LOBT GOIT, IHR CHRISTEN is a relatively short tune for a German chorale, but it is distinguished by insistently repeated soprano tones and a charming rising-scale motif that leads into the final phrase. The tune was composed by Nikolaus Herman (b. Altdorf, near Nuremberg, Germany, c. 1485; d. Joachimsthal, Bohemia, 1561) and first published in Ein Christlicher Abentreien (1554) as a setting for a children's hymn by Herman about John the Baptist. The tune's name derives from its use since 1561 with the chorale text "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen allzugleich." The harmonization by Johann S. Bach (PHH 7) was taken from his Cantata 151 (1725). Bach also used the tune in his Cantata 195; organists may also know one of Bach's preludes on this tune in his Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book). Harmony singing is challenging but rewarding. Keep the tempo moving.

Herman spent most of his life (1518-1560) in the mining town of Joachimsthal, where he served as schoolmaster in the Latin School and organist and choirmaster in the Lutheran Church. After a careful study of Martin Luther's writings, he adopted the Protestant faith. Many of his 190 hymn texts were inspired by the sermons of Johannes Mathesius, pastor of the Lutheran Church where Herman worked. A writer of hymn tunes as well as texts, he often wrote his hymns for use in homes and schools, but they gained acceptance as well in a number of Lutheran churches. His texts and tunes were included in Die Sontags-Evangelia (1560) and Die Historien von der Sindfludt (1562).

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook