Chapter Page
Table of Contents 7
I Early Danish Hymnody 9
II Reformation Hymnody 11
III Kingo's Childhood and Youth 21
IV Kingo, the Hymnwriter 31
V Kingo's Psalmbook 41
VI Kingo's Church Hymns 44
VII Kingo's Later Years 51
VIII Brorson's Childhood and Youth 59
IX Brorson, the Singer of Pietism 65
X Brorson's Swan Song 84
XI Grundtvig's Early Years 93
XII The Lonely Defender of the Bible 103
XIII The Living Word 112
XIV Grundtvig, the Hymnwriter 121
XV Grundtvig's Hymns 128
XVI Grundtvig's Later Years 150
XVII Other Danish Hymnwriters 161
Chapter One
Early Danish Hymnody
Danish hymnody, like that of other Protestant countries, is largely a
child of the Reformation. The Northern peoples were from ancient times
lovers of song. Much of their early history is preserved in poetry, and
no one was more honored among them than the skjald who most skillfully
presented their thoughts and deeds in song. Nor was this love of poetry
lost with the transition from paganism to Christianity. The splendid folk
songs of the Middle Ages prove conclusively that both the love of poetry
and the skill in writing it survived into the new age. One can only
wonder what fine songs the stirring advent of Christianity might have
produced among a people so naturally gifted in poetry if the church had
encouraged rather than discouraged this native gift.
But the Church of Rome evinced little interest in the ancient ways of the
people among whom she took root. Her priests received their training in a
foreign tongue; her services were conducted in Latin; and the native
language and literature were neglected. Except for a few lawbooks, the
seven hundred years of Catholic supremacy in Denmark did not produce a
single book in the Danish language. The ordinances of the church,
furthermore, expressly forbade congregational singing at the church
services, holding that, since it was unlawful for the laity to preach, it
was also impermissible for them to sing in the sanctuary. It is thus
likely that a Danish hymn had never been sung, except on a few special
occasions in a Danish church before the triumph of the Reformation.
It is not likely, however, that this prohibition of hymn singing could be
effectively extended to the homes or occasional private gatherings. Hans
Thomisson, who compiled the most important of the early Danish hymnals,
thus includes five "old hymns" in his collection with the explanation
that he had done so to show "that even during the recent times of error
there were pious Christians who, by the grace of God, preserved the true
Gospel. And though these songs were not sung in the churches--which were
filled with songs in Latin that the people did not understand--they were
sung in the homes and before the doors".
Most of these earlier hymns no doubt were songs to the Virgin Mary or
legendary hymns, two types of songs which were then very common and
popular throughout the church. Of the few real hymns in use, some were
composed with alternating lines of Danish and Latin, indicating that they
may have been sung responsively. Among these hymns we find the oldest
known Danish Christmas hymn, which, in the beautiful recast of Grundtvig,
is still one of the most favored Christmas songs in Danish.
Christmas with gladness sounds,
Joy abounds
When praising God, our Father,
We gather.
We were in bondage lying,
But He hath heard our prayer.
Our inmost need supplying,
He sent the Savior here.
Therefore with praises ringing,
Our hearts for joy are singing:
All Glory, praise and might
Be God's for Christmas night.
Right in a golden year,
Came He here.
Throughout a world confounded
Resounded
The tidings fraught with gladness
For every tribe of man
That He hath borne our sadness
And brought us joy again,
That He in death descended,
Like sun when day is ended,
And rose on Easter morn
With life and joy reborn.
He hath for every grief
Brought relief.
Each grateful heart His praises
Now raises.
With angels at the manger,
We sing the Savior's birth,
Who wrought release from danger
And peace to man on earth,
Who satisfies our yearning,
And grief to joy is turning
Till we with Him arise
And dwell in Paradise.
The earliest Danish texts were translations from the Latin. Of these the
fine translations of the well known hymns, "Stabat Mater Dolorosa", and
"Dies Est Laetitia in Ortu Regali", are still used, the latter especially
in Grundtvig's beautiful recast "Joy is the Guest of Earth Today".
