING. 184 THE CROSS. 185 Nein, das Kreuz hat keine Last 186 THE TIRED CHILD. 187 The Moravians 188 FOLLOWING CHRIST. 189 THE KING'S FAVOURITES. 190 Albertini 191 THE VIRGIN'S LAMP. 192 CHAPTER XIII. MODERN TIMES. 1750-1850. 193 Roman Catholic Hymns 194 Christian Fürchtegott Gellert 195 THE SOLACE OF THE LIFE TO COME. 196 Cramer 197 THE DUTY OF THE SCHOLAR. 198 Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock 199 THE VISION OF GOD. 200 PSALM. 201 The following hymn is very commonly used at funerals or at Easter services:-- 202 Modern Hymns 203 Friedrich Rückert 204 MIDNIGHT. 205 BETHLEHEM AND CALVARY. 206 THE END. 207 Subject Index