Thaw the righteous, heaven

“Thaw, Heaven, the Just”, melody by Norbert Hauner (1777) in three versions in use today

Tauet, Himmel, den Gerechten is the name of a German Advent song that is available in several text and melody versions and is in the Catholic tradition of the Rora Masses .

history

The first version of the text comes from the Jesuit Father Michael Denis (1729–1800) and appeared in his collection of spiritual songs in 1774 for the use of the high Metropolitan Church near St. Stephan in Vienna and the entire Viennese archbishopric . The first version was printed without the melody.

A first melody version by the Herrenchiemsee Augustinian canon Norbert Hauner (1743–1827) appeared in the Landshut hymn book (1777) edited by Franz von Kohlbrenner (1728–1783 ). The original arioso , rhythmically demanding melody, characterized by a large range , was probably intended less as a community song than for solo or choral performances. The simplified version of this melody, however, is probably the best-known version of the song.

An arrangement of Hauner's melody penned by Michael Haydn (1737–1806) was printed in the Salzburg church hymn book (Salzburg 1790). Joseph Graetz (1760–1826) created another setting that was independent of Hauner's melody ; this is spread with a text adaptation by Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854).

Due to the large regional differences, the song is not printed in the main part of the Catholic praise of God , but in all separate parts. In the editions for the north region ( church province of Hamburg ) and for the dioceses of Austria there are even two different versions.

content

The text is based on the Latin version of Isa 45.8  VUL : "Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum" ( dew , you heaven, from above, you clouds, let righteousness / the righteous rain! ), The introitus - Antiphon on the 4th Sunday of Advent (in the Catholic liturgy).

In terms of content, the song describes the waiting of mankind for the “righteous” promised by the prophets in the Old Testament , ie the Messiah , Savior and Redeemer whom Christians see in Jesus Christ . Depending on the text version, he is apostrophized as "mediator", "savior" or "judge".

It follows a christological (re) interpretation of the original Hebrew text that goes back to the Old Church . The Latin word “iustum” in the Isaiah text can mean both justice as an abstract ( accusative of “iustum” ) and a just person (accusative of “iustus” ). The corresponding word “צדק” ( tsedeq ) in the original Hebrew text is commonly translated as “justice”.

Other stanzas, depending on the version, address the Annunciation to Mary , her walk to her cousin Elisabeth , the birth of John the Baptist , or generally contain a call to repentance and conversion.

Text versions

Michael Denis, 1774	Munster, 1801	Christoph von Schmid , 1811
1. Thaw, heaven, the righteous! Clouds! rains it down! So in long nights the world once called, a vast grave! For reasons cursed by God, Satan, death and sin ruled. The gate to the inheritance of salvation was firmly closed . 2. But the father let himself be moved, That he might save us, And the son joyfully offered to carry out the advice . Gabriel flew down quickly, returned with the answer: Look! I am the handmaid of the Lord, what he wants, I like to do! 3. Your obedience is my life, Virgin humble and chaste! God's Spirit will lift you, and the Word of the Father will become flesh. Worship people in the dust! Woe to hell and its prey! But Adam's children do! Because a Savior is to come. 4. I hear a shout, brothers wake up from slumber! Because salvation is approaching us all, night is gone, the day in the run. Oh, then away with all the deeds that had mothered the night! In future everyone should put on arms only of light! 5. Let us walk like during the day, not in food and drunkenness! do not act according to the lust for flesh, disputes and envy are banished! To follow completely that Whose arrival we await, This is now our duty; As his apostle speaks. 6. Redeemer of the world, I fulfill the advice of your faithful servant, Come in the cover of my flesh! As your Both announced. Come and bring me peace! He is only given to people who are of good will, come! it is my divine child!	1. Thaw heaven to the righteous! Clouds, rain it down! Shouted the people on anxious nights, to whom God promised to see the mediator himself and to enter heaven. For the gate was locked until a Savior came forward. 2. But the father allowed himself to be moved, that he might save us, And the son wore himself to carry out the advice . God's angel flew down quickly, brought back this answer: Look! I am the maid of the Lord, what God says be done to me! 3. When the Bothschaft arrived, Mary was in prayer. Having accepted the word meat , she went to Elisabeth. Full of the greeting , John jumped up, who was sanctified by God before his mother gave birth to him. 4. He let out the voice: Sinner wakes up from slumber, because salvation is near to us all. Stop your sin! Brethren at these times, make our hearts ready for repentance. Walk on the path of virtues, put on Jesus Christ. 5. Let us walk like during the day, not in food and drunkenness. In order to act justly, seek truth, peace and unity. To completely follow that whose arrival we expect. This is the duty of the Christian, as the Apostle says.	1. Thaw, heaven, the righteous! Clouds! rains it down! Cried his people in anxious nights out of sin's dark grave. And He came. - With him came a blessing, Like a mild spring rain Like heaven's gentle thau ring, refreshing fields and meadows. 2. To us too, hear it, sinners! Comes the Lord of Glory. Only we human beings made our hearts ready for Him. He wants to give us peace, rest, light and life even now. He, salvation, through whom only sinners can be saved. 3. Come on! Purify your souls! Become holy! Be ready to choose what He pleases and flee from what He forbids! Those who die in their sins meet eternal perdition. He who does not believe in Him remains robbed of salvation for ever. 4. Only those who heartily love virtue, disdain low earthly lust, practice good works, like to walk on God's way: Only the pious can please His God on earth ; To him, only to him, God's salvation, peace and bliss come to part. 5. Oh, then make me poor Now in this holy time, oh! Out of grace and mercy, dearest Jesus, ready yourself! Come over! o come with your blessing, kindest! Come to meet myself ! My heart longs for you, come and always live in me!