At a somewhat later period, but still well in advance of the Reformation,
the first original Danish hymns must have appeared. Foremost among these,
we may mention the splendid hymns, "I Will Now Hymn His Praises Who All
My Sin Hath Borne", "On Mary, Virgin Undefiled, Did God Bestow His
Favor", and the beautiful advent hymn, "O Bride of Christ, Rejoice", all
hymns that breathe a truly Evangelical spirit and testify to a remarkable
skill in the use of a language then so sorely neglected.
Best known of all Pre-Reformation songs in Danish is "The Old Christian
Day Song"--the name under which it was printed by Hans Thomisson. Of the
three manuscript copies of this song, which are preserved in the library
of Upsala, Sweden, the oldest is commonly dated at "not later than 1450".
The song itself, however, is thought to be much older, dating probably
from the latter part of the 14th century. Its place of origin is
uncertain, with both Sweden and Denmark contending for the honor. The
fact that the text printed by Hans Thomisson is identical, except for
minor variations in dialect, with that of the oldest Swedish manuscript
proves, at least, that the same version was also current in Danish, and
that no conclusion as to its origin can now be drawn from the chance
preservation of its text in Sweden. The following translation is based on
Grundtvig's splendid revision of the song for the thousand years'
festival of the Danish church.[1]
With gladness we hail the blessed day
Now out of the sea ascending,
Illuming the earth upon its way
And cheer to all mortals lending.
God grant that His children everywhere
May prove that the night is ending.
How blest was that wondrous midnight hour
When Jesus was born of Mary!
Then dawned in the East with mighty power
The day that anew shall carry
The light of God's grace to every soul
That still with the Lord would tarry.
Should every creature in song rejoice,
And were every leaflet singing,
They could not His grace and glory voice,
Though earth with their praise were ringing,
For henceforth now shines the Light of Life,
Great joy to all mortals bringing.
Like gold is the blush of morning bright,
When day has from death arisen.
Blest comfort too holds the peaceful night
When skies in the sunset glisten.
So sparkle the eyes of those whose hearts
In peace for God's summons listen.
Then journey we to our fatherland,
Where summer reigns bright and vernal.
Where ready for us God's mansions stand
With thrones in their halls supernal.
So happily there with friends of light
We joy in the peace eternal.
In this imperishable song, Pre-Reformation hymnody reached its highest
excellence, an excellence that later hymnody seldom has surpassed. "The
Old Christian Day Song" shows, besides, that Northern hymnwriters even
"during the time of popery" had caught the true spirit of Evangelical
hymnody. Their songs were few, and they were often bandied about like
homeless waifs, but they embodied the purest Christian ideals of that day
and served in a measure to link the old church with the new.
----------
[1]Other translations:
"O day full of grace, which we behold" by C. Doving in "Hymnal for
Church and Home."
"The dawn from on high is on our shore" by S. D. Rodholm in "World of
Song".
Chapter Two
Reformation Hymnody
The Danish Reformation began quietly about 1520, and culminated
peacefully in the establishment of the Lutheran church as the church of
the realm in 1536. The movement was not, as in some other countries, the
work of a single outstanding reformer. It came rather as an almost
spontaneous uprising of the people under several independent leaders,
among whom men like Hans Tausen, Jorgen Sadolin, Claus Mortensen, Hans
Spandemager and others merely stand out as the most prominent. And it was
probably this very spontaneity which invested the movement with such an
irresistible force that within in a few years it was able to overthrow an
establishment that had exerted a powerful influence over the country for
more than seven centuries.
In this accomplishment Evangelical hymnody played a prominent part.
Though the Reformation gained little momentum before 1526, the Papists
began as early as 1527, to preach against "the sacrilegious custom of
roaring Danish ballads at the church service". As no collection of hymns
had then been published, the hymns thus used must have been circulated
privately, showing the eagerness of the people to adopt the new custom.
