SATB Choir Music for Lent: “Ah, Holy Jesus”

HERZLIEBSTER JESU Passiontide

For many years now, after Communion on Holy Thursday my choir has been singing the first two verses of the sorrowful hymn, Ah, Holy Jesus.  As the poignant minor chords echo from the vaulted ceiling of the church, the lyrics remind us how truly undeserving we are of the great gift of salvation.

Two verses seem to be the perfect amount to pierce the hearts of our listeners, and are thus what I have assembled in this newest offering from Hassamarra Publishing.  The Methodist hymnal where I first found it included five verses, but I’ve discovered there were 15 written by Johann Heermann in 1630, set and translated by several musicians and authors.  The translation used here was done around 1899 by Robert S. Bridges.  

The emotionally charged hymn tune HERZLIEBSTER JESU was originally harmonized in F minor by Johann Cruger in 1640.  I’ve kept Cruger’s beautiful, straightforward harmonization for the first verse, but changed it up a little for verse two, mostly varying the inner parts with a few lovely leaps and suspensions that help to draw out the meaning of the text.  I’ve also raised the key to G minor, which better suits the basses and altos, and gives the tenors two moments to shine on the F above middle C; the highest soprano note is an easy E-flat.  It is best presented a cappella, but if your singers are a little shaky, the notes can be played by the accompanist for support.

With such a small amount of music – only 14 measures for each verse – rather than make a normal, “octavo”-sized sheet that would require scrapping a good portion of the necessary 11x17 paper, I’ve made this a “sweet size” that feels like a little treasure to hold.  Though the paper may be smaller, the staves are still sized to be as easy to read as the normal sized anthems your choir uses.  To further adhere to Hassamarra’s environmental principles, the paper is 30% recycled linen in “baronial ivory” color.  The smaller paper size also reduces cost, so Hassamarra Publishing can offer this song for just $1 per copy – a sweet price for a sweet size!

Purchase Ah, Holy Jesus HERE

Below is the arrangement sung by Toronto’s St. Francis/ St. Joseph Choir, recorded on the phone of one of our sopranos. (Thanks for sharing, Susan!)