A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Ach Gott vom Himmel

by William Barclay Squire

'ACH GOTT VOM HIMMEL.' This hymn, the words of which are a paraphrase by Martin Luther on Psalm xi. (Vulgate version), made its first appearance in 1524, when it was printed in at least four different collections: (a) 'Etlich cristlich lider Lobgesang, vnd Psalm, etc.' printed at Wittenberg (Wackernagel No. cxxix.); (b) the Erfurdt Enchiridion (Wackernagel, No. clvii.); (c) the 'Teütsch Kirchen Ampt mit lobegesengen,' printed by Wolf Köppel at Strasburg (Wackernagel, No. clxii.); and (d) Walther's Wittenberg 'Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn'(Wackernagel, No. clxiii.). In (a) it is directed to be sung to the melody of 'Es ist das Heil'; in (b) it appears with the tune in the Hypophrygian mode to which it is usually sung especially in North Germany; in (c) it is set to a tune in the Hypoæolian mode, to which it is sometimes still sung in South Germany; and in (d) it appears with a tune in the Dorian mode. In Joseph Klug's Hymnbook (1535), besides the well-known Hypophrygian tune, it is set to another tune in the Phrygian mode, which was afterwards adapted to Andreas Knöpken's Psalm 'Hilf Gott, wie geht das immer zu.' The melody in the Erfurdt Enchiridion is as follows:

The use which Mozart has made of this Chorale in the Finale to Act II. of the 'Zauberflöte' is very interesting. It is now well known that this opera refers under a slight disguise to the suppression of Freemasonry by Maria Theresa. To masons both book and music are said to be full of allusions to the mysteries of the craft, and it seems probable that one of these is the introduction of the two men in armour who sing at the moment of Tamino's most solemn trial the motto inscribed on a pyramid set to the well-known chorale 'Ach Gott vom Himmel.' Jahn (W. A. Mozart' iv. 617) surmises that Mozart's attention was drawn to the chorale by Kirnberger's 'Kunst des reinen Satzes,' in which it is twice used as a Canto Fenno for contrapuntal treatment. A sketch is preserved in the Imperial Library at Vienna of another four-part arrangement of the chorale, which still more closely resembles the passages in Kirnberger's work. The autograph score of the 'Zauberflöte' shows that the beginning of the scene between Tamino and the two men in armour has been carefully sketched. The chorale itself is sung in octaves by the two voices, accompanied by flutes, oboes, bassoons and trombones, whilst the strings have an independent contrapuntal figure.

[ W. B. S. ]