"Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder" ("Ah Lord, poor sinner that I am")[1] is a Lutheran hymn of 1597, with text by Cyriakus Schneegass paraphrasing Psalm 6. It is commonly sung with a 1601 melody by Hans Leo Hassler. Johann Sebastian Bach based a chorale cantata on it.
| "Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder" | |
|---|---|
| Lutheran hymn | |
| English | Ah Lord, poor sinner that I am |
| Text | by Cyriakus Schneegass |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Psalm 6 |
| Melody | by Hans Leo Hassler |
| Composed | 1601 |
| Published | 1597 |
History and text
editSchneegass was pastor at the of the St. Blasius church at Friedrichroda; he was also a good musician who liked to use music in church services.[2] In 1597 he paraphrased Psalm 6,[3] following the example of Martin Luther to make the psalms accessible to Protestant church services in German.
The hymn is in six stanzas of eight lines each.[2][1] It became associated with a 1601 melody by Hans Leo Hassler.[4][5]
Johann Sebastian Bach used the complete hymn as the base for Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder, BWV 135, a chorale cantata composed in 1724.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Browne 2006.
- ^ a b Hymnary 2024.
- ^ a b Bach digital 2024.
- ^ Braatz & Oron 2005.
- ^ Dahn 2024.
Cited sources
edit- Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh (2005). "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Befiehl du deine Wege". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- Browne, Francis (2006). "Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- Dahn, Luke (2024). "BWV 135.6". bach-chorales.com. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- "Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder BWV 135; BC A 100". Bach Digital. 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- "Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder". hymnary.org. 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2017.