Adorn yourself, dear soul

This article deals with the hymn. A description of the chorale cantata of the same name by Bach based on it can be found under Schmücke dich, oh dear soul, BWV 180 .

Adorn yourself, o dear soul
Practice Pietatis Melica 1653 melody ^{? / i}

Imprinted in the Protestant hymn book

Adorn yourself, dear soul, is a Lutheran hymn . Johann Franck wrote the text between 1646 and 1653, the melody was created by Johann Crüger in 1649. The song is, slightly revised, in the Evangelical Hymnbook (EG 218).

content

Franck created the song as a meditation in preparation for the sacrament . At the beginning he takes up a mystical tradition that goes back to Johannes Damascenus via Gabriel Biel . According to tradition, this is the origin of the first antiphon of the Roman Missal for the procession at the feast of the Presentation of the Lord " Decorate your bridal chamber, Sion, take up Christ the King " ( Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion, et suscipe Regem Christum ), whose pictorial idea is Franck picks up.

Of the original nine stanzas, the first is an invitation from the soul to adorn itself for the Lord's feast and to leave the den of sin . The mysterious nature of this sacrament unfolds in stanza 2 in the desired union of the bride of Christ with the expected bridegroom, whose grace unmistakably breaks through to the core. Verse 3 illustrates the sacramental fulfillment of the Lutheran principle of grace sola gratia through the contrast to the economically determined world in allusion to the abuse of indulgences and the then culturally dominant mining . The fourth and fifth stanzas reflect, partly in addressing to Christ, the different feelings of longing, joy and fear that move the mind and heart before communion . The sixth stanza confesses the miracle of Christ's real presence in bread and wine, which reason cannot reach . The seventh and ninth stanzas are a humble prayer addressed to Jesus for a dignified and salutary reception of heavenly food , while the eighth deals with Christ's self-emptying ( Phil 2.5-11  LUT ).

The song revolves around the sacramental union of the individual soul with Christ. A community reference is not expressly made; one can however also understand the I (or you ) collectively as a parable for the Christian community. The biblical background, apart from the New Testament reports of Jesus' Last Supper, is above all the bread speech of the Gospel of John with the preceding miracle of feeding ( Jn 6  LUT ) as well as the admonition of Paul with the urgent warning against an unworthy, destructive reception ( 1 Cor 11 : 17-34  LUT ). The original second stanza takes up the imagery of the Song of Songs . The fourth (originally sixth) stanza in particular also refers to the Corpus Christi hymn Lauda Sion by Thomas Aquinas . The self-prompting of the beginning of the song brings to mind the end of the parable of the wedding supper , the guest without a wedding robe ( Mt 22 : 11-13  LUT ).

The Francksche Lied with its bold poetic images and its unusual stanza structure enjoyed an extraordinary appreciation until the 19th century, it achieved almost universal sole status as a song during the Lord's Supper ( sub communione ). Since the middle of the 18th century, there have been repeated changes of seal in order to smooth out the areas that were felt to be offensive at the time. This includes, for example, Klopstock version Tired, sinful soul that reinforces the pathos, but weakens the sacrament reference. The melody has also been smoothed out many times.

Both the Protestant church hymnbook and the Protestant hymn book reproduce the song without the original stanzas 2, 3 and 8.

Catherine Winkworth created a six- verse English translation in 1858, Deck thyself my soul with gladness , which she revised in 1863 and which has found its way into numerous Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist hymn books in this form.

Musical arrangements

The song was arranged by numerous Lutheran church musicians, especially in the Baroque period . Johann Sebastian Bach presented it to several organ works such as BWV 654. Above all, it is the basis of his choral cantata Schmücke dich, oh dear soul, BWV 180 . Georg Friedrich Händel lets the Christian Church sing the verse Oh how hungry my heart is in the communion scene of his Brockes Passion . In Georg Philipp Telemann's version of the Brockes Passion, the stanza is found as a chorale in the same place. Late Romantic arrangements such as those by Johannes Brahms and Max Reger are inspired by Bach .

text

The following overview juxtaposes the text versions in Franck's Spiritual Poems from 1674, those of the Evangelical Hymnbook from 1994 and Klopstock's rewrite.

