Coelos ascendit hodie, Alleluia

Here is my translation of the Ascension hymn/pia cantio, “Coelos ascendit hodie, Alleluia” (Anon., 15th c.) and its fairly close German rendering, “Gen Himmel aufgefahren ist” (asc. Melchior Franck) in ELGB #158/159, originally from Vulpius’ Gsb 1609, with melody by Melchior Franck. It was include in the Gotha Cantional, Niedling’s Handbüchlein, Freylinghausen 1704, etc. A partial translation by F. W. Herzberger made in 1912 was included in the Selah Song Book / Sela Gesangbuch 1924. The most widespread translation is J. M. Neale’s “Today Above the Sky He Soared,” which is full and good. However, following some of the Latin lines, I have given some consideration to beginning with an accentual pattern / - - / rather than pure iambs ( - / - /). I give the melody from Vopelius (for the Latin) and from the Gotha Cantional (for the German text), which are almost identical.

 

 

 

HEAV’Nward this day by high ascent
Alleluia!
Jesus the King of glory went
Alleluia!

2 Sitting on God the Father’s right
Alleluia!
Heaven and earth He rules with might.
Alleluia!

3 Now is fulfilled what was foretold
Alleluia!
By father David’s psalms of old.
Alleluia!

4 Now doth the Lord, our God alone:
Alleluia!
Sit with the Lord on heaven’s throne.
Alleluia!

5 Now on this mighty triumph sing:
Alleluia!
BLESS WE THE LORD, our heav’nly King.
Alleluia!

6 Praised be the Holy Trinity:
Alleluia!
THANKS BE TO GOD eternally!
Alleluia!

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

SELA GESANGBUCH 1924 (from the German):

1 In triumph He went heavenward
Hallelujah!
King of all glory, Christ our Lord.
Hallelujah!

2 He sitteth now at God’s right hand.
Hallelujah!
To rule over heaven, sea, and land.
Hallelujah!

3 Fulfilled is what was prophesied:
Hallelujah!
Of Christ the Redeemer crucified.
Hallelujah!

5 Now let all men with joy proclaim
Hallelujah!
The glorious might of His great name.
Hallelujah!

LATIN

1 Coelos ascendit hodie,
Hallelujah,
Jesus Christus Rex gloriae,
Hallelujah.

2 Sedet ad Patris dexteram,
Hallelujah,
Gubernans coelum et terram,
Hallelujah.

3 Jam finem habent omnia,
Hallelujah,
patris Davidis carmina,
Hallelujah.

4 Jam Dominus cum Domino,
Hallelujah,
sedet in Dei solio,
Hallelujah.

5 In hoc triumpho maximo, [Ascensionis Domino]
Hallelujah,
Benedicamus Domino,
Hallelujah.

6 Laudetur sancta Trinitas,
Hallelujah,
Deo dicamus gratias,
Hallelujah.

GERMAN

Gen Himmel aufgefahren ist,
Hallelujah!
der König der Ehren Jesus Christ,
Hallelujah!

2 Er sitzt zur Rechten Gottes Hand,
Hallelujah!
herrscht über Himmel und alle land,
Hallelujah!

3 Nun ist erfüllt, was geschrieben ist,
Hallelujah!
in Psalmen von dem Herren Christ,
Hallelujah!

4 Nun setzt beim Herren Davids Herr,
Hallelujah!
wie zu ihm hat gesagt der Herr,
Hallelujah!

5 Drum jauchzen wir mit größem Schall'n
Hallelujah!
dem Herren Christ zu Wohlgefall'n,
Hallelujah!

6 Wir loben die heilig' Dreifaltigkeit,
Hallelujah!
von nun an bis in Ewigkeit.
Hallelujah!

Das Leben für uns in den Tod gegeben

Here is my translation of the Passion hymn, “Das Leben für uns in den Tod gegeben” (Melchior Bischof, d. 1614), in ELGB #97. Fischer has no entry in his lexicon, but Fischer-Tümpel has the text from Psalmodia Sacra (Melchior Franck, 1634), a text evidently unavailable currently. It is a partly normalized metrical form of the old Kyrie trope used at Matins on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday; hence the irregular meter, varying from stanza to stanza, save for the refrain (cf. the Latin text in Ludecus’ Vesperale, p. 62f., 69f., 75f.). When an example of the exact melody becomes available it will be added here. Aside from that, the hymn occurs early in scattered hymnals, especially in Coburg. The Coburg Kirchenbuch appoints the hymn for Apostles’ Days in Lent. In the meantime, let the following notation, based on a transcription of Künstel’s melody in the Markuspassion (kindly provided by Joe Herl) suffice as an indication of the melody for all the stanzas, though the meter varies somewhat in the 2nd and 3rd.

