“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” is a hymn of praise based on the best-known of German theologian and hymn-writer Joachim Neander’s (1650-1680) works, “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren” (1680). It was translated to English by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878) and published in The Chorale Book for England, a collection of her hymn texts with various new and existing tunes, in 1863. Although numerous editorial alterations to the text have appeared in hymnals since, Winkworth’s text remains the most popular English translation.
The tune for “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” is likely a German folk tune, first published in 1665 and used with various secular texts prior to Neander’s adoption of it for “Lobe den Herren.”
Ideal for use at Easter, for ordinations, convocations, and other celebratory occasions, this festival accompaniment for organ and brass quintet begins with a brass fanfare based on the first four notes of the tune (“Praise to the Lord!”), interspersed with organ. This introduction is followed by:
Verse 1: Organ accompaniment
Verse 2: Brass accompaniment
Verse 3: Organ accompaniment with countermelodic flourishes by trumpets
Interlude and modulation
Verse 4: Organ and brass accompaniment with alternate harmonization
Coda (4-note motif echoing the introduction)
Full score, parts for organ, Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba (8.5×11″ PDF) — $25