"Nun danket all und bringet Ehr" is a German Lutheran hymn in nine stanzas, with a text written by Paul Gerhardt. It was first published in 1647, in Johann Crüger's Praxis pietatis melica which was the first publication of hymns by Gerhardt. In the 1653 edition, Crüger added a melody that he composed. As a general song of thanks, the song has appeared in several hymnals, including the German ProtestanthymnalEvangelisches Gesangbuch and the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob. It has inspired musical settings by composers from the 17th to the 21st century. Johann Sebastian Bach used the first stanza in a cantata, however with the melody of "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich", Hugo Distler composed a chorale cantata, and Günter Berger based a toccata for organ on it.
History
When Paul Gerhardt wrote "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr", he was 40 years old, had completed his theological studies but had not found a suitable position as a pastor yet. He worked as a private teacher in Berlin. The Thirty Years' War was in its final year. Nonetheless, he wrote a hymn of praise, in nine stanzas of four lines each. The song is related to a biblical passage,, expressing thanks and praise to God, and requesting further help. The same passage was the basis for the 1630 hymn "Nun danket all Gott" by Martin Rinckart, and several compositions of the 17th century. For the Lutheran Gerhardt, music was an image of heavenly bliss, and the laws of composition an image of the order of creation, as he expressed in stanzas eight to eleven of his "Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud". "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr" was published by Johann Crüger who was the church musician at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin. It appeared in Crüger's hymnal Praxis pietatis melica in the 1647 edition, among the first 18 songs by Gerhardt to be published, which also include the Passion hymn "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld", the Easter hymn "Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden", the morning song "Wach auf, mein Herz, und singe", and the evening song "Nun ruhen alle Wälder". In the 1653 edition of the hymnal, which contained 80 songs by Gerhardt, it was printed with a melody by Crüger. The hymn was sung to conclude all-day peace celebrations in Leipzig on 21 March 1763, for the Treaty of Hubertusburg. In the German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch, it appears as EG 322. In the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob, it is GL 403 with stanzas 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9.
Text
The text in German follows the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch. Translations, which follow the rhythm rather than the literal meaning, were made by Pamela Dellal and Charles Stanford Terry.
Melodies and settings
When Crüger published the hymn in the 1647 edition of his hymnal Praxis pietatis melica, it was possibly without a melody. The hymn appears in the 1653 edition with a melody by Crüger and a figured bass. The melody is close to tunes from the Genevan Psalter, for Psalm 75 and Psalm 97, which also express thanks. The first two lines are connected, and the other two lines form a similar rhythmic pattern, with the climax at the beginning of the third line. In 1657/58, Crüger composed a four-part setting, using the melody and bass line. The tune is comfortable for congregational singing, and has been adopted for many other hymns. It became known as "Gräfenberg", which appears in 173 hymnals. The hymn is part of the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch with the melody of "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich". It is this melody that Johann Sebastian Bach set to close his cantata Dem Gerechten muß das Licht, BWV 195. In current German hymnals, the hymn appears with Crüger's melody. Hugo Distler composed a chorale cantata, No. 2 of his Op. 11. Ulrich Metzner composed Toccata sopra 'Nun danket all und bringet Ehr' in 2009. wrote an organ piece, subtitled Tanz-Toccata für Orgel, published by in 2015. Gaël Liardon wrote five chorale preludes in 2013.
