Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Sung in Worship: July 21, 2024

The words of the German original (Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren) are by Joachim Neander (1650-1680). Neander entered the Academic Gymnasium of Bremen in 1666, studying theology, but according to contemporaries he lived a life of wild immorality. In his last year at the Gymnasium he went with some friends to hear the noted Pietist preacher Theodor Undereyck, apparently to scoff.  Instead, Undereyck’s preaching converted him.  Undereyck became his mentor.  Neander tutored privately in Heidelberg before becoming a teacher in a Latin school in Düsseldorf, and in 1679, though not ordained, he was appointed assistant to Undereyck at St Martin’s church in Bremen. Neander wrote almost 60 hymns, which were published in the year of his death [in A und Ω. Joachimi Neandri Glaub- und Liebesübung: auffgemuntert durch einfältige Bundes Lieder und Danck-Psalmen].  He wrote this hymn for a tune, probably based on a folk song, but already in use as a hymn tune,  now always called “Lobe den Herren.” The other hymn by Neander that we sing is (as translated by Robert Bridges) “All my hope on God is founded.”  A great admirer of the natural world, Neander spent time in a small valley not far from Düsseldorf; he lived one summer in a cave there, which locals began to call Neander’s cave.  Two centuries later the valley (German Thal, now spelled Tal) was named for him, and the early hominids were named for the valley.

The hymn we sing is a translation by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), the daughter of a silk manufacturer in Manchester.  Winkworth had little formal education, like most women of her time, but she studied German and philosophy privately with two teachers from a local college (which became the University of Manchester).  She also spent a year before her 20th birthday living with an aunt in Dresden.  Through Elizabeth Gaskell and her husband, Winkworth met the German Ambassador to England, who encouraged her to translate German hymns into English.  She subsequently produced two volumes of translations, Lyra Germanica, and Lyra Germanica, Second Series. Then in 1863 with the consultation of two musicians, she published The Chorale Book for England, subtitled “A complete Hymn Book for Public and Private Worship, in accordance with the Services and Festivals of the Church of England.”  This book contained both texts and tunes, as the earlier volumes had not.  In addition to publishing several more books, Winkworth was a great champion of education for women.  She sat on the Council of Cheltenham Ladies’ College and was on a committee that formed Bristol University College; she was a founder of the Clifton High School for Girls in Bristol.  She died suddenly of heart disease while travelling in France.

Join us at 10:30am on Sunday July 21 as we open our worship service with this triumphant hymn!