"" (Grant us peace), SWV 372, is a motet for five voices (SSATB) by Heinrich Schütz, published in 1648 in his collection . It is a prayer for peace based on "Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich", Martin Luther's paraphrase of the Latin Da pacem Domine.
History Heinrich Schütz, working for the Dresden court for decades, composed the motet as No. 4 of 29 forming his collection . He published the collection in 1648 as a celebration of the end of the Thirty Years' War. It contains motets for five to seven voices with optional basso continuo. They have in common that they are written in polyphony as attributed to Palestrina.
Schütz chose "" for the text, Luther's paraphrase of the Latin Da pacem Domine. The piece is followed by No. 5 "" (Give our rulers and all lawgivers), which Johann Walter added to Luther's text to form one chorale. Both pieces are among the few in that are not based on Biblical texts.
Luther's song
The Gregorian chant Da pacem Domine is one of the earliest prayers for peace, which Luther transformed into German:
Luther's song is a prayer for political and social peace "in our time" ("zu unsern Zeiten"). It is seen as the result of a battle that only God can fight.
Motet Schütz set "" for five voices: two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass. Like the other motets in the collection, it features no basso continuo, in a style that had become unfashionable. Schütz meant the music as serving the meaning of the sacred texts.
Publications Schütz published in 1648, dedicated to the Thomanerchor in Leipzig, perhaps acknowledging their superiority and ability.
The prayer for peace has been published separately from the collection. It is often performed, more than other motets from the collection.
References
Further reading Wilhelm Lucke: Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich. In: D. Martin Luthers Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Band 35, Weimar 1923, S. 232–235 ().
External links
Schütz SWV 372-373: Verleih uns Frieden-Gib unsern Fürsten - Geistliche Chormusik Emmanuel Music