German Hymn Book
  • Dixit_Dominus_44
    Posts: 181
    Where can I purchase a (standard) German hymnal? I bought several from Amazon.com, but none contain harmonies. Essentially, I desire a book with accompaniments in it. Surely Germany has a standard Catholic hymnal, correct?
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499
    I believe there is a national hymnal with regional variations. It's called Gotteslob.

    My edition does not contain harmonies--more of a pew book.
  • Elmar
    Posts: 500
    There are two versions of 'official' accompaniments: "Orgelbuch zum Gotteslob" (three volumes) and "Orgelbuch zum Gotteslob light" (two volumes).

    A number of free accompaniments for download can be found at orgelbuch.wordpress.com
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499
    By the way, some of the 16th c. hymn melodies are simply amazing.

    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,150
    By the way, some of the 16th c. hymn melodies are simply amazing.

    Some? Just some? :)
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn mmeladirectress
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 350
    There are two versions of 'official' accompaniments: "Orgelbuch zum Gotteslob" (three volumes) and "Orgelbuch zum Gotteslob light" (two volumes).


    For the previous version (new generation of the hymnal was introduced a few years ago) there was even a figured bass accompaniment edition. :)
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen noel jones, aago
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    They must exist... or at least, they ought to... but I've never seen a German Kirchengesangbuch of any period that had harmonies... many don't even have melodies... I have several old ones, one of which is XVIIIth century, which have naught but words.

    How many of us, for example, would need melody (or harmony!) to sing Allein Gott in der hoh sei Ehr, Lobet den Herren, or Nun danket alle Gott, or Es ist ein' Ros entsprungen, or 'In the Bleak Midwinter', etc.? One might even argue that the need for tunes and harmonies is a sign of cultural decay or social amnesia - a sure sign that the ancestral memory has been lost.

    Like many Anglican hymnals of past times, melodies were considered unnecessary for a people who knew them all from memory or rote... those were the days when 'church' (Protestant and Catholic alike) was peoples' lives, morning, noon, and night, seven days a week. Ha! No more!
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    Most of the German hymn books in Switzerland have just the words... I could ask an organist friend.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Dixit_Dominus_44
    Posts: 181
    "Orgelbuch zum Gotteslob" is sold on Amazon but I can't tell which volume it is; any thoughts?
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 350
    @Dixit_Dominus_44 It is impossible to tell from the front cover alone. You would have to ask the one who is offering it. The only thing visible immediately is that you want no Eigenteil (these are diocesan proper parts).

    (Off topic for the last question, but) for accompaniments online also look at https://orgelbuch.jimdo.com/
  • joerg
    Posts: 137
    At €228 it's all 3 vols of the so called "Stammteil". Recently a two volume hardbound edition has been published, also at €228. This edition has the same harmonizations but much better handling. Anyway many of the harmonizations have been severely criticized (the authors state explicitly that they didn't care avoiding parallel fifths!) I know some organists who refuse to use the new harmonizations.
  • igneusigneus
    Posts: 350
    I have read many organists loudly dislike the original wire-bound three-volume edition. The spine is said to wear off very quickly.
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