literature

• Rebecca Schmidt: Thaw, Heaven, the righteous . In: Ansgar Franz in collaboration with Dominik Fugger and Martina Haag (eds.): Hymn in the church year: fifty new and old songs for Christian festivals (= Mainz hymnological studies; Volume 8). Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7720-2918-3 .
• Rebecca Schmidt: Against the allure of novelty. Catholic restoration in the 19th century: Heinrich Bone, Joseph Mohr, Guido Maria Dreves (= Mainz hymnological studies; Volume 15). Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7720-8073-1 .
• Markus Eberhardt: Thaw, Heaven, the righteous. Basics of the melody history of a sacred folk song. In: Zwiefach 6 (2014), pp. 32–34.

Web links

Commons : Dew, Heaven, the Righteous  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Thaw, heaven, the righteous in the song project of SWR2 and Carus-Verlag.
• Joachim Opahle: "Thaw you heavens ..." About God's incarnation and second coming. Deutschlandradio Kultur, December 5, 2010, accessed: December 13, 2010.
• Thaw heaven, the righteous (GL MS 753) (with trumpets) on YouTube .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Indications that a first version should already have been included in the hymn book Daughter Sion (Cologne 1741) by Heinrich Lindenborn have apparently not been substantiated: the song is not included in the 1741 edition or in a later edition; see. Rebecca Schmidt: Against the allure of novelty. Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7720-8073-1 , p. 14.
2. ↑ Franz Seraph von Kohlbrenner : The holy song for church services in the Roman Catholic Church. Hagen, Landshut 1777 (reprint: Stadt Landshut, Landshut 2003, ISBN 3-927612-20-0 ), pp. 64–68 ( digitized in the Google book search).
3. ↑ Armin Kircher (Ed.): Chorbuch Mozart - Haydn. Volume 1: Sacred works for choir of equal voices (= CV 2.111). Carus, Stuttgart 2005, ISMN 979-0-007-07463-0 (search in the DNB portal) , p. 83.
4. ↑ Works by Michael Denis (1729–1800) at deutscheslied.com
5. ↑ Josef Grät [z] at muziekweb.nl
6. ↑ God's hymns & works . In: gotteslob.org . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
7. ^ Keyword "Justice" at bibelkommentare.de
8. ↑ Quoted from: Rebecca Schmidt: Tauet, Himmel, den Gerechten . In: Hymn in the church year . Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7720-2918-3 , p. 78.
9. ↑ Hymn and prayer book for the use of the Roman Catholic. 3. Edition. Aschendorff, Münster 1801, p. 18 , p. 19 , p. 20 .
10. ↑ Quoted from: Rebecca Schmidt: Tauet, Himmel, den Gerechten . In: Hymn in the church year . Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7720-2918-3 , p. 82. (Schmid Valentin Thilos Mit Ernst, o Menschenkinder serves as a template. Str. 2 takes up Str. 1, verse 5 looks mostly like a copy from Thilos Str. 4)