Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen
- by Johann Crüger
- by Johann Georg Ebeling
"Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen" ("Merrily my heart shall leap") is a Christian Christmas hymn by Paul Gerhardt, originally in 15 stanzas in artful metre. It was first published, "Frölich sol mein hertze springen", in 1653 in the fifth edition of the hymnal Praxis Pietatis Melica by Johann Crüger, who also created a melody. Johann Sebastian Bach used it as a chorale in his Christmas Oratorio, with a different melody by Johann Georg Ebeling. The song is part, with twelve stanzas, of the current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch and other songbooks.
Catherine Winkworth translated seven stanzas in 1858 as "All my heart this night rejoices". Other translations also exist.
History
Paul Gerhardt wrote the lyrics in the first person, describing a personal reaction to the Christmas story.[1] The hymn appeared first in the fifth edition of the hymnal Praxis Pietatis Melica[2] by Johann Crüger in 1653.[3] It appears in a section titled "Von der Geburt Jesu Christ" (Of the birth of Jesus Christ).[4]
The hymn was missing in the 1854 Deutsches Evangelisches Kirchen-Gesangbuch.[5] From the Deutsches Evangelisches Gesangbuch [de] where it appeared in eleven stanzas, it has remained in the repertory of Protestant church singing. In the current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch, the song is EG 36.[4] The song is part of several other hymnals and songbooks.[3] It was regarded as ecumenical by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für ökumenisches Liedgut [de] but was not included in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob of 2013.[6]
Translations
Catherine Winkworth translated seven of its twelve stanzas to English as "All my heart this night rejoices", published in the second volume of her Lyra Germanica in 1858. In a 1907 Dictionary of Hymnology. it has been regarded as a "beautiful but rather free translation".[7] Other translations include "Let the voice of glad thanksgiving", of selected stanzas by A. T. Russell, published in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book in 1848. "All my heart with joy is springing" is a translation of several stanzas by Dr. Kennedy, published in his Hymnologia Christiana in 1863. "Lightly bound my bosom, ringing" is a translation of the complete hymn by Dr. M. Loy, published in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal in 1880.[7]
Text and theme
Gerhardt originally wrote 15 stanzas of eight lines each,[8] in an unusual and artful metre.[3][9] It follows the pattern of a sermon at the time.[1] The text begins saying "I" in a believer's personal statement, for the singer to identify with what is said. It then appeals to a "you", meaning the congregation requested to join in doing so.[4] The song ends in a prayer.[4]
The following table shows Gerhardt's text in the 12 stanzas contained in the Evangelisches Gesangbuch[8] and the translation by Winkworth:[7]
German current lyrics | Winkworth translation |
---|---|
1. Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen | All my heart this night rejoices |
Melodies and settings
Johann Crüger first published the hymn in 1653 in the fifth edition of his hymnal Praxis Pietatis Melica, with a melody he composed himself.[3] The melody has "leaping" features and modulates often. The last line, in the first stanza saying that Christ is born, moves downward, corresponding to a move from Heaven to Earth.[4] Crüger also wrote a four-part setting.[10] Burkhart M. Schürmann composed a chorale partita of all 15 stanzas, in both German and English (All my heart), for three-part choir in 2010.[11][12]
The hymn was also sung with a melody which Johann Georg Ebeling created for Gerhardt's "Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen" (EG 370). It appeared in 1666 in Pauli Gerhardi Geistliche Andachten.[13] This melody was used by Bach in a four-part setting in his Christmas Oratorio, in Part III, "Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren", reflecting the preceding aria, "Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder".[14][15] Bach used the melody also in 1736 in Schemellis Gesangbuch.[16]
Literature
- Paul Gerhardt: Dichtungen und Schriften. Munich 1957, pp. 1–3.
- Johann Friedrich Bachmann: Paulus Gerhardts geistliche Lieder: historisch-kritische Ausgabe. Oehmigke, Berlin 1866, pp. 95–97 (Digitalisat, p. 95, at Google Books).
See also
References
- ^ a b Kroll, Thomas (1 December 2007). ""Fröhlich soll mein Herzen springen" / Über die Weihnachtslieder Paul Gerhardts" (in German). Deutschlandfunk. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ Crüger, Johann: Praxis Pietatis Melica. Das ist: Übung der Gottseligkeit in Christlichen und trostreichen Gesängen. Editio V. Runge, Berlin 1653, pp. 779 ff. (Digitalisat der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek).
