21 August 2009

Favorite German Hymns

Because Olga asked; and because I've been thinking about hymns a lot lately; and because it may also be of interest and assistance to Sandra and others; and because hymns are simply that fundamental and important to catechesis, confession and the life of the Church, here are 120 of my "favorite" hymns from the German, most of which have been published (in English) in the Lutheran Service Book, as indicated, and the rest of which should have been.

Savior of the Nations, Come (Ambrose; Luther; LSB 332)
Once He Came in Blessing (Horn; LSB 333)
O Lord, How Shall I Meet You (Gerhardt; LSB 334)
Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (Olearius; LSB 347)
Come, Thou Precious Ransom, Come (Olearius; LSB 350)
O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide (von Spee; LSB 355)
From Heaven Above to Earth I Come (Luther; LSB 358)
All My Heart Again Rejoices (Gerhardt; LSB 360)
O Jesus Christ, Thy Manger Is (Gerhardt; LSB 372)
Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising (Gerhardt; LSB 375)
Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light (Rist; LSB 378)
We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth (Luther; LSB 382)
Let All Together Praise Our God (Herman; LSB 389)
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright (Nicolai; LSB 395)
To Jordan Came the Christ, Our Lord (Luther; LSB 406)

Christ, the Life of All the Living (Homburg; LSB 420)
Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing (Heermann; LSB 421)
A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth (Gerhardt; LSB 438)
O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken (Heermann; LSB 439)
Jesus, I Will Ponder Now (von Birken; LSB 440)
O Darkest Woe (von Spee; Rist; LSB 448)
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (Bernard; Gerhardt; LSB 450)
Upon the Cross Extended (Gerhardt; LSB 453)
Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands (Luther; LSB 458)
Awake, My Heart, with Gladness (Gerhardt; LSB 467)
With High Delight Let Us Unite (Vetter; LSB 483)

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (Luther; LSB 497)
Triune God, Be Thou Our Stay (Luther; LSB 505)
The Day Is Surely Drawing Near (Ringwaldt; LSB 508)
The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us (Walter; LSB 514)
Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying (Nicolai; LSB 516)
Lord God, to Thee We Give All Praise (Melanchthon; Eber; LSB 522)
Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure (Allendorf; LSB 533)
One Thing’s Needful (Schröder; LSB 536)

Salvation unto Us Has Come (Speratus; LSB 555)
Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice (Luther; LSB 556)
Seek Where You May to Find a Way (Weissel; LSB 557)
Oh, How Great Is Your Compassion (Olearius; LSB 559)
All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall (Spengler; LSB 562)
By Grace I’m Saved (Scheidt; LSB 566)
If Your Beloved Son, O God (Heermann; LSB 568)
These Are the Holy Ten Commands (Luther; LSB 581)
Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide (Melanchthon; Selnecker; LSB 585)

God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It (Neumeister; LSB 594)
All Christians Who Have Been Baptized (Gerhardt; LSB 596)
From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee (Luther; LSB 607)
Jesus Sinners Doth Receive (Neumeister; LSB 609)
"As Surely as I Live," God Said (Herman; LSB 614)
When in the Hour of Deepest Need (Eber; LSB 615)
O Lord, We Praise Thee (Luther; LSB 617)
Lord Jesus Christ, Life-Giving Bread (Rist; LSB 625)
Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior (Hus; Luther; LSB 627)
Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness (Franck; LSB 636)
Wide Open Stand the Gates (Löhe; LSB 639)
O Living Bread from Heaven (Rist; LSB 642)
Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s Head (Mentzer; LSB 647)

Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word (Luther; LSB 655)
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (Luther; LSB 656)
Preserve Your Word, O Savior (Gryphius; LSB 658)
Lord of Our Life (von Löwenstern; LSB 659)
Rise, My Soul, to Watch and Pray (Freystein; LSB 663)
O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe (Fabricius; LSB 666)
Jerusalem, O City Fair and High (Meyfart; LSB 674)
Oh, How Blest Are They (Dach; LSB 679)

Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me (Gerhardt; LSB 683)
Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (von Birken; LSB 685)
O Holy Spirit, Grant Us Grace (Ringwaldt; LSB 693)
O God, My Faithful God (Heermann; LSB 696)
Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart (Schalling; LSB 708)
From God Can Nothing Move Me (Helmbold; LSB 713)
Who Trusts in God a Strong Abode (Magdeburg; LSB 714)
I Walk in Danger All the Way (Brorson; LSB 716)
If God Himself Be for Me (Gerhardt; LSB 724)
Evening and Morning (Gerhardt; LSB 726)

All Depends on Our Possessing (LSB 732)
I Trust, O Lord, Your Holy Name (Reusner; LSB 734)
Rejoice, My Heart, Be Glad and Sing (Gerhardt; LSB 737)
Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense (Schwerin; LSB 741)
Jesus, Priceless Treasure (Franck; LSB 743)
In God, My Faithful God (LSB 745)
If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee (Neumark; LSB 750)
Entrust Your Days and Burdens (Gerhardt; LSB 754)
In the Very Midst of Life (Luther; LSB 755)
Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me (Gerhardt; LSB 756)
The Will of God Is Always Best (von Preussen; LSB 758)
What God Ordains Is Always Good (Rodigast; LSB 760)

Our Father, Who from Heaven Above (Luther; LSB 766)
To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray (Luther; LSB 768)
Praise the Almighty (Herrnschmidt; LSB 797)
O God of God, O Light of Light (Julian; LSB 810)
Sing Praise to God the Highest Good (Schütz; LSB 819)
My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker (Gramann; LSB 820)
May God Bestow on Us His Grace (Luther; LSB 823)
O Christ, Our True and Only Light (Heermann; LSB 839)

O Blessed, Holy Trinity (Behm; LSB 876)
Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow (Gerhardt; LSB 880)
Now the Light Has Gone Away (Havergal; LSB 887)
Now Thank We All Our God (Rinckart; LSB 895)
O Holy Spirit, Enter In (Schirmer; LSB 913)
Abide, O Dearest Jesus (Stegmann; LSB 919)

In Peace and Joy I Now Depart (Luther; LSB 938)
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name (Latin/German; LSB 940)
All Glory Be to God on High (Decius; LSB 947)
All Glory Be to God Alone (Luther; LSB 948)
We All Believe in One True God (Luther; LSB 954)
Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old (Luther; LSB 960)

I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone (Hubert; LSB 972e; TLH 349; LW 357)
I Will Sing My Maker’s Praises (Gerhardt; LSB 977e; TLH 25; LW 439)

And a dozen more that should have been in LSB

A PILGRIM AND A STRANGER (Gerhardt) (TLH 586)

BEHOLD! BEHOLD! WHAT WONDERS HERE (Gerhardt)
(Ohio Synod's Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal #25)

GO FORTH, MY HEART, AND SEEK DELIGHT (Gerhardt)
(American Lutheran Hymnal #645)

I STAND BESIDE THY MANGER HERE (Gerhardt)
(Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #129)

IF GOD HAD NOT BEEN ON OUR SIDE (Luther) (TLH 267)

MY SOUL, AWAKE AND TENDER (Gerhardt)
(American Lutheran Hymnal #635)

NOW LET US COME BEFORE HIM (Gerhardt) (TLH 122; LW 184)

O LORD, LOOK DOWN FROM HEAVEN, BEHOLD (Luther) (TLH 260)

O THOU SWEETEST SOURCE OF GLADNESS (Gerhardt)
(Australian Lutheran Hymnal #126)

OH JESUS CHRIST! HOW BRIGHT AND FAIR (Gerhardt)
(Ohio Synod's Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal #339)

THE MYSTERY HIDDEN FROM THE EYES (Gerhardt)
(Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #405)

ZION MOURNS IN FEAR AND ANGUISH (Heermann) (TLH 268)

2 comments:

Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes) said...

Just for those curious, "I Walk in Danger All the Way" (Brorson) was originally published in Danish. I do wonder whether there is a German translation. That would be interesting.

Rev. Rick Stuckwisch said...

Thanks for the clarification and correction, Matthew. I wondered about that hymn when I included it on the list, but didn't have the means to verify its origins. I'm always pleased to be corrected, as needs may be.

When you have the chance, send me an e-mail about the Gerhardt Project, as I'd like to revist our plans for that, in order to facilitate some further progress. Thanks for your patience with that.