"O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" ("O Lamb of God, innocent") is an early
Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to
Nikolaus Decius. Originally intended as a German version of the Latin
Agnus Dei, it was instead used as a
Passion hymn. In both contexts, the hymn has often been set to music, prominently as the
cantus firmus in
the opening chorus of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. It is included in most German hymnals, and has been translated by
Catherine Winkworth, among others.
History
Until the 18th century, "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" was printed in hymnals without mentioning an author. In his Braunschweigische Kirchen-Historie,
Philipp Julius Rehtmeyer [
de] presented a Latin report from 1600 that identified Decius the author of the hymn's text and melody and of "
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr".[1] A medieval melody may have been the model for the tune.[2] Decius's work is dated 1522/23,[1] in the early
Reformation, before
Martin Luther's first hymns, published in 1524 in the
first Lutheran hymnal.
The song was first printed in
Low German in
Joachim Slüter [
de]'s Geystlyke leder in
Rostock in 1531.[1][2] The first print in
High German appeared in a hymnal in
Leipzig in 1539.[1][2] It was distributed in German-speaking regions. The melody appeared with the text first in
Johann Spangenberg [
de]'s hymnal Kirchengesenge Deudtsch, published in
Magdeburg in 1545,[1] but had appeared in a slightly different version a few years earlier in a Strasbourg hymnal.
Text
As in the Latin model, the
Lamb of God is called three times, twice asking for mercy, the third time for peace. The text is given as in the current German hymnals, with
Catherine Winkworth's translation, published in 1863 as No. 46 in her Chorale Book for England.[3]
1–3 O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig
am Stamm des Kreuzes geschlachtet,[a]
allzeit erfunden geduldig,
wiewohl du warest verachtet,
all Sünd hast du getragen,
sonst müssten wir verzagen.
1–2 Erbarm dich unser, o Jesu.
3 Gib deinen Frieden, o Jesu.[4]
O Lamb of God, most stainless!
Who on the Cross didst languish,
Patient through all Thy sorrows.
Though mocked amid Thine anguish;
Our sins Thou bearest for us,
Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Have mercy upon us, O Jesu!
Grant us Thy peace today, O Jesu![5]
Hymnals
In all early prints, "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" is titled Das Agnus Dei Deutsch (The
Agnus Dei in German), indicating that it was supposed to take the position of the Agnus Dei during Abendmahl (communion).[1][6] This function was soon taken by Luther's "
Christe, du Lamm Gottes", while "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig", which adds the memory of
Christ's Passion, was used as a hymn for
Passiontide.[7]
The hymn was included in the
Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch (EKG) of 1950 as a Passion song, EKG 55, with two slightly different melodies, called the northern (norddeutsche) and southern (süddeutsche) versions.[7][8]
The hymn appeared in 1616 first in a Catholic hymnal, in
Paderborn, then in the Groß Catholisch Gesangbuch by
David Gregor Corner.[7] It was included in 1938 as "O du Lamm Gottes unschuldig" in the collection Kirchenlied as the only Agnus Dei song.[7]
An older form of the
hymn tune "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig",
Zahn No. 4360, was published in 1542, in two variants.[9] It was mainly adopted in the southern part of Germany.[9] A newer form of the hymn tune, Zahn No. 4361a, appeared in 1545.[10] A simplified variant (Zahn No. 4361b) and a variant in
triple metre (Zahn No. 4361c) of that newer form were published in the late 16th century.[10]
Alex Stock: O Lamm Gottes unschuldig. In:
Hansjakob Becker [
de] among others (ed.): Geistliches Wunderhorn. Große deutsche Kirchenlieder. München 2/2003, pp. 104–110.
Ludger Stühlmeyer: Die Kirchenlieder des
Hofers Nicolaus Decius. In: Curia sonans. Die Musikgeschichte der
Stadt Hof. Eine Studie zur Kultur Oberfrankens. Von der Gründung des
Bistums Bamberg bis zur Gegenwart. (dissertation.) Bayerische Verlagsanstalt, Heinrichs-Verlag Bamberg 2010,
ISBN978-3-89889-155-4, pp. 110–112, 135–137, 357–358.