Person Results

Switch back to the old search page.Advanced Search

Showing 101 - 110 of 541Results Per Page: 10 20 50

Heinrich Albert

1604 - 1651 Hymnal Number: 482 Author of "Panie niebios" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Alberti, or Albert, Heinrich, son of Johann Albert, tax collector at Lobenstein, in Voigtland (Reuss), born at Lobenstein, June 28, 1604. After some time spent in the study of law at Leipzig, lie went to Dresden and studied music under his uncle Heinrich Schutz, the Court Capellmeister. He went to Konigsberg in 1626, and was, in 1631, appointed organist of the Cathedral. In 1636 he was enrolled a member of the Poetical Union of Konigsberg, along with Dach, Roberthin, and nine others. He died at Konigsberg, Oct. 6, 1651. His hymns, which exhibit him as of a pious, loving, true, and artistic nature, appeared, with those of the other members of the Union, in his Arien etliche theils geistliche, theils iceltliche zur Andacht, guten Sitten, Keuscher Liebe und Ehrenlust dienende Lieder, pub. separately in 8 pts., 1638-1650, and in a collected form, Konigsberg, 1652, including in all, 118 secular, and 74 sacred pieces. Of the 78 sacred melodies which he composed and published in these 8 pts., 7 came into German common use (Koch, iii. 191-197; Allg. Deutsche Biog., i. 210-212, the latter dating his death, 1655 or 1656). Two of his hymns have been translated into English, viz.: i. Der rauhe Herbst kommt wieder. [Autumn.] 1st pub. as above in pt. viii., 1650, No. 9, in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "On the happy departure, Sep. 2, 1048, of Anna Katherine, beloved little daughter of Herr Andreas Hollander," of Kneiphof. Included, as No. 731, in the Unverfalschter Leidersegen, 1851, omitting st. iii., viii., ix. The translations are:— (1) "The Autumn is returning," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 175. (2) "Sad Autumn's moan returneth," in E. Massie's Sacred Odes, vol. ii. 1867, p. 1. ii. Gott des Himmels und der Erden. [Morning.] First pub. as above in pt. v. 1643, No. 4, in 7 stanzas of 6 lines, included as No. 459 in the Unv. L. S., 1851. Of this hymn Dr. Cosack, of Konigsberg (quoted in Koch,viii. 186), says:— "For two hundred years it is hardly likely that a single day has greeted the earth that has not, here and there, in German lands, been met with Alberti's hymn. Hardly another morning hymn can be compared with it, as far as popularity and intrinsic value are concerned, if simplicity and devotion, purity of doctrine and adaptation to all the circumstances of life are to decide." Sts. ii., iii., v. have been special favorites in Germany, st. v. being adopted by children, by brides, by old and young, as a morning prayer. The fine melody (in the Irish Church Hymnal called "Godesberg") is also by Alberti. Translations in common use:— 1. God, the Lord of what's created, in full in J. C. Jacobi's Div. Hymns 1720. p. 35. In his 2nd ed. 1732, p. 169, altered to—" God, the Lord of the Creation " ; and thence slightly altered as No. 478 in part i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, with a doxology as in the Magdeburg G. B., 1696. In 1789, No. 743, altered to—"God, omnipotent Creator"; with st. ii., iv., vii., omitted; st. iii., viii. being also omitted in the 1801 and later ed. In 1868, st. iii.—v. were included as No. 511 in the Pennsylvania Lutheran Ch. Bk., with st. ii., vi., vii. from A. T. Russell. 2. God, Thou Lord of Earth and Heaven, in full, by H. J. Buckoll in his H. from the German, 1842, p. 22. His translations of st. iv.-vi. beginning—" Now the morn new light is pouring," were included as No. 3 in the Rugby School Hymn Book, 1843 (ed. 1876, No. 4), and of st. v., vi., altered to "Jesus! Lord! our steps be guiding," as No. 130 in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864. 3. God, who heaven and earth upholdest. A good tr. omitting st. iv. and based on Jacobi, by A. T. Russell, as No. 64 in the Dalston Hospital Collection, 1848. In his own Psalms & Hymns, 1851, No. 3, the translations of st. vi., vii. were omitted, and this was repeated as No. 218, in the New Zealand Hymnal, 1872. The Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book takes st. i. partly from Miss Winkworth. 4. God who madest earth and heaven, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. A good and full tr. by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 1st ser., 1855, p. 213 (later ed., p. 215, slightly altered). In full in R. M. Taylor's Par. Church Hymnal 1872, No. 27. A cento from st. i., 11.1-4; v., 11. 1-4; vi., 11. 1-4; with v., 11. 5, 6; and vii., 11. 5, 6, was included as No. 23 in the Irish Church Hymnal 1873. In 1868, included in L. Rehfuess' Church at Sea, p. 79, altered to—"Creator of earth and heaven." In 1863 it was altered in metre and given as No. 160 in the Chorale Book for England. From this Porter's Church Hymnal 1876, No. 54, omits st. iii. Also in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880, No. 293. 5. God who madest earth and heaven. A good translation omitting st. vii., and with st. i., 11. 1-4, from Miss Winkworth, contributed by R. Massie, as No. 501, to the 1857 ed. of Mercer's Church Psalms & Hymns (Ox. ed. 1864, No. 7, omitting st. v.). 6. God of mercy and of might. A good translation (omitting st. v., vi,) by Dr. Kennedy, as No. 811, in his Hymnologia Christiana, 1863, repeated in Dr. Thomas's Aug. Hymn Book 1866, No. 510; and, omitting the translations of st. vii., as No. 31, in Holy Song, 1809. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Franz Abt

