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Erasmus Alber
1500 - 1553 Topics: Abend-Lieder Author of "Christe, der du bist Tag und Licht" in Kirchenbuch für Evangelisch-Lutherische Gemeinden Alber, Erasmus, son of Tileman Alber, afterwards pastor at Engelroth, was born at Sprendlingen c. 1500. After studying at Wittenberg under Luther and Melanchthon, he became, in 1525, schoolmaster at St. Ursel, near Frankfurt-am-Main, and in 1527 at Heldenbergen, in Hesse Darmstadt. In 1528 he was appointed by the Landgrave Philip of Hesse pastor at Sprendlingen and Götzenhain, where he devoted himself specially to the children of his charge. After 11 years' service he was appointed by the Elector Joachim of Brandenburg court preacher at Berlin, but proving too faithful for the court, was, in 1541, removed as chief pastor to Neu Brandenburg. In 1542 he became pastor at Stade, in Wetteravia, and while there received, in 1513, the degree of Doctor of Theology from the University of Wittenberg. He was then invited, in the beginning of 1545, by the Landgrave Philip IV. of Hanau Lichtenberg, to perfect the work of the Reformation in Babenhausen, but no sooner had he fairly entered upon it than, in the end of October, he received his dismissal. After a short stay at Sprendlingen and at Wittenberg, he became preacher at Magdeburg, where he strongly denounced the Interim (see Agricola). On the capitulation of Magdeburg, in 1551, after a 14 months' siege, he fled to Hamburg, and then went to Lübeck. Finally, in 1552, he was appointed by Duke Albrecht I. of Mecklenburg, General Superintendent of Mecklenburg, and preacher at St. Mary's Church in Neu Brandenburg. In addition to losing all his own and his wife's property by confiscation and necessary expenditure, he was there unable to obtain from the Town Council the payment of his stipend. On May 4, 1553, he applied for the payment of 60 florins to relieve his urgent necessities. The refusal broke his heart. He returned home to die, and fell asleep at 9 a.m. on May 5, 1553.
One of the best writers for children in his day, and an ardent controversialist and martyr of freedom of speech, he has been by some ranked, as a hymn-writer, next to Luther, in the Reformation period. His hymns, 20 in all, were first collected by Dr. Stromberger, and published at Halle, 1857. Being mostly long, and ungainly in style, not many of them have kept a place in the hymn-books, though they have been justly styled "powerful and living witnesses of a steadfast faith and a manly trust in God's Word" (Koch, i. 301-306; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie i. 219-20; Dr. Stromberger's Preface; Bode, pp. 35-36—the last stating that his father was a school¬master at Sprendlingen.) Two have been translated into English. One of these, beginning "Christe, du bist der hello Tag," is a translation, and is noted under, "Christe qui lux es et dies."
The only original hymn by Alber translated into English is:—
1. Nun freut euch Gottes Kinder all. [Ascension.] First published on a broadsheet, N.P. N.D., 1549, and thence in Wackernagel, iii. p. 881, in 29 stanzas of 4 lines. In a broadsheet at Nürnberg, c. 1555, it is entitled, "Of the Fruits of the Ascension of our Lord Christ and of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit," and begins—"Freut euch ihr Gottes Kinder all." This form is included in Dr. Stromberger's edition of Alber's Geistliche Lieder, 1857, p. 5. In the hymn-books it is generally abridged, and so the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, 339, gives 16 stanzas (i.-vi., ix.-xi., xiii., xviii., xxv.-xxix., of the first form). A translation:—
0 Children of your God rejoice, of stanzas i., ii., iv., xxvii.-xxix., by A. T. Russell, is given as No. 122, in his Psalms & Hymns 1851. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Erasmus Alber
Johann Friedrich Hertzog
1647 - 1699 Person Name: Dr. Johann Friedr. Herzog Topics: Abend-Lieder; Abend-Lieder Author of "Nun sich der tag geendet hat" in Kirchen-Gesangbuch Hertzog, Johann Friedrich, LL.D., son of Johann Hertzog, diaconus of the Church of the Holy Cross, in Dresden, was born at Dresden, June 6, 1647. After the completion of his legal studies at the University of Wittenberg, he was, from 1671 to 1674, tutor to the sons of General-Lieutenant von Arnim. In 1674 he returned to Dresden to practise as an advocate, where he died March 21, 1699 (Koch, iii. 361-63; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xii. 251). The only hymn by him which has been translated into English is:—
Nun sich der Tag geendet hat, Und keine Sonn mehr scheint. [Evening.] Fischer, ii. 129, says that, according to the testimony of Hertzog's brother, this hymn was written one evening in 1670 while the author was still a student at Wittenberg. Stanza i. and the melody appear as No. 8 in the 1 Zehen of A. P. Krieger's News Arien. In 6 Zehen, Dresden, 1667 [Leipzig Town Library]. Hertzog seems to have adopted this stanza and added eight others, the form in 9 st. being found in Luppius's Andächtig Singender Christen-Mund, Wesel, 1692, p. 123, in 9 stanzas. Included as No. 622 in Freylinghausen's Geistreiches Gesang-Buch, 1704, with a 10th st., which, according to Fischer, first appeared in the Leipzig Gesang-Buch, 1693. Also in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 530. It speedily became popular, was often imitated, and still holds its place as one of the best German evening hymns. The translations in common use are:—
1. And now another day is gone. A good translation, omitting st. vii., by J. C. Jacobi in his Psalter Germanica, 1722, p. 1ll (ed. 1732, p. 174, altered). St. vii., "With cheerful heart I close my eyes," while parallel with the German is really stanza iv. of Watts's "And now another day is gone," in his Divine and Moral Songs. The 1732 text, slightly altered, is No. 479 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, and stanzas i.-iii., vii., ix. altered are No. 391 in J. A. Latrobe's Collection, 1841. The form principally used is a cento beginning, "In mercy, Lord, remember me"; and being stanzas iii., vii., ix., x. slightly altered as No. 760 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789, and repeated, omitting st. x., in later editions (1886, No. 1183). This cento has recently been included in Windle's The Church Psalter & Hymn Book, 1862, in Dr. Thomas's Augustine Hymn Book, 1866, Dr. Martineau's Hymns of Praise & Prayer, 1873; and in America in the Methodist Episcopal Hymn Book, 1849; Hymns for the Church of Christ, Boston, 1853, &c.
2. And now another day is past. A version of stanzas i.-iv., vii.-ix., based on Jacobi, is found as No. 494 in the Appendix to the American German Reformed Psalms & Hymns, 1834, and also in the American Lutheran General Synod's Hymn Book, 1850.
3. The shades of night have banished day. A full and very good translation by Miss Dunn in her Hymns from the German, 1857, p. 16. Included, slightly altered and omitting stanzas vi., viii., in the Uppingham & Sherborne School Hymn Book, 1874, and thence in Thring's Collection, 1882.
4. Now that the sun doth shine no more. A good translation omitting stanzas iv., vi., x., by Miss Winkworth in her Chorale Book for England, 1863.
5. The day is done, the sun is set. A translation of stanzas i.-iii., vii., marked as by F. C. C, as No. 176 in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864.
6. Since now the day hath readied its close. In full as No. 311 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnnal, 1880, marked as a compilation.
Other translations are: (1) "The waning day hath reached its close," by H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 84. (2) "The day is gone, and now no more," by Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 61. (3) "Now that the day from earth hath crept," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 136. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Johann Friedrich Hertzog
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