- ^ a b c d "Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen" (in German). Die christliche Liederdatenbank. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Bunners, Christian (2000). Hahn, Gerhard (ed.). 36 Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen (in German). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 23–27. ISBN 978-3-52-550333-1.
- ^ Deutsches evangelisches Kirchen-Gesangbuch in 150 Kernliedern Cotta, Stuttgart/Augsburg 1854.
- ^ Grub, Udo (2012). Evangelische Spuren im katholischen Einheitsgesangbuch "Gotteslob" von 1975 (in German). Vol. 55. Münster: LIT Verlag. pp. 173, 183–184. ISBN 978-3-643-11663-5.
- ^ a b c "All my heart this night rejoices". hymnary.org. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ a b Crüger, Johann. "Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen" (PDF) (in German). johann-crueger.de. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen dieser Zeit". hymnary.org. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen (Crüger, Johann): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- ^ Free scores by Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen (Burkhart M. Schürmann) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- ^ Free scores by All my heart (Burkhart M. Schürmann) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- ^ Johann Friedrich Bachmann (ed.): Paulus Gerhardts geistliche Lieder: historisch-kritische Ausgabe Oehmigke, Berlin 1866, pp. 138–140.
- ^ "Cantata BWV 248/3 / Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen / (Weihnachts-Oratorium III) / English Translation / Cantata BWV 248/3 - Ruler of heaven, hear our inarticulate speech / Christmas Oratorio III". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Luke Dahn: BWV 248.33
- ^ Georg Christian Schemelli: [Musicalisches Gesang-Buch, Darinnen 954 geistreiche, sowohl alte als neue Lieder und Arien, mit wohlgesetzten Melodien, in Discant und Baß, befindlich sind; Vornehmlich denen Evangelischen Gemeinen im Stifte, Naumburg-Zeitz gewidmet]. Leipzig 1736, pp. 127ff.
External links
- Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen, setting by Johann Crüger: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen, melody by Johann Georg Ebeling: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Free scores by Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen (Johann Crüger) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen Liederprojekt of SWR2 and Carus-Verlag
- Bach Cantata Translations / BWV 248-III – "Herrscher des Himmels" Emmanuel Music
- All my heart with joy is springing hymntime.com
- v
- t
- e
Christmas
- "Advent är mörker och kyla"
- "Befiehl du deine Wege" ("Give to the Winds Thy Fears")
- "Bereden väg för Herran" ("Thy Way and All Thy Sorrows")
- "Christum wir sollen loben schon" ("Now Praise We Christ the Holy One")
- "Det kimer nu til julefest" ("The Happy Christmas Comes Once More")
- "Det är advent"
- "Eg veit i himmerik ei borg" ("Ich weiß mir ein ewiges Himmelreich")
- "Ermuntre dich, mein schwacher Geist" ("Arise, My Soul, Sing Joyfully")
- "Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ" ("O Jesus Christ, All Praise to Thee")
- "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" ("I Stand Beside Thy Manger Here")
- "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich" ("Praise God the Lord, Ye Sons of Men")
- "Macht hoch die Tür" ("Lift Up Your Heads")
- "Mit Ernst, o Menschenkinder"
- "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" ("Savior of the Nations, Come")
- "Such, wer da will, ein ander Ziel" ("Seek Where Ye May to Find a Way")
- "Vi tänder ett ljus i advent"
- "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come")
- "Wie soll ich dich empfangen" ("O How Shall I Receive Thee")
- "Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn" ("The Only Son from Heaven")
- "Nun liebe Seel, nun ist es Zeit" ("Up, Ye Christians, Join in Singing")
- "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Lovely Shines the Morning Star")
- "An Wasserflüssen Babylon"
- "Christe, du Lamm Gottes" ("O Christ, Thou Lamb of God")
- "Christus, der uns selig macht" ("Christ, by Whose All-saving Light")
- "Da der Herr Christ zu Tische saß"
- "Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund ("Our Blessed Savior Spoke Seven Times")
- "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" ("A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth")
- "Herzliebster Jesu" ("O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken")
- "Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod"
- "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden ("O Sacred Head, Now Wounded")
- "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" ("Lamb of God, Pure and Holy")
- "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" ("O Sinner, Come Thy Sin to Mourn")
- "O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben" ("Upon the Cross Extended")
- "Christ lag in Todesbanden" ("Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands")
- "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" ("On Earth Has Dawned This Day of Days")
- "Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud" ("Go Forth, My Heart, and Seek Delight")
- "Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn" ("Today in Triumph Christ Arose")
- "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod..."