1819 - 1885 Person Name: Franz Wilhelm Abt, d. 1895 Hymnal Number: 604 Composer of "NIE OPUŚĆ MNIE" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Franz Abt, born Dec. 21, 1819 at Eilenburg in the Prussian provinces of Saxony. His father was a musician and clergyman of the Lutheran Church. Franz studied music at Leipsic, and became known as a song-writer in 1838. In September, 1841, he married, and was leader of the orchesta at the Zuric theatre; became a teacher in 1842, but was litle known until his song "When the Swallows Homeward fly" carried his name to all parts of the civilized world. In 1865 was concert-master at Brunswick, and conducted the great festival at Dresden. He came to the United States in 1872, and was present at teh Peace Jubilee, Boston, where he directed the performance of some of his own music, arriving in New York May w, wher a testimonial concert was given for his benefit at Steinway Hall, May 18. He was received at Philadelphia by the German societies, with torch-light processions and cannonade, May 15, 1872. A Dictionary of Musical Information by John W. Moore, Boston: Oliver, Ditson & Company, 1876

S. J. Vail

1818 - 1883 Person Name: Silas James Vail Hymnal Number: 148 Author of "O, mów czy krew" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki In his youth Silas Jones Vail learned the hatter's trade at Danbury, Ct. While still a young man, he went to New York and took employment in the fashionable hat store of William H. Beebe. Later he established himself in business as a hatter at 118 Fulton Street, where he was for many years successful. But the conditions of trade changed, and he could not change with them. After his failure in 1869 or 1870 he devoted his entire time and attention to music. He was the writer of much popular music for use in churches and Sunday schools. Pieces of music entitled "Scatter Seeds of Kindness," "Gates Ajar," "Close to Thee," "We Shall Sleep, but not Forever," and "Nothing but Leaves" were known to all church attendants twenty years ago. Fanny Crosby, the blind authoress, wrote expressly for him many of the verses he set to music. --Vail, Henry H. (Henry Hobart). Genealogy of some of the Vail family descended from Jeremiah Vail at Salem, Mass., 1639, p. 234.

Johann Rudolf Ahle

1625 - 1673 Hymnal Number: 289 Composer of "LIEBSTER JESU, WIR SIND HIER" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Johann Rudolph Ahle, b. Mühlhausen, 1625; Ahle studied theology at Erfurt University. Little is known about his musical education, but be became well known as an organist while he was in Erfurt. He returned to Mühlhausen and became an organist at St. Blasius Church, he composed organ music but is know for his sacred choral music. He was the father of Johann Georg, who was also a composer and succeeded his father as organist at St. Blasius Church. Johann Rudolf became mayor of Mühlhausen late in his life and died there in 1673. Dianne Shapiro (from Bach Cantatas Website www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Ahle-Johann-Rudolf.htm)

