Today I'm starting a hymn series on "If God Himself Be for Me" (LSB 724). I'll be posting thoughts on one stanza each Friday throughout the remainder of the A to Z Challenge. To start, here's a little background:
I was first introduced to this hymn when I played organ for this year's New Year's Eve service and it's quickly become one of my favorites. Based on the text of Romans chapter eight, translations of this hymn appear in some 35 English-language hymnals. The text, first published in 1656, was written by Paul Gerhardt. Born on March 12, 1607, he was Lutheran pastor in and around Berlin until his death on June 7, 1676. A prolific hymn-writer, Gerhardt has become a beloved figure from the early period of Lutheran hymnody.
The tune most often used with Gerhardt's hymn, IST GOTT FÜR MICH, takes it's name from the first line of the German text. Since it is originally taken from a hymnal published in Augsburg in 1609, I don't know how this tune came to be associated with this hymn . In fact, I found it interesting that the tune used in Walther's hymnal is the tune that is most often used with "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" (VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN).
While I like VALET WILL ICH DIR GEBEN, I feel that IST GOTT FÜR MICH fits the text of "If God Himself Be for Me" much better. It's in d minor, which is an ideal mode for being all dark and gravelly on the organ. Plus, I love throwing in a triumphant picardy third on the final verse!
Sources:
Lutheran Service Book (CPH, 2006)
Walther's Hymnal (CPH, 2012)
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