Tune: O Jesu nar jag hadan skall
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 390
    Does anyone have a Catholic text to this tune? I'm not extremely fastidious about these things as long as the text isn't heterodox, but Martin Luther (Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee) is a bridge too far.
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 446
    The tune is in the quintessential Lutheran chorale meter, 8.7.8.7.8.8.7, so the great preponderance of texts will come from Martin Luther's followers.
    I found one text where, perhaps, the first three verses could be useful.
    https://hymnary.org/text/the_little_while_i_linger_here
    Hymnary also shows 88 tunes in this meter. It might be possible to comb through those, as each tune could have MANY text married to it.
    But, check Roman Catholic hymn books for that meter, and perhaps you'll find an acceptable text.


    Thanked by 2Chant_Supremacist CHGiffen
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 390
    Thank you. I saw that text ("The Little While..") and while it might be acceptable (Good Shepherd Sunday?), I hoped for something not connected to Lutheranism at all. I may have to put in the work along the lines you suggested.

    If anyone's not familiar with the tune.
    Thanked by 2Roborgelmeister CHGiffen
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 390
    I put this together, feel free to use or critique. The text is still by a Lutheran but at least it's not literally Luther.
    The Last Things (O JESU NAR JAG HADAN SKALL).pdf
    42K
    Thanked by 2Roborgelmeister CHGiffen
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 192
    Note that Luther's melody for his metric paraphrase of Psalm 130 is different. For Luther's version and different English translations, see here.
    Thanked by 2Chant_Supremacist CHGiffen
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 390
    Thanks for that. Comparing texts, it feels like a loose translation with a few altered/paraphrased lines. But I don't read German and I'm not sure where the boundary gets crossed into an original take on Psalm 130 and therefore misattribution to Luther. To me it feels basically like Luther's text, particularly with the injection of the same sola fide doctrine in verse 2.

    Regarding the tune, we have our tastes, to me the very simple chordal texture is no knock on this touching melody, and the III chord in the second-to-last phrase is remarkable.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Xopheros
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 192
    @ChantSupremacist the injection of the same sola fide doctrine in verse 2.

    This is a good point. Apparently, Luther reworked his first almost literal adaption of Psalm 130 and replaced his original second stanza later with a sola gratia stanza and inserted yet another one, both of which are unrelated to the psalm text. I had not noticed this because the new Gotteslob (2013) omits the new second stanza and the old Gotteslob (1975) used the old second stanza.

    I agree that the later inserted stanzas are highly problematic not only from a catholic point of view, but IMO even from an ethical point of view because they claim that ethics and striving for a good life are pointless. To avoid these problems, I can think of two possible solutions:
    1. Omit the second (and possibly the third) stanza like the Gotteslob 2026. This has the advantage that you can directly use Winkworth's translation. OR
    2. Make a translation of Luther's original second stanza and replace Luther's later stanzas 2&3 with it.

    If there is actual need for solution 2, I might give it a try, but this may take some time and would only be worth the trouble if anyone would use it.
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
Add a Comment