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Subject Area: Music
Subject Area: Religion

Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott. - Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 3 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works [1921]

Edition used:

Bach’s Chorals. Part III: The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works, by Charles Sanford Terry (Cambridge University Press, 1915-1921). 3 vols. Vol. 3.

Part of: Bach’s Chorals, 3 vols.

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Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott.

lf1393-03_figure_070

Melody: “Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott”

Anon. 1535

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    • i.

      Come, holy Spirite, most blessed Lorde,
    • Fulfyl our hartes nowe with Thy grace,
    • And make our myndes of one accorde,
    • Kyndle them with love in every place.
    • O Lorde, Thou forgevest our trespace,
    • And callest the folke of every countre
    • To the ryght fayth and truste of Thy grace,
    • That they may geve thankes and synge to Thee,
    • Alleluya, Alleluya.

    • ii.

      O holy lyght, moste principall,
    • The worde of lyfe shewe unto us,
    • And cause us to knowe God over all
    • For our owne Father moste gracious.
    • Lorde, kepe us from lernyng venymous
    • That we folowe no masters but Christe.
    • He is the verite, His word sayth thus;
    • Cause us to set in Hym our truste.
    • Alleluya, Alleluya.

    • iii.

      O holy fyre, and conforth moste swete,
    • Fyll our hertes with fayth and boldnesse,
    • To abyde by The in colde and hete,
    • Content to suffre for ryghteousnesse:
    • O Lord, geve strength to our weaknesse,
    • And send us helpe every houre;
    • That we may overcome all wyckednesse,
    • And brynge this olde Adam under Thy power.
    • Alleluya, Alleluya.

    • Martin Luther (1483-1546)     Tr. Bishop Myles Coverdale1 .

Luther’s Whitsuntide hymn, “Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott,” an expansion of the Latin “Veni Sancte Spiritus,” was first published, with the melody, in the Erfurt and Wittenberg Hymn-books of 1524. Klug’s Hymn-book of 1535 [1529] prints an older form, with an expanded cadence for the concluding “Hallelujahs.” Bach uses the 1524 form invariably for the body of the tune. In Cantatas 59 and 175 (1716-1735?) and the Motett “Der Geist hilft” (1729) he uses the cadence of the 1535 version. There is also an abbreviated treatment of the melody in Cantata 172 (1724-5). In the Organ movements he invariably uses the 1524 cadence (supra) somewhat altered, in a form which dates from 1569 (supra). Witt (No. 170) also prefers the 1524 text, but his cadence is quite distinct from the other versions.

There are two Organ movements upon the melody:

[84]

N. xvii. 1. The Fantasia is No. 1 of the Eighteen Chorals. Schweitzer1 finds it reminiscent of Buxtehude’s style, an early work retouched, no doubt, by Bach for inclusion in his final collection. The strong statement of the cantus and the flickering semiquavers above it seem to paint stanza ii—“He is the verite,” and the tongues of fire. An earlier, perhaps the original, text is printed in P. vii. 86. Two mss. of it are extant, one of which was formerly in Krebs’ possession.

[85]

N. xvii. 10. The movement, a treatment of the cantus phrase by phrase, is No. 2 of the Eighteen Chorals. The last sixteen bars are a joyous setting of the “Hallelujahs” in Bach’s characteristic idiom. An older version of the movement is in P. vii. 88. The ms. of it comes through Krebs.

[1 ]Remains, p. 542. The original hymn has three stanzas.

[1 ] Vol. i. 292.