 

THE Savior
Died to gain us God’s favor,
His dear blood outpouring,
Hell gloriously scouring;—
Jesus Christ, the one true God,
Obeyed His Father and bore the deadly rod:
O Christ our Lord!
To us Thy mercy ever afford!
Kyrie, ele-i-son!
Christe ele-i-son!
Kyrie ele---i-son, ele-i-son!

2 Thou who to death didst truly state:
O Death, I’ll be to thee a plague and crushing weight;—
Thou who wast slaughtered for us,
And won us life in heaven glorious:
O Christ our Lord!
To us Thy mercy ever afford!
Kyrie eleison!
Christe eleison!
Kyrie eleison, ele-i-son!

3 Thou, crucified for all our race,
Didst stretch Thy hands, all to embrace,
Awak’ning grace:
Thou who didst hear the thief’s lamenting,
Though late he came to his repenting:
O Christ our Lord!
To us Thy mercy ever afford!
Kyrie eleison!
Christe eleison!
Kyrie eleison, ele-i-son!

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Das Leben,
für uns in den Tod gegeben,
hat sein Blut verehret, […verröhret]
die Hölle zerstöret,
Christus Jesus wahrer Gott,
ward seinem Vater gehorsam bis in Tod.
Zu aller Frist
erbarm Dich unser, o Jesu Christ!
Kyrie, Eleison!
Christe, Eleison!
Kyrie, Eleison!

2 Der Du dem Tod verkündigt hast:
O Tod, ich will dir sein ein Gift und schwere Last;
der du für uns gestorben,
das ewig Leben hast erworben.
Zu aller Frist
erbarm Dich unser, o Jesu Christ!
Kyrie, Eleison!
Christe, Eleison!
Kyrie, Eleison!

3 Der du am Kreuze ausgestreckt
Dein Händ, nach allr Welt ausgereckt,
uns Gnad erweckt:
der du den Mördr hast angenommen,
wie wohl er spät zur Buß ist kommen.
Zu aller Frist
erbarm Dich unser, o Jesu Christ!
Kyrie, Eleison!
Christe, Eleison!
Kyrie, Eleison!

Heut triumphiern die Engelein

Here is my translation of the Christmas/New Year carol, “Heut triumphiern die Engelein” (Anon., 16th c.?), included in ELGB #39 and appearing early on in Melchior Franck’s Psalmodia sacra (1631) with SSATB setting; yet another surprising gem in the Buffalo Synod hymnal, which gives it the title “An old piece of choral music.” The proper melody is found in a more accessible 4-part setting in Zahn.

 

THIS day the angels sing for joy,
In choirs from heaven nearing
To praise the Lord, a little Boy,
In Bethlehem appearing:
“All glory through th’ incarnate Child
To God in highest heaven,
And peace to mankind reconciled,
Upon the earth be given!”
Pure Alleluias sing therefore,
All merrily resounding,
For God is with us evermore,
And men have hope abounding.

2 O Jesus dear, in mind and deed
Thou Champion great and glorious!
In wisdom Thou dost all exceed,
In battle art victorious!
We pray Thee counsel now provide,
Lest these dark times astound us,
For with his tricks on every side
The devil doth surround us,
To rob us of Thy Word’s dear light,
Where Thou art laid, O Savior,
As in Thy swaddling-cloths so bright;
O bind the cov’nant ever!

3 O dearest Jesus, King of all,
This too we pray: Oh, hear us!
Since Thou art made our Brother small,
Abide Thou ever near us.
No brother doth the other leave,
But standeth by him ever;
Then leave us not to pine and grieve,
But be our present Savior,
As now Thy needy people here
Must suffer grief and sadness,
Oh, grant us all a glad new year,
New comfort, and new gladness!

