Abteilung Werke III: Geistliche Lieder
Klopstock considered hymn writing to be his second vocation. In his hymns he abandoned the exalted tone of his odes, choosing a simpler, more appropriate mode of expression for the liturgy of the divine service. This volume presents the first critical edition of the hymns and prefaces published in 1757 and 1769, the first versions of the “Altered Hymns” (rewritten chorale texts) contained in the first part and two hymns from Klopstock's unpublished works. As hymn writer Klopstock is rooted in the Lutheran tradition, but his powerful mastery of the language, his enthusiastic adoration of God and the eschatological hope he expresses make the style of Klopstock’ s hymns unique.
This volume of textual apparatus documents the origins, transmission, biblical references, and contemporary reception of Klopstock’s “Sacred Songs,” devoting attention to their musical settings and dissemination in songbooks. Now published for the first time in a scholarly edition of the text volume, it includes two never-before published songs from the Klopstock legacy.
