Herzenslust, den suessen Ton."[29]{29}

|72| "Vom Himmel hoch" has qualities of simplicity, directness, and
warm human feeling which link it to the less ornate forms of carol
literature. Its first verse is adapted from a secular song; its melody
may, perhaps, have been composed by Luther himself. There is another
Christmas hymn of Luther's, too--"Vom Himmel kam der Engel
Schar"--written for use when "Vom Himmel hoch" was thought too long, and
he also composed additional verses for the mediaeval "Gelobet seist du,
Jesu Christ."

"Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ,
Dass du Mensch geboren bist
Von einer Jungfrau, das ist wahr,
Des freuet sich der Engel Schar.
_Kyrieleis!_

Des ew'gen Vaters einig Kind
Jetzt man in der Krippe find't,
In unser armes Fleisch und Blut
Verkleidet sich das ewig Gut.
_Kyrieleis!_ |73|

Den aller Weltkreis nie beschloss,
Der lieget in Marie'n Schoss;
Er ist ein Kindlein worden klein,
Der alle Ding' erhaelt allein.
_Kyrieleis!_"[30]{31}

The first stanza alone is mediaeval, the remaining six of the hymn are
Luther's.

The Christmas hymns of Paul Gerhardt, the seventeenth-century Berlin
pastor, stand next to Luther's. They are more subjective, more finished,
less direct and forcible. Lacking the finest qualities of poetry, they
are nevertheless impressive by their dignity and heartiness. Made for
music, the words alone hardly convey the full power of these hymns. They
should be heard sung to the old chorales, massive, yet sweet, by the
lusty voices of a German congregation. To English people they are
probably best known through the verses introduced into the "Christmas
Oratorio," where the old airs are given new beauty by Bach's marvellous
harmonies. The tone of devotion, one feels, in Gerhardt and Bach is the
same, immeasurably greater as is the genius of the composer; in both
there is a profound joy in the Redemption begun by the Nativity, a robust
faith joined to a deep sense of the mystery of suffering, and a keen
sympathy with childhood, a tender fondness for the Infant King.

|74| The finest perhaps of Gerhardt's hymns is the Advent "Wie soll ich
dich empfangen?" ("How shall I fitly meet Thee?"), which comes early in
the "Christmas Oratorio." More closely connected with the Nativity,
however, are the _Weihnachtslieder_, "Wir singen dir, Emanuel," "O Jesu
Christ, dein Kripplein ist," "Froehlich s