| "Lasst uns erfreuen" | |
|---|---|
| German hymn tune | |
 Oldest existing copy, 1625[1] | |
| English | Let us rejoice |
| Meter | 88.88 with Alleluias |
| Published | Cologne, 1623 |
"Lasst uns erfreuen herzlich sehr" (Let us rejoice most heartily) is a hymn tune that originated from Germany in 1623, and which found widespread popularity after The English Hymnal published a 1906 version in strong triple meter with new lyrics. The triumphant melody and repeated "Alleluia" phrases have supported the tune's widespread usage during the Easter season and other festive occasions, especially with the English texts "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones" and "All Creatures of Our God and King".
The tune's first known appearance was in the 1623 hymnal Auserlesene, Catholische, Geistliche Kirchengesäng (Selected Catholic Spiritual Church-Songs) during the Counter-Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, and the oldest published version that still exists is from 1625. The original 1623 hymnal was edited by Friedrich Spee, an influential Jesuit priest, professor, and polemicist against witch-hunts, who is often credited as the hymn's composer and original lyricist.[citation needed] The English Hymnal of 1906 was edited by Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose arrangement of the hymn has become the standard for English-speaking churches.[2][3][4][5]
- ^ Catholische Kirchen Gesäng (in German). Cologne. 1625. p. 232. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- ^ Wilson, John (Winter 1980). "Treasure No 46: The Tune 'Lasst uns erfreuen' as we know it". Bulletin of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland. IX.10 (150). Retrieved April 7, 2017.
One of the great successes of The English Hymnal in 1906 was its inclusion of the old German Catholic tune 'Lasst uns erfreuen', linked originally with Easter rejoicing, but now set to 'Ye watchers and ye holy ones', a new text by Athelstan Riley... The EH attribution of the melody was to the book [Auserlesene, Catholische,] Geistliche Kirchengesäng (Cöln, 1623)...
- ^ Fisher, Alexander J. (2016). "Music and the Jesuit 'Way of Proceeding' in the German Counter-Reformation". Journal of Jesuit Studies. 3 (3): 377–397. doi:10.1163/22141332-00303003.
Friedrich Spee, Auserlesene, Catholische, Geistliche Kirchengesäng (Cologne: Peter Brachel, 1623). Now lost, its contents have been reconstructed by Theo G. M. van Oorschot, in Spee, Sämtliche Schriften 4 (Tübingen: A. Francke, 2005).
- ^ "Lasst uns erfreuen". Hymnary.org. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
Source: Auserlesen Catholische Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Cologne, 1623. Scores: ... All Creatures of Our God and King ... Sing Hallelujah! Praise the LORD! ... Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones ... Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
- ^ Spee von Langenfeld, Friedrich (2003) [orig. 1631]. "Translator's Introduction". Cautio Criminalis, or a Book on Witch Trials. Translated by Hellyer, Marcus. University of Virginia Press. pp. vii, xi. ISBN 978-0-8139-2182-2. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
Cautio Criminalis ... argued that the plague of witches supposedly infesting Germany was the product of the trials themselves and urged princes to supervise trials closely, to regulate the use of torture strictly, and even to end witch trials entirely. Although the book appeared anonymously, its author was immediately identified as Friedrich Spee, a forty-year-old Jesuit priest and professor of moral theology... He wrote many devotional songs, of which around a hundred appeared anonymously in collections of hymns between 1621 and 1637.