Bartholomaüs Ringwaldt

1532 - 1599 Person Name: ks. Bartholomäus Ringwaldt Hymnal Number: 274 Author of "Przybliża się już sądny dzień" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Bartholomew Ringwaldt was born at Frankfort-on-the-Oder, in 1530, and was a Lutheran pastor at Langfield, in Prussia, where he died, 1598. His hymns resemble Luther's in their simplicity and power. Several of them were written to comfort himself and others in the sufferings they endured from famine, pestilence, fire and floods. In 1581, he published "Hymns for the Sundays and Festivals of the whole Year." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ============================ Ringwaldt, Bartholomäus (Ringwalt, Ringwald), was born Nov. 28, 1532, at Frankfurt a. Oder. He was ordained in 1557, and was pastor of two parishes before he settled in 1566 as pastor of Langfeld (or Langenfeld), near Sonnenburg, Brandenburg. He was still there in 1597, but seems to have died there in 1599, or at least not later than 1600. (Koch, ii. 182; Goedeke's Grundriss, vol. ii. 1886, p. 512; Blätter fur Hymnologie, 1885. Ringwaldt exercised a considerable influence on his contemporaries as a poet of the people, as well as by his hymns properly so called. He was a true German patriot, a staunch Lutheran, and a man who was quite ready to face the consequences of his plain speaking. His style is as a rule clear and good, though his rhymes are often enough halting; and he possessed considerable powers of observation and description. After 1577 he published various didactic poems, the most important being, (1) Newezeittung: So Hanns Fromman mit sich auss der Hellen unnd dem Himel bracht, Amberg, 1582, and the later editions enlarged and rewritten as Christliche Warnung des Trewen Eckarts, &c, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1588. In various forms and abridgments it passed through at least 34 editions up to 1700. This work is a mirror of the times and of the morals of the people. (2) Die Lauter Warheit, darinnen angezeiget, wie sich ein Weltlicher und Geistlicher Kriegsman in seinen Beruff vorhalten soil, &c, Erfurt, 1586. Of this again at least 18 eds. appeared up to 1700. In it he gives lively pictures of the life of the various ranks and orders of his time, and shows the temptations and failings of each, not by any means sparing his own class, i.e. the Lutheran clergy. As a hymnwriter Ringwaldt was also of considerable importance. He was one of the most prolific hymn-writers of the 16th century. Wackernagel, iv. pp. 906-1065, gives 208 pieces under his name, about 165 of which may be called hymns. A selection of 59 as his Geistliche Lieder, with a memoir by H. Wendebourg, was published at Halle in 1858. A number appeared in the various eds. of his Trewer Echart and Lauter Warheit as above. The rest appeared principally in his (1) Der 91. Psalm neben Siben andern schönen Liedern, &c, Frankfurt,a. Oder, 1577. (2) Evangelia, Auffalle Sontag unnd Fest, Durchs gantze Jahr, &c, Frankfurt a. Oder, N.D. The earliest edition now known is undated, but Wackernagel, i., p. 523, gives it as of 1582. It is marked as a 2nd edition, and has a preface dated Nov. 28, 1581. It contains hymns founded on the Gospels for Sundays and Festivals, &c. (3) Handbüchlin: geistliche Lieder und Gebetlein, Auff der Reiss, &c, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1586 (preface, Feb. 21, 1582). A good many of his hymns passed into German collections of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a number are still in German common use. Those of Ringwaldt's hymns which have passed into English are:— i. Es ist gewisslich an derZeit. Second Advent. The anonymous original of this hymn is one of Zwey schöne Lieder, printed separately circa 1565, and thence in Wackernagel, iv. p. 344. W. von Maltzahn, in his Bücherschatz, 1875, No. 616, p. 93, cites it as in an undated Nürnberg broadsheet, circa 1556. Wackernagel also gives along with the original the revised form in Ringwaldt's Handbüchlin, 1586. Both forms are also in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 746, in 7 stanzas of 7 lines. It is based on the "Dies Irae," but can hardly be called a version of it. The original has a picturesqueness and force which are greatly lost in Ringwaldt's revision. It was much used in Germany during the Thirty Years' War, when in these distressful times men often thought the Last Day was at hand. The translations are all, except No. 2, from Ringwaldt's text. They are:— 1. 'Tis sure that awful time will come. In full, by J. C. Jacobi, in his Psalter Germanica, 1722, p. 95 (1732, p. 202). Repeated, altered and abridged, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754 to 1886. It is also found in two centos. (1) The waking trumpets all shall hear (st. ii.), in Montgomery's Christian Psalmist, 1825. (2) When all with awe shall stand around (st. v.), from the Moravian Hymn Book, 1801, in the Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book, 1868. 2. Most surely at th' appointed time. By A. T. Russell, as No. 38 in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851, repeated in the College Hymnal, N. Y., 1876. It is marked a translation from the "Dies Irae," but is really a good translation of st. i., ii., v. of the German of 1565, 3. Behold that awful day draws nigh. A translation of st. i., ii.. v., by W. Sugden, as No. 129 in the Methodist Scholars' Hymn Book, 1870. 4. The day is surely drawing near. In full by P. A. Peter as No. 457 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. 5. Surely at the appointed time. By H. L. Hastings, made in 1878, and included as No. 722 in his Songs of Pilgrimage, 1886. It condenses iii., iv. as iii. 6. Tho time draws near with quickening pace. By Miss Fry, in her Hymns of the Reformation, 1845, p. 56. A hymn which has been frequently but erroneously called a translation from Ringwaldt's text, is noted as “Great God, what do I see and hear" (p. 454, i.). Hymns not in English common use:-- ii. Allein auf Gott setzt dein Vertraun. The Christian Life. In many of the older Gorman hymnbooks this is ascribed to Ringwaldt, but it is not found in any of his works now extant. Wackernagel, v. p. 327, gives it as anonymous from the Greifswald Gesang-Buch, 1597, where it is entitled "The golden A. B. C. wherein is very in¬geniously comprised what a man needs to know in order to lead an honourable and godly life." It is in 24 stanzas of 4 lines, each stanza beginning with successive letters of the alphabet. Also in Porst's Gesang-Buch, ed. 1855, No. 784. Bäumker, ii. p. 276, cites it as in the manuscript collection of a nun called Catherine Tirs, written in 1588, in the nunnery of Niesing, Münster. There it is in Low German, and begins "Allene up godt hope und truwe." Bäumker thinks Ringwaldt may possibly be the person who made the High German version. Translated as (1) "Alone in God put thou thy trust." By J. C. Jacobi, 1725, p. 29 (1732, p. 110). iii. Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, Hält mich in seiner Hute. Ps. xxiii. Wackernagel, iv. p. 944, prints it from Ringwaldt's Evangelia, N.D., 1582 as above, in 7 st. of 7 1. The first four-lines of st. i. are taken from the older version, "Der Herre ist mein treuer Hirt." In the Minden Kavensberg Gesang-Buch, 1854, No. 512. Translated as (i.) "The Lord He is my Shepherd kind." By Miss Manington, 1863, p. 20. iv. Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut, Du Brunnquell der Genaden. Lent. One of the finest of German penitential hymns. Wackernagel, iv. p. 1028, gives it, in 8 st. of 7 1., from Ringwaldt's Christliche Warnung, 1588, where it is entitled "A fine hymn [of supplication] for the forgiveness of sins." In Burg's Gesang-Buch, Breslau, 1746, No. 1574. The translations are (1) “Lord Saviour Christ, my sovereign good." In the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 39. Rewritten as (2) "Lord Jesus Christ, my sov'reign good," as No. 226 in the Moravian Hymn Book , 1789. In the edition of 1886, No. 278, it begins "Jesus, thou source of every good." (3) "O Christ, thou chiefest good, thou spring." By Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 76. (4) "Lord Jesus Christ, thou highest good." By F. W. Young, in the Family Treasury, 1877, p. 653. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Franz Schubert

