Let all within me bless His Name! Today’s HYMN OF THE DAY “My Soul, Now Praise Thy Maker” (820) is based on Psalm 103. The author Johann Gramann (1487-1541) served as rector of St. Thomas School in Leipzig, and pastor in Würzburg, Nürnberg, and Königsberg. In a court-ordered public disputation, Gramann successfully refuted the Anabaptists on the basis of Scripture and saved his province from Anabaptist teaching.
The Margrave Albrecht of Brandenberg-Ansbach, a friend of Luther’s and supporter of the Reformation cause requested Gramann to write this hymn in 1525. It is noted that it was sung at the Peace of Westphalia in thanksgiving of the ending the Thirty Years’ War on October 25, 1648.
The PRELUDE is a setting of this hymn by Jan Bender (1909-1994).
The CHORAL VOLUNTARY is a portion of a cantata, Cantate Domino (BuxWV 12) by Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707). Today we hear the portions for soprano solo.
