Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = "{{langr|de|Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid}}"
| type = Hymn
| image = Lochamer 14v.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Anon melody, Lochamer-Liederbuch (c. 1455)
| catalogue = Zahn 533, 547–549
| translation = Oh God, how much heartache
| text = by Martin Moller
| language = German
| published = {{Start date|1587}}
}}
"{{langr|de|Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid}}" (Oh God, how much heartache) is a hymn in German in 18 stanzas attributed to Martin Moller (1587). It is often catalogued as a paraphrase of the Latin "Jesu dulcis memoria", a medieval hymn attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, but only a few lines refer directly to this song. Hymn tunes were composed for the hymn (Zahn Nos. 547–549),{{rp|[https://archive.org/details/1508283124bsb11304498/page/n161 154]}} and it is also often sung to a tune composed for "{{langr|de|Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht}}" (Zahn No. 533).{{rp|[https://archive.org/details/1508283124bsb11304498/page/n157 150]}} The anonymous hymn tune of "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" first appeared in Wolflein Lochamer's {{lang|de|Lochamer-Liederbuch}}, printed in Nürnberg around 1455. In Leipzig in the 1720s, Johann Sebastian Bach composed settings of Lochamer's hymn based on four of his church cantatas and a sacred motet.
{{cite book
| last1 = Dürr
| first1 = Alfred
| author-link = Alfred Dürr
| last2 = Jones
| first2 = Richard D. P.
| author2-link = Richard D. P. Jones
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m9JuwslMcq4C&pg=PA666
| title = The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| date = 2006
| isbn = 978-0-19-929776-4
}}
{{citation|title=J. S. Bach and the German Motet|first=Daniel R.|last= Melamed|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year= 1995|isbn=9780521418645}}
Musical settings and harmonization
Johann Sebastian Bach used the final three stanzas of {{lang|de|Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid}} to conclude Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind, BWV 153, a church cantata composed for the Sunday after New Year's Day, 2 January 1724,{{harvnb|Dürr|Jones|2006|pages=162–166}} and the first stanza of the hymn as movement 4 of Sie werden euch in den Bann tun, BWV 44, for Exaudi, the Sunday after Ascension, 21 May 1724.{{harvnb|Dürr|Jones|2006|pages=340–343}}
The entire hymn is also the base for Bach's Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3, a chorale cantata composed in Leipzig for the second Sunday after Epiphany, 14 January 1725.{{harvnb|Dürr|Jones|2006|pages=194–197}} Bach also used the melody in two movements of {{lang|de|Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 58|italic=unset}}, a cantata for the Sunday after New Year's Day, 5 January 1727,{{harvnb|Dürr|Jones|2006|pages=166–169}} and he used the melody with the hymn text "O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" for the eponymous motet (BWV 118).{{harvnb|Melamed|1995|pages=22–27}}
{ \new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff <<
\new Voice \relative c'' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 8 = 100 \voiceOne \clef treble \key a \major \time 4/4
\partial 4 a4
a a fis8 gis a4 b8 a gis4 fis\fermata fis
gis a b e,8 fis gis a fis4 e\fermata b'
cis cis a8 b cis4 d cis b\fermata a
b cis b a a gis a\fermata \bar "|." }
\addlyrics { \set stanza = "1. " Ach Gott, wie man - ches Her - ze -- leid
be -- geg -- net mir zu - die - ser Zeit!
Der schma -- le Weg _ ist trüb -- sal -- voll,
den ich zum Him -- mel wan -- dern soll. }
\addlyrics { \set stanza = "18. " Er -- halt mein Herz _ im Glau - ben rein,
so leb' und sterb' ich _ dir _ al -- lein.
Je -- su, mein Trost _ hör' mein' Be -- gier:
o mein Hei -- land, wär' ich bei dir! }
\new Voice \relative c' { \voiceTwo cis8 d
e4 a, d cis b e dis dis
e fis fis8 dis e4 e8 fis dis4 b gis'
a cis, fis8 gis ais4 b e,8 fis gis4 fis
e8[ d] cis dis e d cis4 fis e e }
>>
\new Staff <<
\new Voice \relative c' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = "church organ" \clef bass \key a \major \time 4/4 \voiceOne a8 b
cis d e4 a, a8 gis fis4 gis8 a b4\fermata b
b dis gis,8[ a] b cis b4 b8 a gis4\fermata e'
e8 fis gis4 cis,8 d e4 fis8 gis a4 e\fermata cis
b e,8 fis gis4 a b8 cis d4 cis\fermata }
\new Voice \relative c' { \voiceTwo a4
a,8 b cis4 d8[ e] fis e dis4 e b b'8 a
gis[ a] gis fis e[ fis] gis a b4 b, e e
a8[ gis] fis eis fis[ e] d cis b4 cis8 d e4 fis
gis a e fis8 e dis4 e a, }
>> >> }
References
{{reflist
| refs =
{{citation|title=All mein Gedanken, die ich hab: deutsche Lieder des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts|editor-first=Ingeborg|editor-last= Spriewald|publisher=Union Verlag|year= 1982}}
{{citation|title=Stil—ein sprachliches und soziales Phänomen: Beiträge zur Stilistik|
volume= 3 |series= Sprachwissenschaft|first=Ulla |last=Fix|editor-first=Irmhild |editor-last=Barz|publisher=Frank & Timme |date= 2007|isbn= 9783865961389|page=367}}
{{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale065-Eng3.htm
| title = Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid / Text and Translation of Chorale
| publisher = bach-cantatas.com
| date = 2006
| access-date = 14 January 2013
}}
{{cite web
| last = Hofmann
| first = Klaus
| author-link = Klaus Hofmann
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Suzuki-C29c%5BBIS-SACD1461%5D.pdf
| title = Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3 / Oh God, how many a heartfelt woe
| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website
| page = 9
| date = 2005
| access-date = 17 January 2013
}}
{{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Herr-Jesu-Christ-meins-Lebens-Licht.htm
| title = Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Herr (or O) Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht
| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website
| date = 2006
| access-date = 14 January 2013
}}
| last1 = Zahn
| first1 = Johannes
| author-link1= Johannes Zahn
| date = 1889
| title = Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder
| volume = I
| url=https://archive.org/details/1508283124bsb11304498
| location = Gütersloh
| publisher = Bertelsmann
| language = de
}}
- Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder at International Music Score Library Project
}}
{{German Lutheran hymns}}
{{English-language Lutheran hymns}}
{{Hymn tunes by Zahn number}}