Becker Psalter
The Becker Psalter is a German metrical psalter published in two collections in 1628 and 1640 by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker.[1] This publication was without melodies and meant to be sung to other well-known Lutheran hymns. Becker included in his Psalter earlier Lutheran paraphrases of psalms, such as "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir", "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein", "Erbarm dich mein", "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott".
Heinrich Schütz welcomed the theological intentions of this new metrical version, and composed the melodies, which he published twice during his lifetime (1628, 1661 (revised and enlarged)), together with four-part musical settings.[2] Outside Dresden only a few of these Psalms have become popular.
Today, Psalm 58 "Wie nun ihr Herren, seid ihr stumm" is quite popular in leftist circles.
Web links
- Facsimile of the 1602 publication of the full text, courtesy of Bavarian State Library, Munich (Germany)
- Scan of the Breitkopf & Härtel publication of Heinrich Schütz' composition, as edited by Philipp Spitta (1841–1894) at IMSLP (Petrucci Music Library)
