Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin

History#

The text and melody were composed by Luther in the spring of 1524. Later in the same year, it was published in Wittenberg in Johann Walter’s (Wittenberg hymnal), but was not included in the Erfurt Enchiridion. Originally a song for Purification, it has been used for funerals. Luther included it in 1542 in (Christian chants … for funeral) as one of six hymns. Luther, a former monk, was familiar with the Latin from the daily night prayer (compline). The hymn was dedicated to the celebration of the Purification on 2 February, which was kept by the Lutherans as a feast day. It became also one of the most important songs for the dying () and for funerals. It is listed among those in the Protestant hymnal as No. 519.

Text#

The hymn is based on the , the canticle of Simeon. Luther expanded the thoughts of each of the four verses to a stanza of six lines. The first stanza expresses accepting death in peace (), the second gives as a reason the meeting with the Saviour (), the third accents his coming for all people (), the fourth the coming as a light for the heathen and glory for Israel.() The lines are of different length, meter 8.4.8.4.7.7, stressing single statements. The hymn appears in several translations. The one used here is Catherine Winkworth’s “In peace and joy I now depart”, found in nine hymnals, for example as No. 48 in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary.

Music#

The cantus firmus in the dorian mode, Zahn 3986, Several composers have written vocal settings, some intended for funerals. Four-part choral settings have been composed by Johann Walter (1524), Lupus Hellinck, published in 1544, Bartholomäus Gesius (1601), Michael Praetorius, Johann Hermann Schein, Samuel Scheidt and others. Heinrich Schütz used it in movement 21 of his , composed for the funeral of Henry II, Count of Reuss-Gera. Buxtehude wrote four different versions for the four stanzas in complex counterpoint as a funeral music for Menno Hanneken, , which he later expanded by a (lament) into a funeral music for his father. Bach used the hymn as the base for his chorale cantata . Bach used single stanzas in his cantatas, the funeral cantata (), , for the 16th Sunday after Trinity (1723), and , for Purification 1724). Georg Philipp Telemann composed around 1729 a first sacred cantata for voices, strings and basso continuo, and a second cantata for voice, violin and continuo which is lost. Johannes Brahms used the first stanza to conclude his motet Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Mühseligen?

Further reading#

• Wilhelm Lucke: Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin. In: D. Martin Luthers Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe, vol. 35, Weimar 1923

External links#

• Andreas Wittenberg: Kirchenlieder aus dem Reformationsjahrhundert: Martin Luthers “Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin” Deutsche Lieder. Bamberger Anthologie, 16 December 2013
• BWV 125.6 bach-chorales.com