1674	Evangelical hymn book	Klopstock
1. Adorn yourself, dear soul!     Leave the dark sins hell!     Come to the bright light;     Start to shine wonderfully.     Because the LORD full of grace and grace,     Will now invite you to guests,     Who can administer heaven , Will now     keep herberg in you. 2. Hurry, as fiancées tend to     meet your bridegroom, who     knocks on your hertzens chamber     with the hammer of grace .     Open the spirit gates for him soon: Speak to     him with beautiful words:     Come, my dearest, let me kiss you!     Don't let me miss you anymore. 3. It is true     that one does not otherwise save money when buying expensive goods:     But you     do not want to have any money for the gifts of your grace:     Because in all mining grounds there is     no such gem to be found,     That the blood-filled bowls     And the manna can pay. 4. Oh! how my mind hungers,     human friend, for your goodness!     Oh! how do I often, with tears,     long for your food!     Oh! how I care to thirst,     After the drink of the Prince of Life!     Always wish that my bones     unite with God through God. 5. Both laughter and trembling     can now be sensed in me:     The secret of this food,     And the unexplored way, make     that I note early,     Lord, the greatness of your strengths!     Is there a person to be found     who should fathom your omnipotence? 6. No! Reason that must give way here,     Can not achieve this miracle:     That this bread will never be consumed,     Whether it feeds many a thousand;     And that with the juice of the branches     Christ's blood is given to Us.     O the great secrecy     which only God's Spirit can interpret! 7. JESUS, my sun of life!     Jesus, my joy and bliss!     Jesus, you my whole beginning,     source of life and light of the senses!     Here I fall at your feet!     Let me be worthy of     this of your heavenly food,     for me to praise , and to you! 8. Lord, your faithful love has driven     you from heaven,     that you willingly gave your life     to death for us,     and in     addition, quite undaunted, Lord, shed your blood for us,     which can give us vigorous watering, to     your love think! 9. JESUS ​​true bread of life!     Help that I am not in vain,     Or perhaps to the detriment of me,     Sey invited to your table!     Let me     measure your love through this soul-food ,     That I too, as it is now on earth,     May be your guest in heaven.	1. Adorn yourself, dear soul,     leave the dark cave of sin,     come to the bright light,     begin to shine gloriously!     For the Lord full of salvation and grace     wants to invite you to be guests now;     who can manage heaven,     wants to keep herberg in you now. 2. Oh how my heart hungers, friend of     people, for your goodness;     oh how do I often     long for your food with tears ;     oh how I care to thirst     for the drink of the prince of life,     that in this bread and wine     Christ may unite with me. 3. Holy joy, deep anxiety     now captures my heart.     The mystery of this food     and the unexplored way     make that I note early,     Lord, the greatness of your works.     Is there a person to be found who     should fathom your omnipotence? 4. No, reason, which must give way here,     cannot achieve this miracle,     that this bread will never be consumed,     even if it nourishes a thousand,     and that with the juice of the branches     we are given the blood of Christ.     God's Spirit can only guide us     to interpret this mystery correctly! 5. Jesus, my sun of life,     Jesus, my joy and delight,     Jesus, you, my whole beginning,     source of life and light of the senses:     here I fall at your feet;     let me dignifiedly enjoy     your heavenly food for     my salvation and for you to praise . 6. Jesus, true bread of life,     help that I may not     be called to your table in vain     or perhaps to my harm .     Let me     measure your love through this holy meal so     that I too, as now on earth,     may become your guest in heaven.	1. Tired, sinful soul, open     up, redeemed soul,     come to receive forgiveness!     Because your light has risen!     Because the Lord full of salvation and grace     has invited you to him!     You shall renew your covenant     and rejoice in his death! 2. Hurry, as betrothed to God, to meet     the Lord with faith!     That he should discharge you of sin, He     gives today grace for grace!     Come over! it is the will of the mediator,     come and draw from its abundance!     That he should discharge you of sin, He     gives today grace for grace! 3. Lord, I am happy with tremors!     Let me receive grace and live!     With the believing community,     That God should unite with it;     Through the food of the new covenant,     in such a wonderful way:     O who may subvert     to fathom this mystery! 4. Godman! let me approach worthily,     life! Life! to recommend!     Oh, how I used     to long for your mark with tears !     Oh, how often I thirsted,     God, thirsted for you, my God!     Let me come, sacrifice,     life! Life! to recommend! 5.     Thank you, our dead host, Who,     like us, were also sinners ! and praise, and sing joy,     That they feel your mark here!     Son of the father! Light from light!     Lamb, given up to the deadly judgment     ! Salvation for sinners!     Savior! Death conqueror! 6. King! High priest! Teacher!     You my divine convert!     You are guaranteed for my guilt!     Sacrificed to God! Strangled!     Here I fall at your feet:     Let, let me duly enjoy     this heavenly food of yours,     for my salvation! and you at the price! 7. In memory of your sufferings!     And as a foretaste of those joys,     You Godman!     fought for me When you suffered unspeakably!     When death sweats covered you!     The horrors of God terrified you!     When you were bleeding, leave!     Oh, from God! From God! leave! 8. I want to rejoice in your salvation!     I want to consecrate myself forever to you!     The gate of your life is narrow!     I still look in the dark words!     One day I will fully recognize you!     Burn all in your love!     Let me feel it here too!     Help me, help me, overcome!

