"Christ lag in Todesbanden" (also "... in Todes Banden"; "Christ lay in death's bonds") is anEasterhymn byMartin Luther. Its melody is by Luther andJohann Walter. Both the text and the melody were based on earlier examples. It was published in 1524 in theErfurtEnchiridion and in Walter's choral hymnalEyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn. Various composers, includingPachelbel,Bach andTelemann, have used the hymn in their compositions.
In early editions thehymn, in seven stanzas, was indicated as an improved (German:gebessert) version of "Christ ist erstanden".[1] The hymn is inbar form. TheStollen, that is the repeated first part of the melody, sets two lines of text for each repetition, with the remaining four lines of each stanza set to the remainder of the melody.
The hymn celebrates theResurrection of Jesus, with particular reference to a struggle between Life and Death. The third verse quotes from1 Corinthians 15, saying that Christ'sAtonement forsin has removed the "sting" ofDeath. The fifth verse compares the sacrifice with that celebrated byJews in thePascal Lamb atPassover. The sacrificial "blood" ("Its blood marks our doors") refers to the marking of the doors before theexodus from Egypt. The final stanza recalls the tradition of baking and eatingEaster Bread, with the "old leaven" alluding again to the exodus, in contrast to the "Word of Grace", concluding "Christ would ... alone nourish the soul."
1 Christ lag in Todesbanden, für unsre Sünd gegeben, der ist wieder erstanden und hat uns bracht das Leben. Des wir sollen fröhlich sein, Gott loben und dankbar sein und singen Halleluja. Halleluja.
2 Den Tod niemand zwingen konnt bei allen Menschenkindern; das macht alles unsre Sünd, kein Unschuld war zu finden. Davon kam der Tod so bald und nahm über uns Gewalt, hielt uns in seim Reich gefangen. Halleluja.
3 Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn, an unser Statt ist kommen und hat die Sünde abgetan, damit dem Tod genommen all sein Recht und sein Gewalt; da bleibt nichts denn Tods Gestalt, den Stachel hat er verloren. Halleluja.
4 Es war ein wunderlich Krieg, da Tod und Leben 'rungen; das Leben, behielt den Sieg, es hat den Tod verschlungen. Die Schrift hat verkündet das, wie ein Tod den andern fraß, ein Spott aus dem Tod ist worden. Halleluja.
5 Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm, davon wir sollen leben, das ist an des Kreuzes Stamm in heißer Lieb gegeben. Des Blut zeichnet unsere Tür, das hält der Glaub dem Tode für, der Würger kann uns nicht rühren. Halleluja.
6 So feiern wir das hoh Fest mit Herzensfreud und Wonne, das uns der Herre scheinen lässt. Er ist selber die Sonne, der durch seiner Gnaden Glanz erleucht' unsre Herzen ganz; der Sünden Nacht ist vergangen. Halleluja.
7 Wir essen und leben wohl, zum süßen Brot geladen; der alte Sau'rteig nicht soll sein bei dem Wort der Gnaden. Christus will die Kost uns sein und speisen die Seel allein; der Glaub will keins andern leben. Halleluja.
Christ lay in Death's dark prison, It was our sin that bound Him; This day hath He arisen, And sheds new life around Him. Therefore let us joyful be And praise our God right heartily. So sing we Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
O'er Death no man could prevail, If mortal e'er came near him; Through guilt all our strength would fail, Our sinful hearts did fear him. Therefore Death did gain the day, And led in triumph us away, Henceforth to dwell imprisoned. Hallelujah!
Now Jesus Christ, the Son of God, For our defence hath risen. Our grievous guilt He hath removed, And Death hath bound in prison. All his might Death must forego. For now he's nought but idle show, His sting is lost for ever. Hallelujah!
How fierce and dreadful was the strife When Life with Death contended; For Death was swallowed up by Life And all his power was ended. God of old, the Scriptures show, Did promise that it should be so. O Death, where's now thy victory? Hallelujah!
The Paschal Victim here we see, Whereof God's Word hath spoken; He hangs upon the cruel tree. Of saving love the token. His blood ransoms us from sin, And Death no more can enter in. Now Satan cannot harm us. Hallelujah!
