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Subject Area: Music
Subject Area: Religion

Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott, Vater - 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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Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott, Vater

lf1393-03_figure_109

Melody: “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott”

Anon. 1699

    • i.

      We all believe in One true God,
    • Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
    • Strong Deliverer in our need,
    • Praised by all the heavenly host,
    • By Whose mighty power alone
    • All is made, and wrought, and done.

    • ii.

      And we believe in Jesus Christ,
    • Son of man and Son of God;
    • Who, to raise us up to heaven,
    • Left His throne and bore our load;
    • By Whose Cross and death are we
    • Rescued from our misery.

    • iii.

      And we confess the Holy Ghost,
    • Who from both for ever flows;
    • Who upholds and comforts us
    • In the midst of fears and woes.
    • Blest and holy Trinity,
    • Praise shall aye be brought to Thee.

    • Tobias Clausnitzer (1618-84)     Tr. Catherine Winkworth1 .

Tobias Clausnitzer’s Trinity hymn, “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott, Vater,” was first published in the Neu-Vollstandigers Marggrafl. Brandenburgisches Gesang-Buch (Bayreuth, 1668). The melody (supra) was set to it in the Neu verfertigtes Darmstadtisches Gesangbuch (Darmastadt, 1699). Bach uses it only in the Organ movement infra. Witt’s (No. 228) text is uniform, excepting that he writes C for E as the fourth note of the second part of the tune.

[141]

N. xix. 30. Schweitzer1 places the movement among Bach’s “admittedly youthful works,” and Spitta2 finds the concluding arabesque “an unmistakeable Buxtehude coda.” But the Prelude is not juvenile in feeling. The ms. of it is in the Schelble-Gleichauf Collection. With alterations Krebs included it in his Organ Tonstucke3 .

[1 ]Chorale Book for England, No. 75. The original hymn has three stanzas.

[1 ] Vol. i. 293.

[2 ] Vol. i. 609.

[3 ] B.G. xl. Pref. xxxvi.