1797 - 1828 Person Name: Franz Schubert, d. 1882 Hymnal Number: 662 Composer of "CHOĆ BURZA HUCZY WKOŁO NAS" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Franz Peter Schubert, 31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer. In a short lifespan of just 31 years, Schubert was a prolific composer, writing some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music. Appreciation of Schubert's music during his lifetime was limited, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn, among others, discovered and championed his works in the 19th century. Today, Schubert is seen as one of the leading exponents of the early Romantic era in music and he remains one of the most frequently performed composers. Early life and education Schubert was born in Himmelpfortgrund (now a part of Alsergrund), Vienna, on 31 January 1797. His father, Franz Theodor Schubert, the son of a Moravian peasant, was a parish schoolmaster; his mother, Elisabeth Vietz, was the daughter of a Silesian master locksmith, and had also been a housemaid for a Viennese family prior to her marriage. Of Franz Theodor's fourteen children (one illegitimate child was born in 1783), nine died in infancy; five survived. Their father was a well-known teacher, and his school in Lichtental, a part of Vienna's 9th district, was well attended. He was not a musician of fame or with formal training, but he taught his son some elements of music. At the age of five, Schubert began receiving regular instruction from his father and a year later was enrolled at his father's school. His formal musical education also started around the same time. His father continued to teach him the basics of the violin, and his brother Ignaz gave him piano lessons. At the age of seven, Schubert began receiving lessons from Michael Holzer, the local church organist and choirmaster. Holzer's lessons seem to have mainly consisted of conversations and expressions of admiration and the boy gained more from his acquaintance with a friendly joiner's apprentice who used to take him to a neighboring pianoforte warehouse where he had the opportunity to practice on better instruments. He also played the viola in the family string quartet, with brothers Ferdinand and Ignaz on violin and his father on the cello. Schubert wrote many of his early string quartets for this ensemble. Schubert first came to the attention of Antonio Salieri, then Vienna's leading musical authority, in 1804, when his vocal talent was recognized. In October 1808, he became a pupil at the Stadtkonvikt (Imperial seminary) through a choir scholarship. At the Stadtkonvikt, Schubert was introduced to the overtures and symphonies of Mozart. His exposure to these pieces and various lighter compositions, combined with his occasional visits to the opera set the foundation for his greater musical knowledge. One important musical influence came from the songs of Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg, who was an important Lied composer of the time, which, his friend Joseph von Spaun reported, he "wanted to modernize". Schubert's friendship with Spaun began at the Stadtkonvikt and endured through his lifetime. In those early days, the more well-to-do Spaun furnished the impoverished Schubert with manuscript paper. Meanwhile, his genius began to show in his compositions. Schubert was occasionally permitted to lead the Stadtkonvikt's orchestra, and Salieri decided to begin training him privately in musical composition and theory in these years. It was the first germ of that amateur orchestra for which, in later years, many of his compositions were written. During the remainder of his stay at the Stadtkonvikt he wrote a good deal of chamber music, several songs, some miscellaneous pieces for the pianoforte and, among his more ambitious efforts, a Kyrie (D. 31) and Salve Regina (D. 27), an octet for wind instruments (D. 72/72a, said to commemorate the 1812 death of his mother), a cantata for guitar and male voices (D. 110, in honor of his father's birthday in 1813), and his first symphony (D. 82). At the end of 1813, he left the Stadtkonvikt, and returned home for studies at the Normalhauptschule to train as a teacher. In 1814, he entered his father's school as teacher of the youngest students. For over two years, the young man endured the drudgery of the work, which he performed with very indifferent success. There were, however, other interests to compensate. He continued to receive private lessons in composition from Salieri, who did more for Schubert’s musical training than any of his other teachers. Salieri and Schubert would part ways in 1817. In 1814, Schubert met a young soprano named Therese Grob, the daughter of a local silk manufacturer. Several of his songs (Salve Regina and Tantum Ergo) were composed for her voice, and she also performed in the premiere of his first Mass (D. 105) in September 1814. Schubert intended to marry Grob, but was hindered by the harsh marriage consent law of 1815, which required the ability to show the means to support a family. In November 1816, after failing to gain a position at Laibach, Schubert sent Grob's brother Heinrich a collection of songs, which were retained by her family into the 20th century. One of Schubert's most prolific years was 1815. He composed over 20,000 bars of music, more than half of which was for orchestra, including nine church works, a symphony, and about 140 Lieder. In that year, he was also introduced to Anselm Hüttenbrenner and Franz von Schober, who would become his lifelong friends. Another friend, Johann Mayrhofer, was introduced to him by Spaun in 1814. Maynard Solomon suggested that Schubert was erotically attracted to men, a thesis that has, at times, been heatedly debated. Musicologist and Schubert expert Rita Steblin claimed that he was "chasing women". Supported by friends Significant changes happened in 1816. Schober, a student of good family and some means, invited Schubert to room with him at his mother's house. The proposal was particularly opportune, for Schubert had just made the unsuccessful application for the post of Kapellmeister at Laibach, and he had also decided not to resume teaching duties at his father's school. By the end of the year, he became a guest in Schober's lodgings. For a time, he attempted to increase the household resources by giving music lessons, but they were soon abandoned, and he devoted himself to composition. "I compose every morning, and when one piece is done, I begin another." During this year, he focused on orchestral and choral works, although he also continued to write Lieder. Much of this work was unpublished, but manuscripts and copies circulated among friends and admirers. In early 1817, Schober introduced Schubert to Johann Michael Vogl, a prominent baritone twenty years Schubert's senior. Vogl, for whom Schubert went on to write a great many songs, became one of Schubert's main proponents in Viennese musical circles. He also met Joseph Hüttenbrenner (brother to Anselm), who also played a role in promoting Schubert's music. These, and an increasing circle of friends and musicians, became responsible for promoting, collecting, and, after his death, preserving his work. In late 1817, Schubert's father gained a new position at a school in Rossau (not far from Lichtental). Schubert rejoined his father and reluctantly took up teaching duties there. In early 1818, he was rejected for membership in the prestigious Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, something that might have furthered his musical career. However, he began to gain more notice in the press, and the first public performance of a secular work, an overture performed in February 1818, received praise from the press in Vienna and abroad. Schubert spent the summer of 1818 as music teacher to the family of Count Johann Karl Esterházy at their château in Zseliz (then in