Mennonite hymn book
The Mennonite Hymnal (common abbreviations are MG and MGB ) is the hymn book of the Working Group of Mennonite Congregations in Germany and the Conference of Mennonites in Switzerland . It contains over 500 songs on around 1290 pages. The hymnbook was first published in May 2004 and replaced earlier hymnbooks from 1972 (in Germany) and 1951 (in German-speaking Switzerland).
Origin and structure
The hymn book was the result of a collaboration between German and Swiss Mennonites. It is divided into a song and a text part. The song part consists of five thematic sections with more than 500 songs. The sections (celebrating worship, through the day, through the year, how God strengthens us and what God calls us to) are divided into further sub-chapters with songs, for example, for the Lord's Supper, for Christmas and also on topics such as charity and peace, reconciliation and justice. In addition to traditional evangelical hymns and canons , new spiritual hymns have also been added to the hymnal. Many are in an ecumenical context. Most of the songs have four-part movements and are provided with chords for accompaniment by piano or guitar . Some songs are also given with English, French, Latin and Swiss-German texts. Sometimes shorter texts are interspersed between the songs as thought impulses. The text part consists of prayers and meditation words, psalms, blessings and creeds. The Schleitheim articles and quotations from well-known Anabaptists such as Menno Simons , Hans Denck , Pilgram Marpeck or Balthasar Hubmaier are also listed in the text section.
In the appendix of the hymn book there is an alphabetical list of the songs as well as one of the authors with brief biographical information. A register of Bible passages also lists passages from the Bible which are related to individual songs in terms of content.
Complementary works
In addition to the hymn book, an accompanying book for organists and choir directors as well as a CD with songs from the hymn book, which were recorded by Mennonite choirs and music groups, was published.
history
In the 16th century, the Anabaptist Ein schön Gesangbüchlein was widespread among Mennonite communities in western Germany . Its first edition of 1565 contained 122 songs. The lyrics of the hymn book were largely based on Dutch sources. Their shape is reminiscent of song forms of the Devotio moderna . The songs themselves are all anonymously passed down. South German and Swiss parishes mainly used the auspices , which first appeared around 1570. In individual communities in southern Germany, the bloom was used until the 19th century. In northern Germany, Dutch hymn books were also used later. A well-known Dutch hymnal was the Lietboeck published by Hans de Ries in 1582 .
The communities in Altona and Danzig had their own Mennonite hymn books printed in the 18th century. In other communities the hymn books of the Protestant regional churches were partly used. In the Palatinate, a first regional Mennonite hymn book was published in 1832 under the name Christian Hymnal, initially for the baptismal people in the Palatinate . It comprised 383 songs. The master songs were already provided with a notation . In 1854, a new hymn book with around 600 songs was published with the hymn book for worship and domestic use in Protestant Mennonite communities . In 1856 a four-part melody book was added to the hymnbook. A newly designed edition appeared in 1910.
Other hymn books
The Working Group of Mennonite Brethren Congregations published the hymn book In Praise of His Glory in 1990 as a hymn book of the Evangelical Free Churches, Mennonite Brethren Congregations. It consists of 388 songs, a list of contents and topics, prayers from the psalm, modulations and the (abbreviated) creed of the Mennonite Brethren. In 1996, the Union of Baptist Congregations published the hymn book Our Faith - Songs for the Whole Congregation as a songbook for Baptist Congregations, Mennonite Brethren . The songbook was published both in an edition with and in an edition without notes. It consists of 475 songs, a list of contents and topics, and a section Who wrote the words for reflection with short biographies of well-known Anabaptists and Mennonites.
In addition to the Mennonite hymn books used in Germany and Switzerland, the Association of Mennonite Congregations of Paraguay published the Mennonite hymn book for German-speaking congregations in Latin America and Canada in 2007 . It consists of 576 songs. Each song has a short passage from the Bible that goes with the song. In addition to songs for adults, a number of children's songs have also been recorded. The hymn book contains choir and piano pieces.
literature
- Mennonite Lexicon , Volume II, page 86 ff., Weierhof 1937.
Web links
- Mennonite hymn book , Association of Mennonite Congregations
- Peter J. Foth: Origin of the Mennonite hymn book
Individual evidence
- ↑ MGB is occasionally used as an abbreviation for the Mennonite history sheets.
- ↑ Martina Bick: Song prints of the Anabaptists. In: Mennonite Lexicon . Volume 5 (MennLex 5).
- ↑ Mennonite Hymns. Paraguayan Mennonite Lexicon.Retrieved September 8, 2012 .