edge and Token"),
which leads up to the chorale, "Lord God, my Father, holy One," based
upon the old chorale, "Wie schoen leucht uns der Morgenstern" ("How
brightly shines the Morning Star"), which has always been a favorite in
the church service, and which more than one composer has chosen for the
embellishment of his themes. The chorale is not employed in its original
form, but is elaborated with all the contrapuntal skill for which Bach
was so famous. The next number is a short recitative for the bass voice
("Ye Mortals, hear, all ye who would behold the Face of God"), and leads
to a stately bass aria ("Through Faith the Soul has Eagle's Pinions").
The cantata closes, after the customary manner of Bach, with a strong,
earnest chorale ("Oh, give me Faith, my Father!"), in plain, solid
harmony, for the use of the congregation, thus forming an effective
devotional climax to the work.

Ein' Feste Burg.

"A safe stronghold our God is still,
A trusty shield and weapon;
He'll help us clear from all the ill
That hath us now o'ertaken.
The ancient Prince of Hell
Hath risen with purpose fell;
Strong mail of craft and power
He weareth in this hour.
On Earth is not his fellow.

* * * * *

"And were this world all devils o'er,
And watching to devour us,
We lay it not to heart so sore,
Not they can overpower us.
And let the Prince of Ill
Look grim as e'er he will,
He harms us not a whit;
For why? His doom is writ,
A word shall quickly slay him."

There is now but little question that Martin Luther not only wrote the
words but the music of the grand old hymn, the first and third stanzas of
which, taken from Carlyle's free and rugged translation, are given above.
Sleidan, a contemporary historian, indeed says that "Luther made a tune
for it singularly suited to the words and adapted to stir the heart." The
date of its composition is a matter of controversy; but it is clear that
it must have been either in 1529 or 1530, and most writers agree that it
was just before the Diet at Augsburg, where it was sung. Niederer, in a
work published at Nuremberg, 1759, fixes the date as 1530, and finds it
in Preussen's psalm-book, printed in 1537. Winterfeld observes it for the
first time in the "Gesangbuch" of the composer Walther, a friend of
Luther. Its usual title is, "Der XLVI. Psalm: Deus noster Refugium et
virtus, pp. D., Ma