Hungary, now in Slovakia). His duties were relatively light (teaching piano and singing to the two daughters, Marie and Karoline), and the pay was relatively good. As a result, he happily continued to compose during this time. It may have been at this time that he wrote one of his now world-famous compositions, the Marche militaire No. 1 in D major. Marie and Karoline both being his piano students, and the original score of "Marche Militaire" being a piano duet, lend credence to this view. On his return from Zseliz, he took up residence with his friend Mayrhofer. The respite at Zseliz led to a succession of compositions for piano duet. During the early 1820s, Schubert was part of a close-knit circle of artists and students who had social gatherings together that became known as "Schubertiaden". The tight circle of friends with which Schubert surrounded himself was dealt a blow in early 1820. Schubert and four of his friends were arrested by the Austrian police, who (in the aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars) were on their guard against revolutionary activities and suspicious of any gathering of youth or students. One of Schubert's friends, Johann Senn, was put on trial, imprisoned for over a year, and then permanently forbidden to enter Vienna. The other four, including Schubert, were "severely reprimanded", in part for "inveighing against [officials] with insulting and opprobrious language". While Schubert never saw Senn again, he did set some of his poems, "Selige Welt" and "Schwanengesang", to music. The incident may have played a role in a falling-out with Mayrhofer, with whom he was living at the time. He was nicknamed "Schwämmerl" by his friends, which Gibbs describes as translating to "Tubby" or "Little Mushroom". "Schwammerl" is Austrian (and other) dialect for mushroom; the umlaut makes it a diminutive. Musical maturity The compositions of 1819 and 1820 show a marked advance in development and maturity of style. The unfinished oratorio "Lazarus" (D. 689) was begun in February; later followed, amid a number of smaller works, by the 23rd Psalm (D. 706), the Gesang der Geister (D. 705/714), the Quartettsatz in C minor (D. 703), and the "Wanderer Fantasy" for piano (D. 760). Of most notable interest is the staging in 1820 of two of Schubert's operas: Die Zwillingsbrüder (D. 647) appeared at the Theater am Kärntnertor on 14 June, and Die Zauberharfe (D. 644) appeared at the Theater an der Wien on 21 August. Hitherto, his larger compositions (apart from his masses) had been restricted to the amateur orchestra at the Gundelhof, a society which grew out of the quartet-parties at his home. Now he began to assume a more prominent position, addressing a wider public. Publishers, however, remained distant, with Anton Diabelli hesitantly agreeing to print some of his works on commission. The first seven opus numbers (all songs) appeared on these terms; then the commission ceased, and he began to receive the meager pittances which were all that the great publishing houses ever paid him. The situation improved somewhat in March 1821 when Vogl sang "Der Erlkönig" at a concert that was extremely well received. That month, Schubert composed a variation on a waltz by Anton Diabelli (D. 718), being one of the fifty composers who contributed to Vaterländischer Künstlerverein. The production of the two operas turned Schubert's attention more firmly than ever in the direction of the stage, where, for a variety of reasons, he was almost completely unsuccessful. All in all, he produced seventeen stage works, each of them failures which were quickly forgotten. In 1822, Alfonso und Estrella was refused, partly owing to its libretto. Fierrabras (D. 796) was rejected in the fall of 1823, but this was largely due to the popularity of Rossini and the Italian operatic style, and the failure of Carl Maria von Weber's Euryanthe. Die Verschworenen (The Conspirators, D. 787) was prohibited by the censor (apparently on the grounds of its title), and Rosamunde (D. 797) was withdrawn after two nights, owing to the poor quality of the play for which Schubert had written incidental music. Of these works, the two former are written on a scale which would make their performances exceedingly difficult (Fierrabras, for instance, contains over 1,000 pages of manuscript score), but Die Verschworenen is a bright attractive comedy, and Rosamunde contains some of the most charming music that Schubert ever composed. In 1822, he made the acquaintance of both Weber and Beethoven, but little came of it in either case. Beethoven is said to have acknowledged the younger man's gifts on a few occasions, but some of this is likely legend and in any case he could not have known the real scope of Schubert's music – especially not the instrumental works – as so little of it was printed or performed in the composer's lifetime. On his deathbed, Beethoven is said to have looked into some of the younger man's works and exclaimed, "Truly, the spark of divine genius resides in this Schubert!" but what would have come of it if he had recovered we can never know. Last years and masterworks Despite his preoccupation with the stage, and later with his official duties, Schubert found time during these years for a significant amount of composition. He completed the Mass in A flat (fr) (D. 678) and, in 1822, embarked suddenly on a work which more decisively than almost any other in those years showed his maturing personal vision, the "Unfinished Symphony" in B minor. The reason he left it unfinished after two movements and sketches some way into a third remains an enigma, and it is also remarkable that he did not mention it to any of his friends even though, as Brian Newbould notes, he must have felt thrilled by what he was achieving. The event has been debated endlessly without resolution. In 1823 Schubert, in addition to Fierrabras, also wrote his first song cycle, Die schöne Müllerin (D. 795), setting poems by Wilhelm Müller. This series, together with the later cycle "Winterreise" (D. 911, also setting texts of Müller in 1827) is widely considered one of the pinnacles of Lieder. He also composed the song Du bist die Ruh ("You are stillness/peace") D. 776 during this year. Also in that year, symptoms of syphilis first appeared. In 1824, he wrote the variations for flute and piano on "Trockne Blumen", from the cycle Die schöne Müllerin, and several string quartets. He also wrote the Arpeggione Sonata (D. 821), at a time when there was a minor craze over that instrument. In the spring of that year he wrote the Octet in F (D. 803), "A Sketch for a Grand Symphony"; and in the summer went back to Zseliz. There he became attracted to Hungarian musical idiom, and wrote the Divertissement à la hongroise (D. 818) for piano duet and the String Quartet in A minor (D. 804). It has been said that he held a hopeless passion for his pupil, the Countess Karoline Eszterházy, but the only work he dedicated to her was his Fantasie in F minor (D. 940) for piano duet. The setbacks of previous years were compensated for by the prosperity and happiness of 1825. Publication had been moving more rapidly; the stress of poverty was for a time lightened; and in the summer he had a pleasant holiday in Upper Austria, where he was welcomed with enthusiasm. It was during this tour that he produced his "Songs from Sir Walter Scott". This cycle contains Ellens dritter Gesang (D. 839), a setting of Adam Storck's German translation of Scott's hymn from The Lady of the Lake, which is widely, though mistakenly, referred to as "Schubert's Ave Maria". It opens with the greeting Ave Maria, which recurs in the refrain; the entire Scott/Storck text in Schubert's song is frequently substituted with the complete Latin text of the traditional Ave Maria prayer. In 1825, Schubert also wrote the Piano Sonata in A minor (Op. 42, D. 845), and began the "Great" C major