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

GERMAN

Heut triumphiern die Engelein
in himmelischen Chören,
und singen Lob dem Jesulein
zu Bethlehem geborn,
des Ehr' sei Gott im höchsten Thron,
dem Menschen Fried' auf Erden,
Gott sei versöhnt durch seinen Sohn,
der Er ein' Mensch ließ werden,
drum singt Hallelujah rein,
daß fröhlich tut erschallen,
bei uns sich selbst Gott stellt ein,
o wohl uns Menschen allen.

2 O Jesulein, von Rath und That
ein Held herrlich und prächtig,
niemals es Dir gefehlet hat,
weil Du an Weisheit mächtig.
Wir bitten Dich, schaff Du auch Rath
zu diesen bösen Zeiten,
da uns der Feind umgeben hat
mit List von allen Seiten,
Dein liebes Wort und Windlein
da Du ewig zu finden,
uns zu rauben, O Jesulein!
das Bündniß thu aufbinden.

3 Ach Du herzliebes Jesulein,
wir bitten gleicher Maßen,
wein Du bist unser Brüderlein,
wollst uns ja nicht verlassen.
Kein Bruder ja den andern läßt,
sondern thut bei ihm stehen,
drum thu' auch bei uns das Best',
thu' so lang' nicht zusehen,
wie jetzt Dein' arme Christen Schaar
so viel Unfall muß leiden,
verleih zum lieben neuen Jahr
uns neuen Trost mit Freuden.

O großer Gott von Macht

Here is my translation of the repentance hymn, “O großer Gott von Macht" (B. Schnurr, 1678, sts 1-8; J. M. Meyfart, st.9), for times of general need. This hymn, the final stanza of which Bach uses in his cantata for Trinity X, is interesting for several reasons. Its arrangement consists of six lines of original text each stanza, appealing to God’s various divine attributes for pardon and mercy to prevail over strict righteousness and to spare the people and land in the midst of some unnamed necessity; and appended to this, a two-line semi-refrain of supplication based on the progressively audacious intercessions of Abraham in Genesis 18. Note that I attempt to reproduce the rhyme scheme of the German, which perhaps unnecessarily fails to rhyme the first and third lines. But the contiguity of these lines is enhanced by the quickness of the music, so that rhymes here would be foreign to the expression. Additionally, the hymn has had several proper tunes or variant melodies over the years (Zahn 5105–5117). I include the original along with that more nearly approximating Bach's (Zahn 5105 a–b resp.). The first may be attributed to Melchior Franck (Leipzig, 1632); the second form is found in Hiller, 1798, and follows the variant originally published in Praxis Pietatis Melica (Berlin, 1661).

 

GREAT GOD of mighty pow’r,
Abounding in all grace,
Wilt Thou the land entire
In furious wrath erase?
What if there be some faithful still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us,
Not for our works reward us!

2 Great God of honor famed,
Far be it from Thee now
To beat with dread rebuke
Both good and evil brow!
What if there be some fifty still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us, &c.

3 Great God of counsel wise,
Let mercy now abound,
Let righteous judgment yield,
Nor so severe be found.
What if there forty-five be still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us, &c.

4 Great God of strength to save,
Regard the suff’ring land,
And from Thy scourges dire
Withdraw Thy reaching hand.
What if there be some forty still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us, &c.

5 Great God of boundless might,
From all Thy wrath relent,
As often to Thine ear
Our wretched pray’r is sent;
What if there be some thirty still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy yet afford us, &c.

6 Great God of grace renowned,
Oh, hear us as we cry,
And in Thy lofty throne
Perceive our lowly sigh!
What if there be some twenty still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us, &c.

7 Great God of act and deed,
Hear humble earth implore,
Which of Thy lenient heart
Would ask this one thing more:
What if there be but ten souls still
Which do according to Thy will?
Thy mercy then afford us, &c.

8 Great God of glorious praise,
Have sins their limit passed,
And wilt Thou in Thy rage
Destroy us all at last,
Yet may the little children still
Do right, according to Thy will,
Thy mercy then afford us,
Not for our works reward us!

9 Great God of faithfulness,
Since naught avails with Thee
But Christ, Thy Son, who stilled
Thy just hostility,
Behold His wounds, His anguish grim,
His pains and sorrows, and for Him
Thy mercy now afford us,
Not for our works reward us!

Translation © 2017 Matthew Carver. 

GERMAN
The German text is found here.