Now all forests are at rest

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Now rest all forests is a spiritual evening song by Paul Gerhardt .

The song first appeared in 1647 in hymnal practice Pietatis Melica by Johann Cruger . There is also a note that it is based on the melody O Welt, I must let you sing, a song that has been handed down since 1598, which in turn is based as a spiritual counterfactor on the song Innsbruck, I must let you (around 1495) by Heinrich Isaac . The melody, which is widely used in various rhythmic versions, was also used by Johann Sebastian Bach as the basis for the chorale of the same name, BWV 392, as well as several choral movements in the St. Matthew and St. John Passions . In the Evangelical Hymn book , the song is printed under number 477 with all nine stanzas, plus a four-part choral setting by Bartholomäus Gesius (1605). It was included in the 2013 Catholic praise of God with seven stanzas (No. 101). The Mennonite Hymns (No. 229) also contains all nine stanzas.

In 1666/67 Johann Georg Ebeling created a new setting that did not catch on.

melody

Melody version of the Protestant hymn book:

\ relative f '{\ key f \ major \ time 3/2 \ partial 2 f2 | f g4 a2 c4 | bes2 a r4 a | c2 c4 g2 a4 | f2 e r4 f | \ time 2/2 ga bes a | g2 r4 a | \ time 3/2 f2 g4 a2 c4 | bes2 a r4 a | c2 c4 g2 a4 | f2 e r4 c | \ time 2/2 f2 g | a bes | ag | f1 \ bar "|." } \ addlyrics {Now all forests, cattle, people, cities and fields are resting, the whole world is sleeping; But you, my mind, up, up, you should begin what your Creator might like. }

text

Now all forests are dormant , Pietatis Melica practice 1660

The version in use today - Evangelical Hymnal No. 477 - differs only slightly from the original prints:

Now all forests,
cattle, people, towns and fields
are resting , the whole world is sleeping;
but you, my senses,
on, on, you are to begin
what pleases your Creator.

Where are you, sun,
The night drove you away,
the night, the enemy of the day.
Go there; another sun,
my Jesus, my bliss,
shines very brightly in my heart.

The day has now passed,
the golden stars shine in
the blue sky hall;
so I will also stand
when
my God is called to leave this valley of tears.

The body now rushes to rest, takes
off the dress and shoes,
the image of mortality;
I take them off, but
Christ will put on me
the coat of honor and glory.

The head, feet and hands
are happy that
the work has now come to an end .
Rejoice, heart, you shall become free
from the misery of this earth
and from the sins of work.

Now go, you tired limbs,
go and lie down,
the beds you desire.
The hours and times will come
when
a bed in the ground will be prepared for you to rest.

My eyes are sullen,
they are closed in an instant .
Then where is body and soul?
Take them to your graces,
be good for all harm,
you eye and guardian of Israel '.

Spread out both your wings,
O Jesus, my joy,
and take your little cake.
If Satan wants to devour me,
let the angels sing:
"This child shall be unharmed."

You too, dear ones,
should not grieve today,
neither accident nor danger.
God let you sleep blissfully,
stand the golden weapons
around the bed and his angels band.

reception

With his evening song Matthias Claudius refers to the model of Paul Gerhardt's Now Rest All Forests , from which he took over the stanza form . Before the setting by Johann Abraham Peter Schulz became generally accepted, Claudius' song was often sung to the melody O world, I must let you . Claudius' text takes about in the third stanza ("Do you see the moon standing there? / It is only half visible, / And yet it is round and beautiful! / So are some things that we confidently laugh at, / Because ours Eyes don't see them. ”) A clear opposite position to the epistemological position of the Enlightenment . In this respect, his text can also be seen as a defense of Paul Gerhardt, whose blanket formulation “the whole world is sleeping” caused offense and ridicule in the age of enlightenment. When there were protests by parishes in 1781 against a new hymn book of the Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, in which many songs by Paul Gerhardt were to be deleted, Frederick the Great issued a decree for reasons of tolerance that everyone was free to choose his songs, but at the same time expressed himself disparagingly about Now all forests are resting :

“Everyone can believe in Me what they want, if only they are honest. As far as the hymn books are concerned, everyone is free to sing: Now all the forests are resting, or such stupid and foolish things. But the priests do not have to forget tolerance because they will not be allowed any persecution. "

- Friedrich II.

In his novel Buddenbrooks , Thomas Mann refers rather ironically to the song and its author: the two ladies Gerhardt, alleged descendants of the poet and members of a circle of pious ladies of better society, appear as bizarre marginal figures. The hard of hearing Lea Gerhardt reads "with a terrible voice that sounded like the wind caught in the stove pipe" the lines "Satan wants to devour me", whereupon Tony Buddenbrook thinks "which Satan would like to devour them?"

Translations

Translated into Danish “Nu hviler mark og narrow, nu alle går til senge ...” (after various Danish translations and adaptations 1682, 1850 and 1889) in the hymn book of the Folk High School Højskolesangbogen , 18th edition, Copenhagen 2006, no. 533. In the above-mentioned versions by Peder Møller, translated in 1682, shortened to 5 stanzas by Frederik Hammerich in 1850, in the Danish church hymn book Den Danske Salmebog , Copenhagen 1953, No. 703, adopted in Den Danske Salmebog , Copenhagen 2002, No. 759.

literature

  • Albrecht bag : Lutheran comfort of life. Insights into Paul Gerhardt's evening song “Now all forests are resting” . In: Ders .: Detection of evidence. Studies on the identity history of Protestantism . Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-16-152660-2 , pp. 101–125 ( limited preview in Google book search).
  • Christian Bunners : Johann Crüger (1598–1662): Berlin musician and cantor, Lutheran song and hymn book creator. Frank & Timme, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-86596-371-0 ( limited preview in Google book search).
  • Joachim Stalmann: All forests are now at rest . In: Joachim Stalmann, Johannes Heinrich (Hrsg.): Handbuch zum Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch. Vol. 3, II: Liederkunde. Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Göttingen 1990, ISBN 3-525-50306-7 , pp. 468-471.

Web links

Commons : Now all forests are at rest  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Now all forests BWV 392 are at rest at bach-cantatas.com
  2. ↑ Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works: O world, I have to leave you / Now all forests are resting at bach-cantatas.com
  3. ↑ In the praise of God, verses 5 and 7 of the Evangelical hymn book were left out. In addition, instead of the irregular rhythmic melody version ? / i of the EC the four-quarter version ? / i chosen, which is familiar from the works of J. S. Bach.Audio file / audio sample Audio file / audio sample
  4. ↑ Karl Müchler: Friedrich the Great. For the proper appreciation of his heart and mind. Nauck, Berlin 1837, p. 595 ( digitized in the Google book search).
  5. ↑ Cf. Otto Holzapfel : Lied index: The older German-language popular song tradition ( online version on the Volksmusikarchiv homepage of the Upper Bavaria district ; in PDF format; ongoing updates) with further information.