- "Jesus för världen givit sitt liv"
- "Wir wollen alle fröhlich sein" ("Now Glad of Heart Be Every One")
- "Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" ("Come, Holy Spirit, From Above")
- "Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott" ("Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord")
- "Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist" ("We now implore God the Holy Ghost")
- "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" ("All glory be to God on high")
- "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein" ("O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold")
- "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God")
- "Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort" ("Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word")
- "God's Word Is Our Great Heritage"
- "Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit" ("If God Had Not Been on Our Side")
- "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" ("Ye Christians, pluck your Courage up")
- "Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl" ("The Mouth of Fools Doth God Confess")
- "Sie ist mir lieb, die werte Magd"
- "Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt" ("Jerusalem, Thou City Fair and High")
or Law and Gospel
- "Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot" ("I Am Alone, Your God and Lord")
- "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her" ("Salvation Unto Us Is Come")
- "Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein" ("Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice")
- "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" ("O Lord, How Many Miseries")
- "Ach lieben Christen seid getrost"
- "Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig"
- "Blott en Dag (Day by Day)
- "Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut"
- "Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn" ("I Into God's Own Heart and Mind")
- "Lob Gott getrost mit Singen" ("Praise God, praise God with singing")
- "Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn" ("Not in Anger, Mighty God")
- "Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz" ("Why art Thou Thus Cast Down, My Heart?")
- "Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen" ("Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me")
- "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" ("What God Ordains Is Always Good")
- "Was willst du dich betrüben"
- "Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten" ("If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee")
- "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet" ("O Lord, We Praise Thee")
- "Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein"
- "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns..." ("Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior")
- "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele" ("Soul, Adorn Thyself with Gladness")
- "Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam" ("To Jordan Came Our Lord")
- "Tryggare kan ingen vara ("Children of the Heavenly Father")
- "Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir"
- "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" ("Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee")
- "Es ist genug"
- "Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott" ("Lord Jesus Christ, True Man and God")
- "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr" ("Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart")
- "Herzlich tut mich verlangen"
- "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" ("Jesus I Will Never Leave")
- "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin" ("In Peace and Joy I Now Depart")
- "Mitten wir im Leben sind" ("In the Midst of Earthly Life")
- "Nun lasst uns den Leib begraben" ("Now Lay We Calmly in the Grave")
- "So nimm denn meine Hände"
- "Valet will ich dir geben" ("Farewell I Gladly Bid Thee")
- "Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende" ("Who Knows When Death May Overtake Me")
- "De Levendes Land" (Land of the Living)
- "Die beste Zeit im Jahr ist mein"
- "Du meine Seele singe"
- "Es woll uns Gott genädig sein" ("May God Bestow on Us His Grace")
- "Herr Gott, dich loben wir" ("We Sing Thy Praise, O God")
- "How Great Thou Art"
- "Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund" ("Rejoice My Heart, Be Glad and Sing")
- "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr" ("All Ye Who on This Earth Do Dwell")
- "Nun preiset alle Gottes Barmherzigleit" ("For the Lord reigneth" or "Now Let All Loudly Sing Praise")
- "Nun danket alle Gott" ("Now Thank We All Our God")
- "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren" ("Now Let Us Come With Singing")
- "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren" ("My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker")
- "Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend" ("Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present Now")
- "Vater unser im Himmelreich" ("Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above")
- "Wir glauben all an einen Gott" ("We All Believe in One True God")
- "Die güldne Sonne voll Freud und Wonne" ("Evening and Morning")
- "Din klara sol går åter opp" ("Again, Thy Glorious Sun Doth Rise")
- "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" ("The moon has been arising")
- "Weißt du, wie viel Sternlein stehen" ("Can you count the stars that brightly")
- "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" ("Wake, Awake, the Night is Flying")
- "Werde munter, mein Gemüte" ("Sink Not Yet, My Soul, to Slumber")