literature

• Konrad Klek: 218 - Adorn yourself, dear soul . In: Liederkunde zum Evangelisches Gesangbuch . No. 23 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2017, ISBN 978-3-525-50346-1 , p. 8–13 , doi : 10.13109 / 9783666503467.8 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Johannes Kulp (edited by Arno Büchner and Siegfried Fornaçon): The songs of our church. A handout for the Protestant church hymn book ; Handbook for the Evangelical Church Hymnal. Special tape; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprechjt 1958; P. 245f.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Year on the ground floor: "(Str. 1 1646) 1649/1653"
2. ↑ EG
3. ↑ See Detlef Metz: Gabriel Biel und die Mystik (= Contubernium. Tübinger contributions to the history of universities and science 55). Steiner, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-515-07824-X , p. 251.
4. ↑ See the entry: Frederick Holweck:  Candlemas . In: Catholic Encyclopedia , Volume 3, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1908.
5. ↑ Volker Honemann: Mining in the literature of the Middle Ages and early modern times. In: KH Kaufhold, W. Reininghaus (ed.): City and mining. Cologne (inter alia) 2004, pp. 239–261.
6. ↑ Its eighth stanza reads: A sumente non concisus, / Non confractus, non divisus / Integer accipitur. / Sumit unus, sumunt mille, / Quantum isti, tantum individuelle, / Nec sumptus consumitur.
7. ↑ four pairs of eight-syllable trochaic lines with exclusively feminine rhymes
8. ↑ Deck thyself my soul with gladness at hymnary.org with further references, accessed on May 9, 2018
9. ^ Johann Sebastian Bach: 18 chorale preludes BWV 651–668 : sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
10. ↑ Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy wrote about this work : "If life had taken everything from me, this piece would comfort me again" ( Robert Schumann : Memories of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy at Wikisource ).
11. ↑ quoted from Friedrich August Pischon : Monuments of the German language, from the earliest times to the present: A complete collection of examples for his guide to the history of German literature. Third part, Berlin: Duncker and Humblot, 1843, p. 260
12. ↑ Quotes all works from Klopstock. Volume 7: Odes. Holy songs. Epigrams. Leipzig: Göschen 1823, pp. 217–220.
13. ↑ Ps 2,11  LUT
14. ↑ Pishon (lit.) has Christ , but all other sources read Christ