O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben
"O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben" | |
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Lutheran Zahn 2293 | |
Genre | Hymn on the tune "O Welt, ich muss dich lassen" |
Text | by Paul Gerhardt |
Language | German |
Based on | Martin Moller: Soliloquia de passione |
Published | 1647 | in Praxis pietatis melica
"O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben" (literally: O world, see here your life) is a Lutheran
Text and tune
Gerhardt wrote the hymn for Passiontide in 16 stanzas of 6 lines each to the melody of "O Welt, ich muß dich lassen", which is taken from the earlier secular "
Gerhardt based his work on a meditation on the Passion by Martin Moller, part of his 1587 Soliloquia de passione.[3] The theme is a reflection what the suffering of Jesus means for the Christian. Starting with the image of Jesus on the cross, life and death are juxtaposed, "Leben" (life) at the end of the first line, "Tod" (death) at the end of the third line. Another contrast is that of "Der große Fürst der Ehren" (the great duke of honours) and his humiliation: "mit Schlägen, Hohn und großem Spott" (with beatings, scorn and great mockery). The third stanza raises the question of responsibility, "Wer hat dich so geschlagen ...?" (Who beat you like this ...?), while the fourth stanza answers that it is the one who asks: "Ich, ich und meine Sünden" (I and my sins). The fifth stanza draws the consequence: "Ich bin's, ich sollte büßen" (It's me, I should atone). The following stanzas develop the resolution to follow the example of loving the enemies ("ich die soll lieben, die mich doch sehr betrüben", 13), forgive ("Dem Nächsten seine Schulden verzeihen", 14), deny worldly pleasures ("dem absagen, was meinem Fleisch gelüst", 15) and finally hope for help to eternal rest ("begleiten zu der ew'gen Ruh", 16).
The hymn was first published in 1647 in Johann Crüger's Praxis pietatis melica.
Music
Christoph Graupner composed a church cantata for Good Friday (GWV 1127/19) for four voices SATB, strings and basso continuo. Felix Mendelssohn used the hymn to conclude a Passion section in his unfinished oratorio Christus.
Bach Passions
References
- ^ "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / O Welt, ich muß dich lassen / Nun ruhen alle Wälder". bach-cantatas.com. 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ Zahn, Johannes (1890). Sechszeilige Melodien [Melodies in six lines]. Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder (in German). Vol. II. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann. pp. 63–65.
- ^ a b
Hahn, Gerhard (2002). Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch. ISBN 3-52-550325-3.
- ^ a b "O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben". hymnary.org. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ "The Duteous Day Now Closeth". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Ambrose, Z. Philip (2012). "BWV 245 Johannes-Passion". University of Vermont. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ "O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben / Text and Translation of Chorale". bach-cantatas.com. 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ Ambrose, Z. Philip (2012). "BWV 244 Matthäuss-Passion". University of Vermont. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
External links
- O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben sermon, University of Göttingen (in German)