During Holy Week, especially Good Friday, western Christians throughout the world sing this beloved hymn, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Written in German by Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676), it is based on a hymn by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153). The tune was composed by Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612). The tradition of German chorales, bequeathed to us by the Lutheran churches, bears considerable similarity to that of the Genevan Psalms. Repeated initial phrases, irregular metres, and a plethora of feminine endings are the signs of a shared continental heritage.
2 comments:
In the U.K. we always sang "O sacred head SORE wounded"
Catherine Winkworth translated many of the German chorales into English in the mid 19th century. But the text we are accustomed to in North America is by James W. Alexander and dates to 1830. The version you know best is by Robert Seymour Bridges, probably dating to 1899.
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