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An Wasserflüssen Babylon

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"An Wasserflüssen Babylon"
Lutheran hymn
Bach's copy of Reincken's choral fantasia An Wasserflüssen Babylon
Textby Wolfgang Dachstein
LanguageGerman
Based onPsalm 137
Published1525 (1525)

"An Wasserflüssen Babylon" (By the rivers of Babylon) is a Lutheran hymn with lyrics by Wolfgang Dachstein which paraphrase Psalm 137. It appeared first in Strasbourg in 1525. The hymn was the basis for organ works of the Baroque, namely by Johann Adam Reincken and Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach copied Reinckens work when he studied with him as a boy, which is among his earliest manuscripts.

The melody became known with the text of a Passion hymn by Paul-Gerhardt, "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" which is part of the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch.

History

"An Wasserflüssen Babylon" is a rhymed close paraphrase of Psalm 137, "By the rivers of Babylon", a lamentation in exile in Babylon. It first appeared in Strasbourg in 1525 in the volume Das dritt theil Straßburger kirchen ampt (The third part of the Strasbourg church office), which is now lost.[1][2] The book contained, as instructed by the reformer Martin Bucer, a liturgical agenda and metric psalms as hymns. Text and melody of "An Wasserflüssen Babylon", Zahn number 7663, are attributed to the organist Wolfgang Dachstein.[2][3] The song was distributed fast, appearing in 1531 in a hymnal in Nuremberg, in 1545 in Martin Luther's Babstsches Gesangbuch, and copied from there in most German hymnals.[1]

Miles Coverdale provided an early translation to English.[3] The melody appears with the text of Paul Gerhardt's Passion hymn "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" in the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch as EG 83.[4][5]

Text

Today's text

Corresponding verse in the canticle

1. An Wasserflüssen Babylon,
   Da saßen wir mit Schmerzen;
   Als wir gedachten an Sion,
   Da weinten wir von Herzen;
   Wir hingen auf mit schwerem Mut
   Die Orgeln und die Harfen gut
   An ihre Bäum der Weiden,
   Die drinnen sind in ihrem Land,
   Da mussten wir viel Schmach und Schand
   Täglich von ihnen leiden.

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. (Psalms 137:1-2)

2. Die uns gefangen hielten lang
   So hart an selben Orten
   Begehrten von uns ein Gesang
 | Mit gar spöttlichen Worten
   Und suchten in der Traurigkeit
   Ein fröhlichn Gsang in unserm Leid
   Ach lieber tut uns singen
   Ein Lobgesang, ein Liedlein schon
   Von den Gedichten aus Zion,
   Das fröhlich tut erklingen.

3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. (Psalms 137:3)

3. Wie sollen wir in solchem Zwang
   Und Elend, jetzt vorhanden,
   Dem Herren singen ein Gesang
   Sogar in fremden Landen?
   Jerusalem, vergiss ich dein,
   So wolle Gott, der G'rechte, mein
   Vergessen in meim Leben,
   Wenn ich nicht dein bleib eingedenk
   Mein Zunge sich oben ane häng
   Und bleib am Rachen kleben.

4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; (Psalms 137:4-6a)

4. Ja, wenn ich nicht mit ganzem Fleiss,
   Jerusalem, dich ehre,
   Im Anfang meiner Freude Preis
   Von jetzt und immermehre,
   Gedenk der Kinder Edom sehr,
   Am Tag Jerusalem, o Herr,
   Die in der Bosheit sprechen:
   Reiss ab, reiss ab zu aller Stund,
   Vertilg sie gar bis auf den Grund,
   Den Boden wolln wir brechen!

6b if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. (Psalms 137:6b-7)

5. Die schnöde Tochter Babylon,
   Zerbrochen und zerstöret,
   Wohl dem, der wird dir gebn den Lohn
   Und dir, das wiederkehret,
   Dein Übermut und Schalkheit gross,
   Und misst dir auch mit solchem Mass,
   Wie du uns hast gemessen;
   Wohl dem, der deine Kinder klein
   Erfasst und schlägt sie an ein Stein,
   Damit dein wird vergessen![6]

8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones. (Psalms 137:8-9)

Musical settings

Melody

In 1544 Georg Rhau composed two settings for several parts for his collection Neue Deutsche Geistliche Gesänge für die gemeinen Schulen.[1] Sigmund Hemmel used the text in the 1550s in his four-part setting of the psalms, with the cantus firmus in the tenor, which was printed in 1569.[1] The melody was frequently used for organ settings in the 17th century, such as Fantasia by the Hamburg organist Johann Adam Reincken. The extended work has 320 measures, and takes about 19 minutes to perform. Every line is composed differently, in the style of the North German organ school. When the young Johann Sebastian Bach visited Reincken in 1701 to study with him, he copied the work.[1] His copy was found again in 2005 at the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek in Weimar. This copy is one of two of his oldest extant manuscripts.[7] Bach wrote a setting as No. 3 of his Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes (BWV 653).[8][9] Bach composed a four-part setting, BWV 267, which was printed in 1735.[10]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "An Wasserflüssen Babylons". The Scroll Ensemble. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "An Wasserflüssen Babylons". hymnary.org. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b Terry, Charles Sanford. "Bach's Chorals. Part III: The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works". oll.libertyfund.org. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  4. ^ Axmacher, Elke; Fischer, Michael (2002). "83 – Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld". In Hahn, Gerhard; Henkys, Jürgen (eds.). Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 60–70. ISBN 978-3-52-550326-3. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" (in German). Württembergische Landeskirche. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  6. ^ Modernised orthography, while the original wording is found in Philipp Wackernagel: Das deutsche Kirchenlied von der ältesten Zeit bis zu Anfang des 17. Jahrhunderts. Vol. III. Teubner, 1870, No. 135 (p. 98)
  7. ^ "Earliest Music Manuscripts by Johann Sebastian Bach Discovered". Klassik-Stiftung. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  8. ^ Martin Geck: Bach. Leben un Werk. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2000, ISBN 3-498-02483-3, p. 555
  9. ^ An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653 (Bach, Johann Sebastian): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  10. ^ An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 267 (Bach, Johann Sebastian): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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