Although there are not that many hymns devoted exclusively to thanking God, the hymn of the week for this week is one of the best known and most beloved hymns on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world concerning this topic. The German Christians sing this hymn as frequently as we Americans sing the Doxology.
The author of this text, Martin Rinkart (1586-1659) was a Lutheran pastor in a village in Saxony. His family was poor and his father was a coppersmith but that didn't stop young Martin from feeling and pursuing a call into the ministry. Rinkart began his pastoral work just as the 30 Years' War was raging in Germany.
That time was a desperate time as refugees flooded the walled city of Eilenberg, Rinkart's hometown. The Swedish army surrounded the city gates and inside there was nothing but plague, famine and fear resulting in increasing numbers of death. 800 homes were destroyed while the pastors were extraordinarily strained attempting to preach the gospel, took care of the sick and dying and burying the dead. As the seige and plague continued, the pastors themselves began taking ill and dying until only Martin Rinkart was left alive; it was said that he often officiated as many as 50 funerals.
The town was overrun 3 different times, first the Swedish army, then the Austrians and then the Swedes again. Afterwards, Martin Rinkart became a negotiator with the Swedish enemy after they demanded a huge ransom from the impoverished city residents. He did it with such courage and faith that there was soon a conclusion of the hostilities. Rinkart knew that there could be no real healing for the survivors of Eilenberg, so he composed this hymn; it has been sung around the world ever since.
This majestic tune was written by one of German's finest and most prolific composers, Johann Cruger who first published a hymnal in 1644. This was such a fine hymnal, that there were 44 editions between 1644-1731. This combination of tune and text appeared in the 1647 edition.
When I went to YouTube to select a video to include with this entry, I was struck at how many different versions there are available of this song. I selected two different ones. One is an arrangement by the modern English composer, John Rutter sung by Cambridge Singers. Enjoy!
Being an organist, I couldn't resist sharing this video of the greatest female organist of the 20th century, Diane Bish playing an arrangement by Karg-Elert of this tune. It is also a special piece for me because we used it as the postlude after the recessional when my husband and I got married in 1995. Enjoy this organ virtuosity.
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