Nicolaus Decius

1485 - 1541 Person Name: ks. Nikolaus Decius Hymnal Number: 342 Author (sts. 1-3) of "Na wysokościach Bogu cześć" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Decius, Nicolaus (Nicolaus a Curia or von Hofe, otherwise Hovesch, seems to have been a native of Hof, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, and to have been originally called Tech. He became a monk, and was in 1519 Probst of the cloister at Steterburg, near Wolfenbüttel. Becoming favourable to the opinions of Luther, he left Steterburg in July, 1522, and went to Brunswick, where he was appointed a master in the St. Katherine and Egidien School. In 1523 he was invited by the burgesses of Stettin to labour there as an Evangelical preacher along with Paulus von Rhode. He became preacher at the Church of St. Nicholas; was probably instituted by the Town Council in 1526, when von Rhode was instituted to St. Jacob's; and at the visitation in 1535 was recognized as pastor of St. Nicholas'. He died suddenly at Stettin, March 21, 1541, with some suspicion of being poisoned by his enemies of the Roman Catholic faction (Koch, i. 419-421, 471, 472; ii. 483; Allg. Deutsche Biography, iii. 791-793).He seems to have been a popular preacher and a good musician. Three hymns are ascribed to him. These are versions of the “Sanctus," the "Gloria in excelsis," and the "Agnus Dei." The second and third are noted under these Latin first lines. He is also said to have composed or adapted the melodies set to them. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Jeremiah Eames Rankin

1828 - 1904 Person Name: ks. Jeremiah Eames Rankin Hymnal Number: 884 Author of "Z Bogiem bądźcie" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Pseudonym: R. E. Jeremy. Rankin, Jeremiah Eames, D.D., was born at Thornton, New Haven, Jan. 2, 1828, and educated at Middleburg College, Vermont, and at Andover. For two years he resided at Potsdam, U.S. Subsequently he held pastoral charges as a Congregational Minister at New York, St. Albans, Charlestown, Washington ( District of Columbia), &c. In 1878 he edited the Gospel Temperance Hymnal, and later the Gospel Bells. His hymns appeared in these collections, and in D. E. Jones's Songs of the New Life, 1869. His best known hymn is "Labouring and heavy laden" (Seeking Christ). This was "written [in 1855] for a sister who was an inquirer," was first printed in the Boston Recorder, and then included in Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, 1857. Another of his hymns is "Rest, rest, rest, brother rest." He died in 1904. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================== Rankin, J. 33., p. 951, ii. Dr. Rankin, b. in N. H. (not New Haven), and received his D.D. 1869, LL.D. 1889 from his Alma Mater. He was President for several years of Howard University, Washington, D.C. His publications included several volumes of Sermons, German-English Lyrics, Sacred and Secular, 1897; 2nd ed. 1898, &c. In addition to his hymns noted on p. 951, ii., he has written and published mainly in sheet form many others, the most important and best-known being:— 1. God be with you till we meet again. [Benediction.] Dr. Rankin's account of this hymn, supplied to us, in common with Mr. Brownlie, for his Hymns and H. Writers of The Church Hymnary, 1899, is: "It was written as a Christian good-bye, and first sung in the First Congregational Church, of which I was minister for fifteen years. We had Gospel meetings on Sunday nights, and our music was intentionally of the popular kind. I wrote the first stanza, and sent it to two gentlemen for music. The music which seemed to me to best suit the words was written by T. G. Tomer, teacher of public schools in New Jersey, at one time on the staff of General 0. 0. Howard. After receiving the music (which was revised by Dr. J. W. Bischoff, the organist of my church), I wrote the other stanzas." The hymn became at once popular, and has been translated into several languages. In America it is in numerous collections; and in Great Britain, in The Church Hymnary, 1898, Horder's Worship Song, 1905, The Methodist Hymn Book, 1904, and others. It was left undated by Dr. Rankin, but I.D. Sankey gives it as 1882. 2. Beautiful the little hands. [Little ones for Jesus.] Given without date in Gloria Deo, New York, 1900. Dr. Rankin's translations include versions of German, French, Latin, and Welsh hymns. His contributions to the periodical press have been numerous. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Martin Rinkart