The leaders of the Reformation were quick to recognize the new interest
and make use of it in the furtherance of their cause. The first Danish
hymnal was published at Malmoe in 1528 by Hans Mortensen. It contained ten
hymns and a splendid liturgy for the morning service. This small
collection proved so popular that it was soon enlarged by the addition of
thirty new hymns and appropriate liturgies for the various other
services, that were held on the Sabbath day. Independent collections were
almost simultaneously published by Hans Tausen, Arvid Petersen and
others. And, as these different collections all circulated throughout the
country, the result was confusing. At a meeting in Copenhagen of
Evangelical leaders from all parts of the country, it was decided to
revise the various collections and to combine them into one hymnal. This
first common hymnal for the Danish church appeared in 1531, and served as
the hymnal of the church till 1544, when it was revised and enlarged by
Hans Tausen. Tausen's hymnal was replaced in 1569 by _The Danish
Psalmbook_, compiled by Hans Thomisson, a pastor of the Church of Our
Lady at Copenhagen, and the ablest translator and hymnwriter of the
Reformation period. _Hans Thomisson's Hymnal_--as it was popularly
named--was beyond question the finest hymnal of the transition period. It
was exceptionally well printed, contained 268 hymns, set to their
appropriate tunes, and served through innumerable reprints as the hymnal
of the Danish church for more than 150 years.
Thus the Reformation, in less than fifty years, had produced an
acceptable hymnal and had established congregational singing as an
indispensable part of the church service. The great upheaval had failed,
nevertheless, to produce a single hymnwriter of outstanding merit. The
leaders in the movement were able men, striving earnestly to satisfy a
pressing need. But they were not poets. Their work consisted of passable
translations, selections from Pre-Reformation material and a few original
hymns by Claus Mortensen, Arvid Petersen, Hans Thomisson and others. It
represented an honest effort, but failed to attain greatness. People
loved their new hymns, however, and clung to them despite their halting
metres and crude style, even when newer and much finer songs were
available. But when these at last had gained acceptance, the old hymns
gradually disappeared, and very few of them are now included in the
Danish hymnal. The Reformation produced a worthy hymnal, but none of the
great hymnwriters whose splendid work later won Danish hymnody an
honorable place in the church.
Hans Chrestensen Sthen, the first notable hymnwriter of the Danish
church, was already on the scene, however, when Hans Thomisson's Hymnal
left the printers. He is thought to have been born at Roskilde about
1540; but neither the date nor the place of his birth is now known with
certainty. He is reported to have been orphaned at an early age, and
subsequently, to have been adopted and reared by the renowned Royal
Chamberlain, Christopher Walkendorf. After receiving an excellent
education, he became rector of a Latin school at Helsingoer, the Elsinore
of Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, and later was appointed to a pastorate in the
same city. In this latter office he was singularly successful. Lysander,
one of his biographers, says of him that he was exceptionally well
educated, known as a fine orator and noted as a successful author and
translator. His hymns prove that he was also an earnest and warm-hearted
Christian. The peoples of Helsingoer loved him dearly, and for many years,
after he had left their city, continued to "remember him with gifts of
love for his long and faithful service among them". In 1583, to the
sorrow of his congregation he had accepted a call to Malmoe, a city on the
eastern shore of the Sound. But in this new field his earnest Evangelical
preaching, provoked the resentment of a number of his most influential
parishioners, who, motivated by a wish to blacken his name and secure his
removal, instigated a suit against him for having mismanaged an
inheritance left to his children by his first wife. The children
themselves appeared in his defence, however, and expressed their complete
satisfaction with his administration of their property; and the trumped
up charge was wholly disproved. But his enemies still wanted to have him
removed and, choosing a new method of attack, forwarded a petition to the
king in which they claimed that "Master Hans Chrestensen Sthen because of
weakness and old age was incompetent to discharge his duties as a
pastor", and asked for his removal to the parishes of Tygelse and
Klagstrup. Though the king is reported to have granted the petition,
other things seem to have intervened to prevent its execution, and the
ill-used pastor appears to have remained at Malmoe until his death, the
date of which is unknown.
Sthen's fame as a poet and hymnwriter rests mainly on two thin volumes of
poetry. _A Small Handbook, Containing Diverse Prayers and Songs Together
with Some Rules for Life, Composed in Verse_, which appeared in 1578, and
_A Small Wander Book_, published in 1591. The books contain both a number
of translations and some original poems. In some of the latter Sthen
readopts the style of the old folk songs with their free metre, native
imagery and characteristic refrain. His most successful compositions in
this style are his fine morning and evening hymns, one of which is given
below.
The gloomy night to morning yields,
So brightly the day is breaking;
The sun ascends over hills and fields,
And birds are with song awaking.
