Gottfried Vopelius (28 January 1645 – 3 February 1715), was a German Lutheran academic and hymn-writer, mainly active in Leipzig. He was born in Herwigsdorf, now a district of Rosenbach, Oberlausitz, and died in Leipzig at the age of 70.^[2]

Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch

Vopelius is primarily remembered for the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch (New Leipzig Hymnal) which he published in 1682.^[2][3][4] The subtitle of the publication reads:

... Von den schönsten und besten Liedern verfasset, In welchem Nicht allein des sel. Herrn D. Lutheri und andere mit Gottes Wort, und unveränderter Augsburgischer Confession überein stimmende, und in Christlicher Gemeine allhier, wie auch anderer reinen Evangelischen Orten und Landen eingeführete und gebräuchliche Gesänge, Lateinische Hymni und Psalmen, Mit 4. 5. bis 6. Stimmen, deren Melodeyen Theils aus Johann Herman Scheins Cantional, und andern guten Autoribus zusammen getragen, theils aber selbsten componiret; Sondern auch die Passion nach den heiligen Evangelisten Matthaeo und Johanne, die Auferstehung, die Missa, Praefationes, Responsoria und Collecten, auf die gewöhnlichen Sonn- und hohen Festtage, das Magnificat nach den 8. Tonis, Te Deum laudamus, Symbolum Nicaenum, &c. Choraliter, Und was sonsten bey dem ordentlichen Gottesdienste gesungen wird, zu finden

— Gottfried Vopelius, title page of the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch

Or, translated:

... Compiled from the most beautiful and best songs; In which not only songs of the blessed Dr. Luther, and other (songs) with the Word of God, and in accord with the unmodified Augsburg Confession, but also (songs) as introduced and customary in other untainted Evangelical places and regions, and Latin hymns and psalms, set for four, five and up to six voices, the settings of which are partly collected from Johann Herman Schein's Cantional, and from other good authors, and partly also composed by myself, also, in particular, the Passion according to the holy Evangelists Matthew and John, the Resurrection, the Mass, Prefaces, Responsories and Collects, for ordinary Sundays and high Feasts, the Magnificat in the eight tones, Te Deum laudamus, Symbolum Nicenum, etc. choraliter, and whatever else is sung in regular church services, are to be found

The Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch is, to a certain degree, a third edition of Johann Schein's Cantional [scores], which originally had been published in 1627, with a new edition in 1645. Over 90 settings in the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch were copied or adapted from Schein. All other composers are represented with less than 10 settings in the hymnal. Of these, only Johann Crüger and Andreas Hammerschmidt are mentioned for more than three settings.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Reception

The Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch was one of the last important hymnals in the Kantional format (i.e. printed with music, including part-songs): congregational singing was generally becoming monodic, with an instrumental accompaniment, for which hymnals with only texts became the new standard.^[9]

In his Leipzig time (1723–1750), Johann Sebastian Bach used the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch as a reference work for many of his sacred compositions.^[15] For the closing chorales of his cantatas BWV 27 and BWV 43 he used the harmonisation as found in the hymnal.^[16][17] For other chorale settings, such as BWV 281, he stayed close to the harmonisation published by Vopelius.^[18]

Later editions of the Leipziger Gesangbuch

In 1693 Vopelius published the Leipziger Gesangbuch, which he describes as a republication of the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, however without the chorale settings, but with more hymns, and enriched with engravings.^[1] The next edition appeared in 1707.^[19] Later editions of the Leipziger Gesangbuch, in 1729, 1733 and 1752, further enlarged the number of hymns, to 852, 856 and 1015 respectively, and referred to Vopelius as the former editor of the hymnal.^[20][21][22] The 1758 and 1767 editions kept the number of hymns at 1015, keeping also the referral to Vopelius as former editor on the title page.^[23][24]