Johannes Zahn
Encyclopedia
Johannes Zahn (1 August 1817 in Eschenbach
/Pegnitz
– 17 February 1895 in Neuendettelsau
) was a German theologian and musicologist best known for his opus Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder, a critical anthology of almost 9000 hymn melodies developed and used in German Lutheran
churches.
high school, and studied afterwards in Berlin to obtain his degree in theology in 1841. After attending the Predigerseminar in Munich
, he became a house teacher for the residence of Gustav Schulze, a prominent merchant.
In 1847 he was named teacher and prefect of the Royal Schullehrer Seminar in Altdorf bei Nürnberg
, and became its head in 1854.
Johannes Zahn dedicated himself particularly to the recovery and critical revision of melodies and hymns developed during and after the Reformation
, which he started publishing in 1889, in Gütersloh
. The classification system he developed is still used by hymnologists worldwide, in the form Zahn ###, where the number represents the location of the melody or hymn in Zahn's anthology.
Zahn also contributed articles to journals like Siona, Hymnologie, and Euterpe.
Zahn also composed hymns, and is known for writing the original melody Dein König kommt in niedern Hüllen, number 14 in the Evangelisches Gesangbuch still in use in Lutheran German churches.
Eschenbach
- People :* Wolfram von Eschenbach , German knight, poet and Minnesinger* Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach , Austrian writer* Christoph Eschenbach , German pianist and conductor...
/Pegnitz
Pegnitz
Pegnitz may refer to:* The Pegnitz in Germany* Pegnitz, a town in Germany...
– 17 February 1895 in Neuendettelsau
Neuendettelsau
Neuendettelsau is a local authority in Middle Franconia, Germany. Neuendettelsau is situated 20 miles southwest of Nuremberg and 12 miles east of Ansbach. Population: 7.833 ....
) was a German theologian and musicologist best known for his opus Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder, a critical anthology of almost 9000 hymn melodies developed and used in German Lutheran
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
churches.
Biography
Johannes C. A. Zahn was the son of Eschenbach teacher and cantor Johannes Zahn. Between 1832 and 1837 he attended the NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
high school, and studied afterwards in Berlin to obtain his degree in theology in 1841. After attending the Predigerseminar in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, he became a house teacher for the residence of Gustav Schulze, a prominent merchant.
In 1847 he was named teacher and prefect of the Royal Schullehrer Seminar in Altdorf bei Nürnberg
Altdorf bei Nürnberg
Altdorf bei Nürnberg is a town in south-eastern Germany. It is situated 25 km east of Nuremberg, in the district Nürnberger Land. Its name literally means Altdorf near Nuremberg, to distinguish it from other Altdorfs.-History:...
, and became its head in 1854.
Johannes Zahn dedicated himself particularly to the recovery and critical revision of melodies and hymns developed during and after the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, which he started publishing in 1889, in Gütersloh
Gütersloh
Gütersloh is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 96,320 people.- Geography :...
. The classification system he developed is still used by hymnologists worldwide, in the form Zahn ###, where the number represents the location of the melody or hymn in Zahn's anthology.
Zahn also contributed articles to journals like Siona, Hymnologie, and Euterpe.
Zahn also composed hymns, and is known for writing the original melody Dein König kommt in niedern Hüllen, number 14 in the Evangelisches Gesangbuch still in use in Lutheran German churches.
Works
- Handbüchlein für angehende Cantoren und Organisten, Nürnberg (1871)
- Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder, aus den Quellen geschöpft und mitgeteilt von Johannes Zahn (6 volumes), Verlag Bertelsmann, Gütersloh (1889–93). [further edited by the Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Edition des deutschen Kirchenlieds. Hildesheim, New York: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1998. 6 volumes. ISBN 3-48709-319-7]
- Die Melodien des Deutschen Evangelischen Gesangbuches in vierstimmigem Satze für Orgel und für Chorgesang aus Auftrag der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenkonferenz zu Eisenach (with G. Freiherr von Tucher and Immanuel Faißt), StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
(1854) - Vierstimmiges Melodienbuch zum Gesangbuch der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern, Erlangen (1855)
Sources
- James Lyon. Johann Sebastian Bach, chorals: Sources hymnologiques des mélodies, des textes et des théologies. Editions Beauchesne, (2005) ISBN 2-70101-493-X, 336 pages.
- Correlation between Zahn numbers and HTI tune numbers