Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen

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"Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen"
Christian hymn
Pater Huub Oosterhuis, studentenpastor St. Ignatius College 5 Oosterhuis spreekt, Bestanddeelnr 922-1557.jpg
Huub Oosterhuis in 1969
Written1965 (1965)/1969
Texttranslating Huub Oosterhuis
LanguageGerman
Meter10 9 10 8
Melodytraditional Dutch
Published1975 (1975)

"Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen" (Lord, our Lord, how present you are) is a Christian hymn with German text, translated in 1969 from a 1965 Dutch hymn by Huub Oosterhuis, "Heer, onze Heer". The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), appeared from 1975 in German hymnals.

Contents

History

In the 1960s Oosterhuis was a Catholic priest in Amsterdam in a parish of students. The group was interested in a renewal of the language in the liturgy, both sung and spoken. Inspired by the Second Vatican Council, their service was primarily a meeting of people, intending to serve and proclaim Biblical words. [1] Oosterhuis wrote the hymn text as "Heer, onze Heer" in 1965, [2] based on several biblical themes. [3] [4] He titled it "Lied van Gods aanwezigheid" (song of God's presence). [3] His songs are, like the psalms, "tentative approaches to answer questions of God and man" (tastende Versuche, die Frage nach Gott und dem Menschen zu beantworten). [3]

The melody is a traditional Dutch melody which Bernard Huijbers  [ nl ] set. [3] The translation to German was made by Peter Pawlowsky and Nikolaus Greitemann in 1969. [2] The hymn was included in the first common German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob of 1975 as GL 298. [5] Intentions to ban his songs from the 2013 edition, because Oosterhuis and his parish had left the Catholic Church, were met with protests from German parishes, and five of his songs were retained. [1] "Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen" was included as GL 414, in the section "Leben in Gott – Vertrauen und Trost" (life in God – trust and solace). [2] It is also part of other songbooks, including ecumenical collections. [6]

Oosterhuis received an ecumenical German sermon prize in 2014 for his life's work, in recognition of the great influence of his hymns in German parishes. [1]

Text, theme and melody

The text, in five stanzas of four lines each, is written in the first person plural ("we"), from the point of view of a group of singers, addressing God as "du" (you). It reflects the presence of God, who is experienced as unspeakably close but hidden at the same time. In the final stanza, God's presence is seen in all persons on Earth. He is requested to keep caring about them until an ultimate completion in him (bis wir in dir vollkommen sind). [3]

The melody is taken from a Dutch 16th century song about lovesickness Bedroefde herteken ("Afflicted hearts"). [7]

Related Research Articles

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""Wahrer Gott, wir glauben dir" is a Catholic hymn. Christoph Bernhard Verspoell (1743–1818), a cleric from Münster, wrote text and melody, and published it in 1810 in his hymnal Orgelbegleitung zu den Gesängen beym Römisch-kathol. Gottesdienste. Herausgegeben von C. B. Verspoell. The song in two stanzas has remained in the repertory of church hymns, used mainly during Eastertide, but also for communion and funerals. It appears in several regional sections of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob, as GL 770 in Cologne, as GL 780 in Limburg and Münster, and as GL 783 in Speyer, among others.

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"Solang es Menschen gibt auf Erden" is a Christian hymn with German text by Dieter Trautwein, translating a 1969 Dutch hymn by Huub Oosterhuis, "Zolang er mensen zijn op aarde". The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals and songbooks.

"Mein Hirt ist Gott der Herr" is a Christian hymn with German text by Caspar Ulenberg who paraphrased Psalm 23 in 1582. Based on his melody, Johannes Hatzfeld wrote a melody in 1948.

"Wer unterm Schutz des Höchsten steht" is a Christian hymn in German. The anonymous text, paraphrasing Psalm 91, appeared first in 1972 in a Protestant hymnal, with a 1537 melody from Michael Vehe's hymnal. It is contained in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob.

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"Hilf, Herr meines Lebens" is a Christian hymn, with a text mostly written in 1961 by Gustav Lohmann, and a melody composed the following year by Hans Puls. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including Gotteslob, and songbooks. It begins: "Hilf, Herr meines Lebens, dass ich nicht vergebens hier auf Erden bin".

"Herr, gib uns Mut zum Hören" is a Christian hymn, with text and melody written in 1963 by Kurt Rommel. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including Gotteslob, and of songbooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahe wollt der Herr uns sein</span> 1973 song

"Nahe wollt der Herr uns sein" is a Christian hymn with German text, translated in 1971 from a 1964 Dutch hymn by Huub Oosterhuis. Its refrain says that God is among people but not recognised. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), appeared from 1975 in German hymnals, then in the common section of the Catholic Gotteslob. In the hymnal's second edition, it appeared only in regional sections.

"Herr, nimm auch uns zum Tabor mit" is a Christian hymn with text by Peter Gerloff, written in 2001, with a melody by Richard Mailänder. The song was included in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Hollenmann, Michael (16 November 2014). "Huub Oosterhuis für Lebenswerk geehrt" (in German). Deutschlandfunk . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen (L) / Leben in Gott – Vertrauen und Trost". mein-gotteslob.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Weißer, Thomas (17 September 2017). "Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen" (in German). SWR . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  4. Govaart, Andries; Endedijk, Pieter. "275 – Heer onze Heer, hoe zijt Gij aanwezig". liedboekcompendium.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  5. "Gotteslob-Synopse Gesamtausgabe Würzburg II" (PDF) (in German). Diocese of Würzburg. 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  6. "Herr, unser Herr, wie bist du zugegen". evangeliums.net (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  7. Florimond van Duyse 1903