Lord, lend us Thy counsel and speed our days,
The light of Thy grace surround us.
Our grateful thanks to God ascend,
Whose mercy guarded our slumber.
May ever His peace our days attend
And shield us from troubles somber.
Lord, lend us Thy counsel and speed our days,
The light of Thy grace surround us.
Redeem us, Master, from death's strong hand,
Thy grace from sin us deliver;
Enlighten us till with Thine we stand,
And make us Thy servants ever.
Lord, lend us Thy counsel and speed our days,
The light of Thy grace surround us.
Then shall with praise we seek repose
When day unto night hath yielded,
And safe in Thine arms our eyelids close
To rest by Thy mercy shielded.
Lord, lend us Thy counsel and speed our days,
The light of Thy grace surround us.
Sthen's hymns all breathe a meek and lowly spirit. They express in the
simplest words the faith, hope and fears of a humble, earnest Christian.
The following still beloved hymn thus presents a vivid picture of the
meek and prayerful spirit of its author.
O Lord, my heart is turning
To Thee with ceaseless yearning
And praying for Thy grace.
Thou art my sole reliance
Against my foes' defiance;
Be Thou my stay in every place.
I offer a confession
Of my severe transgression;
In me is nothing good.
But, Lord, Thou wilt not leave me
And, like the world, deceive me;
Thou hast redeemed me with Thy blood.
Blest Lord of Life most holy,
Thou wilt the sinner lowly
Not leave in sin and death;
Thine anger wilt not sever
The child from Thee forever
That pleads with Thee for life and breath.
O Holy Spirit, guide me!
With wisdom true provide me;
Help me my cross to bear.
Uphold me in my calling
And, when the night is falling,
Grant me Thy heavenly home to share.
Most widely known of all Sthen's hymns is his beloved "Lord Jesus Christ,
My Savior Blest". In its unabbreviated form this hymn contains eight
stanzas of which the initial letters spell the words: "Hans Anno"; and it
has become known therefore as "Sthen's Name Hymn". The method of thus
affixing one's name to a song was frequently practiced by authors for the
purpose of impressing people with their erudition. The meek and anxious
spirit that pervades this hymn makes it unlikely, however, that Sthen
would have employed his undoubted skill as a poet for such a purpose. The
hymn is thought to have been written at Malmoe at the time its author
encountered his most severe trials there. And its intimate personal note
makes it likely that he thus ineradicably affixed his name to his hymn in
order to indicate its connection with his own faith and experience.
"Sthen's Name Hymn" thus should be placed among the numerous great hymns
of the church that have been born out of the sorrows and travails of
their authors' believing but anxious hearts. The translation given below
is from the abbreviated text now used in all Danish hymnals.
Lord Jesus Christ,
My Savior blest,
My refuge and salvation,
I trust in Thee,
Abide with me,
Thy word shall be
My shield and consolation.
I will confide,
Whate'er betide,
In Thy compassion tender.
When grief and stress
My heart oppress,
Thou wilt redress
And constant solace render.
When grief befalls
And woe appalls
Thy loving care enfolds me.
I have no fear
When Thou art near,
My Savior dear;
Thy saving hand upholds me.
Lord, I will be
Alway with Thee
Wherever Thou wilt have me.
Do Thou control
My heart and soul
And make me whole;
Thy grace alone can save me.
Yea, help us, Lord,
With one accord
To love and serve Thee solely,
That henceforth we
May dwell with Thee
Most happily
And see Thy presence holy.
With Sthen the fervid spirit of the Reformation period appears to have
spent itself. The following century added nothing to Danish hymnody.
Anders Chrestensen Arrebo, Bishop at Tronhjem, and an ardent lover and
advocate of a richer cultivation of the Danish language and literature,
published a versification of the Psalms of David and a few hymns in 1623.
But the Danish church never became a psalm singing church, and his hymns
have disappeared. Hans Thomisson's hymnal continued to be printed with
occasional additions of new material, most of which possessed no
permanent value. But the old hymns entered into the very heart and spirit
of the people and held their affection so firmly that even Kingo lost
much of his popularity when he attempted to revise them and remove some
of their worst poetical and linguistic defects. They were no longer
imprinted merely on the pages of a book but in the very heart and
affection of a nation.