Johann Friedrich Raeder

Johann Friedrich Raeder (born May 4, 1815 in Elberfeld (now part of Wuppertal ); † March 4, 1872 there ) was a merchant and a German hymn poet.

Life

Johann Friedrich Raeder was initially employed in a trading company and later became an independent businessman. He founded and directed the local craft choir. He became known for the song he wrote in 1845, "Harre meine Seele" (Harre Meine Seele), which is contained in many evangelical hymn books as well as various song books of ecclesiastical communities and free churches. The song has only two stanzas (a third stanza was added later by Carl Brockhaus (* 1822; † 1899)) and takes up a Bible verse from the Psalms ("Wait for the Lord! Be of good cheer and courage and wait for the Lord!", Psalm 27, 13-14; similar to Ps. 42: 6: "Why are you grieving yourself, my soul, and are you so restless in me? Wait on God; for I will still thank him that he is my help and my God" ).

The reason for this song, however, was not an ecclesiastical one: Raeder was economically stricken due to a risky business in the indigo trade. So he found the strength to persevere and saw it himself as a miracle that the goods paid for in advance arrived and that he was spared ruin.

publication

The Raeder song “Harre meine Seele” has already been included in the German Evangelical Church Hymnbook (published after 1853 in the individual regional churches for different years of publication and to different extents), but not in the main part, but in the various appendices (e.g. B .: Evangelical hymn book for East and West Prussia, Königsberg in Pr., 1897, Section VI: Spiritual folk songs, No. 583) and also in the Evangelical military hymn book (Appendix No. 13). The song also found its place in the appendix in the general Protestant hymn book (AEG from 1906, later DEG from 1915), which was in use until 1950. The Evangelical Church Hymn book (EKG, 1950 to 1993) did not record the song in the root section, the text was printed in the appendix songs for special times and occasions under “song prayers”; However, some regional churches included it in the songs of the regional section of the EKG. In the current Evangelical Hymnal (EG), the song is also not represented in the main section, but in 10 of the 14 regional editions. The song was u. a. also known in the USA and was included in the American Lutheran Hymnals .

literature

• General evangelical hymn book . Uniform church and school hymn book for Protestant Germany, Berlin 1906, appendix: Spiritual songs No. 13 (corresponds to No. 383 of the consecutive numbering).
• Protestant hymn book , edition Baden / Alsace / Lorraine, Bavaria / Thuringia, Hessen-Nassau, Kurhessen-Waldeck, Lower Saxony / Bremen, North Elbe, Oldenburg, Austria, Palatinate, Württemberg; under: Additions to Liederkunde. The poets and composers.
• Carl Bertheau:  Raeder, Johann Friedrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 27, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, p. 122.
• Walter Schulz: Reich singer. Key to the German Reichsliederbuch . Ott, Gotha 1930 (with picture)