Sing praise to God who reigns above

These are 5 stzs out of 9 translated by Frances Cox from the German of Johann Schütz, Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut. The original, widely used in its homeland, was the 5th, last, and most successful hymn from his Christliches Gedenckbüchlein … of 1675, published in Frankfurt—A Booklet of Christian Meditations for the Advancement of a Life Begun Anew. It was headed ‘A Hymn of Thanksgiving’. The English version, in 8 stzs retaining the repetition of the 7th line, appeared in Shipley’s Lyra Eucharistica in 1864, and in Frances Cox’s own Hymns from the German, her 2nd main collection, later that year. Among other translators, Catherine Winkworth preceded her by 6 years, while Honor Thwaites has followed her just over a century later. Behind all versions lies Deuteronomy 32:3 (which 254 treated more briefly; see notes for its context) and several Psalm allusions including Psalm 62. Even in standard books the text varies considerably after stz 1; among earlier versions in print are ‘morning glow’ (or ‘morning dawn’) and ‘Lo! all is just and all is right’ (stz 2). The present version corresponds closely to that in CH. The 5 stzs in EH and 3 in A&M differ from this and from each other, while Hymns and Psalms and Rejoice and Sing have their own composite versions.

Among tunes often set, and sung, are LUTHER’S HYMN (29 etc, but probably over-used); MIT FREUDEN ZART (559); and the named option THE GOLDEN CHAIN (578). The first choice here, Ebenezer Prout’s LAUS SEMPITERNA (‘perpetual praise’), is rare in British books, but is set to Gill’s We come unto our fathers’ God (578) in the 1927 Church Hymnary, Revised Edn. It is not retained in the 1973 3rd edn, and no other tunes by Prout are in current use.

b Oxford 1812, d Iffley, nr Oxford 1897. She seems to have spent her life in or around Oxford, but in view of her literary achievements it is tantalising to know so little of her education and development and her other interests and activities. Guided by Baron CCJ Bunsen, Prussian Ambassador from 1841 to 1854 and a friend of the Winkworths (qv), she became an outstanding translator into English verse of German hymns, worthy to stand with Catherine Winkworth and John Wesley. Her work has ‘…so much ease and grace, that the fact of translation is hardly apparent’—Champneys Irwine. Her original hymns, first featured in various magazines, did not prove so successful. In 1841, before the work of Massie, Borthwick and Winkworth, she published Sacred Hymns from the German (49 translations with the original texts and notes), which greatly raised the profile of German hymns generally, and Hymns from the German in 1864. The 2nd book included 27 from the 1st, some in revised form, and 29 new translations. Songs of Praise (1931) includes 3 of her versions. The Easter hymn (from F Gellert) for which she is best known in the UK is not so well known in the USA as her translation from Schütz. Nos.261, 465.

b Frankfurt am Main, Germany 1640, d Frankfurt 1690. He studied at Tübingen to become a licentiate in civil and canon law, but returned to spend most of the rest of his life as a lawyer at Frankfurt. A man of faith and of great legal skill, he was a friend of the Lutheran Philipp J Spener and influenced him to found the Collegia Pietatis, the meetings for prayer which signalled the rise of pietism. But after 1686, when Spener left Frankfurt, Johann W Petersen persuaded Schütz towards separatism, no longer being a communicant or even attending Lutheran services. All three men were hymnwriters. No.261.