1586 - 1649 Person Name: ks. Martin Rinckart Hymnal Number: 593 Author of "Dziękujmy Bogu wraz" in Śpiewnik Ewangelicki Rinkart, Martin, son of Georg Rinkart or Rinckart, cooper at Eilenburg on the Mulde, Saxony, was born at Eilenburg, April 23, 1586.* After passing through the Latin school at Eilenburg, he became, in Nov., 1601, a foundation scholar and chorister of the St. Thomas's School at Leipzig. This scholarship also allowed him to proceed to the University of Leipzig, where he matriculated for the summer session of 1602, as a student of Theology; and after the completion of his course he remained for some time in Leipzig (he did not take his M.A. till 1616). In March 1610 he offered himself as a candidate for the post of diaconus at Eilenburg, and was presented by the Town Council, but the Superintendent refused to sanction this arrangement, nominally on the ground that Rinkart was a better musician than theologian, but really because he was unwilling to have a colleague who was a native of Eilenburg, and who appeared to have a will of his own. Rinkart, not wishing to contest the matter, applied for a vacant mastership in the gymnasium at Eisleben, and entered on his duties there in the beginning of June, 1610, as sixth master, and also cantor of the St. Nicholas Church. After holding this appointment for a few months, he became diaconus of St. Anne's Church, in the Neustadt of Eisleben, and began his work there May 28, 1611; and then became pastor at Erdeborn and Lyttichendorf (Lütjendorf), near Eisleben, entering on his duties there on Dec. 5, 1613. Finally he was invited by the Town Council of Eilenburg to become archidiaconus there, and in Nov. 1617 came into residence at Eilenburg. He died at Eilenburg, Dec. 8, 1649. A memorial tablet to his memory, affixed to the house where he lived, was unveiled at Eilenburg on Easter Monday, April 26, 1886. (Martin Rinkart’s Geistliche Lieder, ed., with a biographical introduction, and an extensive bibliography, by Heinrich Rembe and Johannes Linke, D.D., Gotha, F. A. Perthes, 1886; K. Goedeke's Grundris, vol. iii., 1887, pp. 169, 211, &c.) The greater part of Rinkart's professional life was passed amid the horrors of the Thirty Years War. Eilenburg being a walled town became a refuge for fugitives from all around, and being so overcrowded, not unnaturally suffered from pestilence and famine. During the great pestilence of 1637 the Superintendent went away for change of air, and could not be persuaded to return; and on Aug. 7 Rinkart had to officiate at the funerals of two of the town clergy and two who had had to leave their livings in the country. Rinkart thus for some time was the only clergyman in the place, and often read the service over some 40 to 50 persons a day, and in all over about 4,480. At last the refugees had to be buried in trenches without service, and during the whole epidemic some 8,000 persons died, including Rinkart's first wife, who died May 8, 1637. The next year he had an epidemic of marriages to encounter, and himself fell a victim on June 24. Immediately thereafter came a most severe famine, during which Rinkart's resources were strained to the uttermost to help his people. Twice also he saved Eilenburg from the Swedes, once in the beginning of 1637, and again in 1639 (see p. 319, i.). Unfortunately the services he rendered to the place seemed to have made those in authority the more ungrateful, and in his latter years he was much harassed by them in financial and other matters, and by the time that the long-looked-for peace came (Oct. 24, 1648) he was a worn-out and prematurely aged man. Rinkart was a voluminous writer and a good musician, but a considerable number of his books seem to have perished, and others survive only in single copies. He early began to write poetry, and was crowned as a poet apparently in 1614. Among other things he wrote a cycle of seven so-called "Comedies," or rather dramas, on the Reformation Period, suggested by the centenary of the Reformation in 1617. Three of these were printed respectively in 1613, 1618, and 1625, and two of them were acted in public. Rinkart's hymns appeared principally in the following works:— (1) Jesu Hertz-Büchlein. This was completed in 1630, and first published at Leipzig in 1636. No copy is now known. The second edition, published at Leipzig, 1663, is in the Royal Library at Hannover. (2) Der Meissnische Thränen Saat, Leipzig, 1637. In the Royal Library at Berlin. (3) xlv. Epithalami Salomoneo—Sulamitici cantica canticorum . . . Leibliche Geistliche und Uimmlische Braut Messe, Leipzig, 1642. In Wolfenbüttel Library. (4) Catechismus-wolthaten, und Catechismus-Lieder, Leipzig, 1645. In the Berlin Library. Dr. Linke, 1886, as above, gives a list of the first lines of all the hymns in the works of Rinkart which have come under his notice, and prints a selection from them, including 66 in all. The best of them are characterised by a true patriotism, a childlike devotion to God, and a firm confidence in God's mercy, and His promised help and grace. A few passed into the German hymn-books. Those which have been translated into English are:— 1. Alleluja, Lob, Preis und Ehr. This hymn… seems to be based on two hymns, beginning with the same first line, and both found in Rinkart's Braut Messe, 1642. Dr. Linke does not print the full text. (See Blätter für Hymnologie, 1886, p. 91.) ii. Nun danket alle Gott. Thanksgiving. The oldest text now accessible is in J. Crüger's Praxis, 1648, No. 183, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines; also in the Crüger-Runge Gesang-Buch, 1653, No. 187. It is also in Rinkart's Jesu Hertz-Büchlein, 1663, where the text slightly varies, and is entitled "Grace" ("Tisch-Gebetlein," i.e. a short prayer at table). There does not seem any good reason for supposing that it did not appear in the first ed., 1636, of the Hertz-Büchlein, and in any case it has no connection with the Peace of Westphalia. (A good specimen of the way in which stories of hymns are manufactured is in the Sunday at Home, Aug., 1888, p. 539, where a full and particular account is given of its legendary origin in Nov. 1648.) It is founded on Ecclesiasticus 1. 