"Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" is a Lutheran hymn by Philipp Nicolai written in 1597 and first published in 1599. It inspired musical settings through centuries, notably Bach's chorale cantata W
First publication in Nicolai's 1599 Freudenspiegel deß ewigen Lebens
Lutheran chorale
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A Lutheran chorale is a musical setting of a Lutheran hymn, intended to be sung by a congregation in a German Protestant church service. The typical four-part setting of a chorale, in which the sopran
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
…concerning Jesus Christ, her heavenly bridegroom, founded on the 45th Psalm of the prophet David). The hymn tune of "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern", Zahn No. 8359, was codified then as a creation of Nicolai. C. S. Terry claimed in an article in 1917 that the melody was at least 61 years older than Nicolai's…
The third stanza of the eponymous chorale in Johann Sebastian Bach's setting as the final movement of his chorale cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140