Gotteslob

Gotteslob, 2013
Language	German
Genre	Hymnal
Published	2013 (2013)
Publisher	Catholic dioceses
Preceded by	Gotteslob, 1975

Gotteslob ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speaking Catholics, succeeding the first common German hymnal, the 1975 edition of the same name. Each diocese published a book containing a common section and a regional section. The first editions amounted to around 4 million copies.

History

Gotteslob was developed as a sequel of the first common German hymnal, Gotteslob of 1975. It was developed over a period of 10 years by around 100 experts, who studied the use of hymns, conducting surveys and running tests in selected congregations.^[1] Gotteslob was published by Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, and is also used by German-speaking parishes in Luxembourg and the Diocese of Liège, Belgium. It was introduced from Advent 2013, beginning on 1 December.^[1] It is intended to serve as a hymnal for church services as well as for private use. The first editions were around 4 million copies.^[1]

Each diocese published a book containing a common section called Stammteil, and a regional section with hymns for the specific diocese.^[1] The common section includes a list of songs [de].

Changes in 2013

Some songs were composed for the 2013 edition, including the melody for "Heilig, heilig, heilig Gott" by Oliver Sperling. Some songs were moved from regional sections to the common section, including Christoph Bernhard Verspoell's Christmas carol "Menschen, die ihr wart verloren". Some songs were added, including Tersteegen's "Gott ist gegenwärtig", the penitential "Zeige uns, Herr, deine Allmacht und Güte", written in 1982 by Raymund Weber [de] to an older melody, the midsummer hymn "Das Jahr steht auf der Höhe", and "Herr, du bist mein Leben" (Lord, You are my life), a translation of a popular Italian 1977 "Symbolum" by Pierangelo Sequeri.

Hymns

Hymns include "Den Herren will ich loben" and others by Maria Luise Thurmair. "Ein Haus voll Glorie schauet" is a popular hymn for consecration of a church and its anniversaries; however, the version of "Ein Haus voll Glorie schauet" in Gotteslob is a modern song written for the 1975 edition of Gotteslob that differs dramatically from the traditional hymn by the same name from 1875.^[2]

Among the regional hymns are the Easter hymn "Das Grab ist leer, der Held erwacht", the Trinity hymn "Gott Vater, sei gepriesen" and the Marian hymn "Nun, Brüder, sind wir frohgemut".

Reception

Gotteslob was critically received as a book by too few experts, with too little input from the practicing congregations.^[3]

List of hymns

This list^[4] is structured by the themes in the hymnal. The first column has the song's number in the hymnal, with an added letter ö for ökumenisch, meaning songs sung ecumenically, especially those also contained in the common Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch. The second column has the title, the third the origin of the text, the fourth the origin of the melody, the fifth notes such as for which occasion a song is useful.