So keep we all this holy feast. Where every joy invites us; Our Sun is rising in the East, It is our Lord Who lights us. Through the glory of His grace Our darkness will to-day give place. The night of sin is over. Hallelujah!
With grateful hearts we all are met To eat the bread of gladness. The ancient leaven now forget, And every thought of sadness. Christ Himself the feast hath spread, By Him the hungry soul is fed, And He alone can feed us. Hallelujah!
The melody as set by Luther (with help from Walter) seems to have strong correlations with parts of theEucharisticsequence forEaster,Victimae paschali laudes,[2] believed to have been written byWipo of Burgundy in the 11th century. This was transformed, gradually into a "Leise", a devotional German pre-Reformation song with a number ofstanzas, but maintaining strong characteristics ofplainsong.[3]
Johann Walter published "Christ lag in Todes Banden" with two variants of thehymn tune in 1524:Zahn No. 7012a, the tenth tune in the choral hymnalEyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, is a setting of the hymn with stanzas of eight lines, the last line of each stanza consisting of the word "Halleluja". The other version, Zahn No. 7012b, appearing under the title "Der Lobsanck Christ ist erstanden / Gebessert" in theErfurt Enchiridion and as ninth item inEyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, is a setting of the hymn in seven-line stanzas, that is without the repeated "Halleluja" at the end of every stanza.[4]
Notwithstanding the fact that the version with eight-line stanzas had arhythmically imperfect form (German:"rhythmische Gestaltung ist unvolkommen", according toJohannes Zahn), and that Walter only included the version with seven-line stanzas in his later publications, the former version was picked up in the hymnals of Klug (1535, 1543), Schumann (1539) and Babst (1545), and, with some rhythmical adaptations, henceforth became the standard for publications of the tune. Minor alterations of the tune, that is, without modifying its melodic shape, included the addition ofpassing notes and modification of rhythmic patterns to conform the chorale to emerging styles, and to fit the chorale into a regulartime signature. For instance, in the first half of the 18th century, Johann Sebastian Bach based all his settings of the "Christ lag in Todes Banden" hymn (BWV 4,158/4,277,278,279,625,695,695a and718) on the eight-line variant of the hymn tune.[4][5][3][6] The following four-part setting, with the last stanza of the hymn as text, is taken fromhisChrist lag in Todes Bandenchorale cantata:
In 1524 "Christ lag in Todesbanden" was published in theErfurt Enchiridion and in Walter's choral hymnalEyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn. The 1524Erfurt Enchiridion presented the melody and text of Luther's hymn on two pages:
In 1545 the hymn appeared as No. 8 in theBabstsche Gesangbuch. In the German-language Protestant hymnalEvangelisches Gesangbuch (EG) it appears in modernised language as EG 101.[7] It also appears in various translations in English hymnals, the most common one being "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" by Richard Massie.[8]
As one of the principal Lutheran hymns for Easter, "Christ lag in Todesbanden" appears in several vocal andorgan compositions of the Baroque Era,[2] for example by
The cantataDer Friede sei mit dir, BWV 158, uses the fifth verse of Martin Luther's chorale in a four-part chorale in the fourth and final movement.[18]
Christ lag in Todesbanden,BWV 625, is achorale prelude from theOrgelbüchlein of only 16 bars in length (excluding repeats). The soprano voice follows the hymn virtually unchanged, with the lower parts descending relentlessly in quaver and semiquaver figures.[2][19]
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 718, is a chorale prelude, which uses the chorale tune as a cantus firmus through a range of textures, alternating between triplet and semiquaver movement and displaying the Northern influences of organ fantasias byBöhm,Buxtehude andReincken.[21]
Marti, Andreas (2005). Gerhard Hahn;Jürgen Henkys (eds.). "101 – Christ lag in Todesbanden".Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch (in German) (12). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht:56–62.ISBN3-525-50335-0.
Renwick, William (1995),Analyzing Fugue: A Schenkerian Approach, Pendragon Press, pp. 4–6,ISBN0945193521
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""4 Chris -- tus will die Ko -- ste sein
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GermanWikisource has original text related to this article:Christ lag yn todes banden