Short Name: | Johann Walter |
Full Name: | Walter, Johann, 1496-1570 |
Birth Year: | 1496 |
Death Year: | 1570 |
Johann Walther (b. Kahla, Thuringia, Germany, 1496: d. Torgau, Germany, 1570) was one of the great early influences in Lutheran church music. At first he seemed destined to be primarily a court musician. A singer in the choir of the Elector of Saxony in the Torgau court in 1521, he became the court's music director in 1525. After the court orchestra was disbanded in 1530 and reconstituted by the town, Walther became cantor at the local school in 1534 and directed the music in several churches. He served the Elector of Saxony at the Dresden court from 1548 to 1554 and then retired in Torgau.
Walther met Martin Luther in 1525 and lived with him for three weeks to help in the preparation of Luther's German Mass. In 1524 Walther published the first edition of a collection of German hymns, Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn. This collection and several later hymnals compiled by Walther went through many later editions and made a permanent impact on Lutheran hymnody.
Bert Polman
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Walther, Johann, was born in 1496 at a village near Cola (perhaps Kahla, or else Colleda, near Sachsenburg) in Thuringia. In 1524 we find him at Torgau, as bassist at the court of Friedrich the Wise, Elector of Saxony. The Elector Johann of Saxony made him "Sengermeister" (choirmaster) in 1526. When the Electoral orchestra (Kapelle) at Torgau was disbanded in 1530, it was reconstituted by the town, and in 1534 Walther was also appointed cantor (singing-master) to the school at Torgau. On the accession of the Elector Moritz of Saxony, in 1548, Walther went with him to Dresden as his Kapellmeister. He was pensioned by decree of Aug. 7, 1554, and soon after returned to Torgau, still retaining the title of "Sengermeister." He died at Torgau, perhaps on March 25, or at least before April 24, 1570. (Monatshefte für Musikgeschichte, 1871, p. 8, and 1878, p. 85; Archiv für Litteraturgeschichte, vol. xii., 1884, p. 185; Dr. Otto Taubert's Pflege der Musilz in Torgau, 1868, and his Gymnasial Singe-Chor zu Torgau, n.d., 1870, &c.)
Walther was more distinguished as a musician than as a hymnwriter. In 1524 he spent three weeks in Luther's house at Wittenberg, helping to adapt the old church music to the Lutheran services, and harmonising the tunes in five parts for the Geystliche gesangk Bucklyn, published at Wittenberg in 1524. He was also present in the Stadtkirche at Wittenberg, when, on Oct. 29, 1525, the service for the Holy Communion, as rearranged by Luther and himself, was first used in German. His hymns appeared mostly in his Das christlich Kinderlied D. Martini Lutheri, Erhalt uns Herr, &c. Auffs new in sechs Stimmen gesetzt, und rait etlichen schönen Christlichen Texten, Lateinischen und Teutschen Gesengen gemehrt, &c, Wittenberg.
Those of Walther's hymns which have passed into English are:—
i. Herzlich Lieb hab ich dich, mein Gott. Trinity Sunday. First published in 1566 as above, and thence in Wackernage, iii. p. 204, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines. Translated as:—
0 God, my Rock! my heart on Thee. This is a good translation of stanza i., iii., iv., by A. T. Russell, as No. 133 in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851.
ii. Herzlich thut mich erfreuen. Eternal Life. First published separately, in 33 stanzas, at Wittenberg, in 1552, entitled "A beautiful spiritual and Christian new miner's song, of the Last Day and Eternal Life" [Konigsberg Library]. Thence in Wackernagel, iii. p. 187, in 34 stanzas, stanza 33 being added from the Dresden reprint of 1557. It is set to the melody of a popular song on the Joys of Summer. It is a fresh and beautiful hymn, but is only partially available on account of its length. Translated as:—
1. Now fain my joyous heart would sing. This is a translation of stanza 1, 4, 5, 17, 33, 34, by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 223. Her translations of stanzas 1, 4, 5, were included in the English Presbyterian Psalms & Hymns, 1867, No. 325.
2. Soon will the heavenly Bridegroom come. This is by Dr. Kennedy, in his Hymn. Christanza, 1863, No. 1009, and follows the text of the Geistliche Lieder omitting stanza 16, 18, 13. It is repeated in the Laudes Domini, N. Y., 1884, &c.
3. The Bridegroom soon will call us. By Dr. M. Loy, from the Geistliche Lieder, but omitting stanzas 18, 13, as No. 24 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A. ]
--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Tunes by Johann Walter (24) | As | Instances | Incipit |
---|---|---|---|
ALL MORGEN IST GANZ FRISCH | Johann Walter, 1496-1570 (Composer) | 8 | 11715 34211 34567 |
CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN | Johann Walther (Arranger) | 10 | 54571 76553 45432 |
CHRIST UNSER HERR ZUM JORDAN KAM (46717) | Johann Walther (Composer) | 7 | 46717 32173 2176 |
AUS TIEFER NOT (Luther) | Johann Walther (Composer) | 10 | 51565 34556 76532 |
[Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt] (Walter) | Johann Walter (Composer) | 2 | 11512 34211 34543 |
EIN NEUES LIED WIR HEBEN AN | Johann Walter (Composer) | 1 | 11176 16535 65132 |
GELOBET SEIST DU | Johann Walther (Composer) | 4 | 55565 12172 32165 |
GOTT DER VATER WOHN UNS BEI | J. Walther, 1496-1570 (Composer) | 2 | 55671 17615 34321 |
GOTT SEI GELOBET UND GEBENEDEIET | Johann Walther (Composer) | 6 | 55565 12176 56153 |
[Dig, Herre Gud, är ingen lik] | Johann Walter (Composer) | 3 | 11751 23151 23421 |
HERZLICH TUT MICH ERFREUEN | Johann Walther, 1496-1570 (Adapter) | 3 | 11131 55175 65315 |
JESUS CHRISTUS, NOSTRA SALUS | J. Walther (Composer) | 2 | |
KOMM HEILIGER GEIST, HERRE GOTT | Johann Walther, 1496-1570 (Composer) | 5 | 56534 52345 56523 |
LEBANON (Walther) | Walther (Composer) | 2 | 53567 11771 53432 |
[Dich, o Vater, zu verehren] | Joh. Walther (Composer) | 1 | 35432 11765 43434 |
[Mein Jesu, der du vor dem Scheiden] | Walter (Composer) | 3 | 15711 22321 71665 |
NUN KOMM, DER HEIDEN HEILAND | J. Walther, 1496-1570 (Composer) | 11 | 11732 12113 43453 |
NUN BITTEN WIR | Johann Walther (Arranger) | 3 | 12216 56113 5653 |
SOLDAU | Johann Walter (Composer) | 1 | 12216 56135 65316 |
MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND | Johann Walther (Composer) | 5 | 33456 65456 74312 |
KOMM, GOTT SCHÖPFER | J. Walther (Composer) | 1 | 56545 12115 71233 |
[Wach auf, wach auf, du deutsches Land!] | Johann Walter (Composer) | 2 | 13455 66556 71176 |
WIR GLAUBEN ALL (15452) | Johann Walter (Composer) | 2 | 15452 32155 17657 |
ES IST DAS HEIL | John Walther (Composer) | 3 | 55557 65453 13456 |