22-24; and st. i., ii. are indeed little more than a paraphrase of these verses, st. iii. being a version of the Gloria Patri. The fact that the regimental chaplains, when holding the special service of thanksgiving for the conclusion of the peace, were commanded to preach from this passage, may have suggested the theory that Rinkart's hymn was written for the same occasion. It gradually came into general use, successfully survived the period of Rationalism, and is now to be found in every German hymnbook, e.g. in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 1022. It may be called the German Te Deum, and as such is used at all national festivals or special occasions of thanksgiving. It was recently used at the festal celebration of the completion of Cologne Cathedral, on Aug. 14, 1880, at the laying of the foundation stone of the new Reichstags building in Berlin, by the Emperor William, June 9, 1884, &c. The fine melody (set to the hymn in Hymns Ancient & Modern and most recent English collections) appears in the Praxis, 1648 (Crüger's Kirchenmelodien, 1649, No. 94), and in the Crüger-Runge Gesang-Buch, 1653, is marked with Crüger's initials. It has been described as adapted from a melody by Lucas Marenzo (choirmaster at Rome, who died 1598), or as adapted from a motet by Rinkart; but to prove either statement, very little evidence is forthcoming. The translations of the hymn into English are:— 1. Let all men praise the Lord. This is a tr. of st. i., iii., by Alfred Novello, as part of his version of the word-book to Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, or Hymn of Praise, 1843, p. 89. This form has passed into a number of hymnals, including the New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859; Dale's English Hymn Book 1874, and others. In the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, a tr. of st. ii. is added, of which 11. 1—4 are from Miss Winkworth's translation. 2. Now praise the Lord on high. In full as No. 53 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book, 1848. This appears to be the version which Kübler, in his Historical Notes to the Lyra Germanica, 1865, p. 247, says was made by Baron C. K. J. von Bunsen, for the opening of the German Hospital at Dalston, on Oct. 15, 1845. 3. Now let us all to God. In full, by A. T. Russell, as No. 201, in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851. 4. 0 let us praise the Lord, From hearts by true love guided. This is No. 240 in the Winchester Church Hymn Book, 1857, and seems to be intended as a paraphrase of the German. 5. Now thank we all our God. A full and very good translation by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Serv. 1858, p. 145, repeated in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 11, and her Christian Singers, 1869, p. 181. It has been included in many recent English and American hymnals, e. g. Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1861; People's Hymnal, 1867; Congregational Hymnal, 1887, &c, and in America in the Episcopal Hymnal, 1871; Presbyterian Hymnal, 1874, and many others, generally in full and unaltered. 6. Now all give thanks to God. In full as No. 264 in the Anglican Hymn Book, 1868 (1871, No. 307), marked as a versification by R. C. Singleton. Repeated in J. L. Porter's Collection, 1876. 7. Now all men thank ye God. In full by T. E. Brown, as No. 37 in the Clifton College Hymn Book, 1872. Other translations are:— (l) "Now let us praise the Lord." In full by J. C. Jacobi, 1722, p. 85 (1732, p. 144), repeated, altered, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754 to 1886. (2) "Now all, to God give thanks." By Dr. H. Mills, in the Evangelical Review, Gettysburg, 1851, p. 293, and his Horae Germanica, 1856, p. 14. (3) "Lift heart, and hands, and voice." By Miss Cox, 1864, p. 239. (4) “Now all give thanks to God." By J. D. Burns, 1869, p. 252. (5) “All hearts and tongues and hands." By N. L. Frothingham, 1870, p. 212. iii. So fahr ich hin mit Freuden. For the Dying. In his Meissnische Thränen-Saat, 1637, No. 24, p. 19, in 5 st.anzas of 8 lines, entitled "Even the same, and her soul-rejoicing Farewell Hymn. On May 8." St. i. is, "So fahr ich hin mit Frewden Aus diesem Jammerthal, Aus Angst, Gefahr und Leiden In Himmels-Frewden Saal, Da wir und alle Frommen Durch Gottes Wundermacht Zusaminen wiederkominen: In des zu guter Nacht." The title refers to the preceding hymn, which is in 19 stanzas, the initials of the stanzas forming the acrostic Christina Rinckardi. Dr. Linke abridges it and misprints the title, which is:— "Die Teutsche Jobs-Schwester (Christina M. Rinckart's Hertzgetrewe Ehe- und Creutz-genossin) und ihr Tagliches und behägliches Trost Lied. Aus ihrem längst erwählten und am 10. [not 30] Tage des Trosthühlen Meyen dieses 1637. Jahres zum letzten Ehrengedächtniss abgehandelten Leich-Text: des 77. Psalms." From this it is clear that both hymns are in memory of his wife, that she died on May 8, 1637, and that her funeral sermon was preached by her husband on May 10, 1637. The form translation into English is the greatly altered, or rather practically new text. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] * His own statement was that he “was born Anno 1586, Jubilate Sunday, on St. George's day, which was the 23rd of April, between 6 and 7 a.m." In 1586 however Jubilate S. (3rd Sunday after Easter) fell on April 24, while St. George's day is April 23. The entry in the Registers at Eilenburg says that he was baptised "Monday after Jubilate, the 25th of April," which is quite correct. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)