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The Psalms (by Lobwasser), Church songs (by Luther & Joh. Habermann) and Cathechism in German; in a beautiful contemporary Amsterdam red morocco binding

[PSALMBOOK - GERMAN].
Die psalmen Davids. Nach Franköscher Meloden in Deutsche Reymen gebracht. Auch andere Psalmen und Geistliche Lieder wie solche in den evangelischen Kirchen gebrauchet werden. Samt dem Chur-Pfalk. Catechismo und Kirchengebeten.

Engraved frontispiece with David playing the harp: 'Psalmen Davids und Lob-Gesänge. &c. Amsterdam beij Heinrich Wetstein', title printed in black & red with woodcut device with King David with harp praying, musical staves and scores throughout.

Amsterdam, Heinrich Weststein, 1698. 2 works in one vol. 12mo. Contemporary Amsterdam binding of gilt morocco, spine ribbed with 5 richly gilt compartments with flowers in lozenge-shaped gilt corner pattern, sides beautifully gilt stamped with ornamental border around an inner panel with a composition of a pattern of small and larger tools, gilt binding edges, gilt and gauffered edges, marbled endpapers (see below for the Amsterdam bindery). Engraved frontispiece with David playing the harp: 'Psalmen Davids und Lob-Gesänge. &c. Amsterdam beij Heinrich Wetstein', title printed in black & red with woodcut device with King David with harp praying, musical staves and scores throughout. 298, (2) pp.

With:
(2) PSALMEN DAVIDS samt den Kirchen-Gesängen und geistlichen Liederen, durch D. Martin Luther, und andere Gottsgelehrte Männer gestellet: Wie solche inden evangelischen Kirchen gesungen werden.
Amsterdam, Heinrich Weststein, 1698. Woodcut on title (same as (1)). 12mo. 168 (last blank), 45 pp.

Ad 1: Late seventeenth-century Amsterdam edition of the well-known 'Lobwasser Psalter'. Ambrosius Lobwasser (1515-1585) worked as a lawyer and lecturer till 1550. During the next seven years he traveled as tutor to some young men of rank, and in 1557 became court councilor and chancellor at Meissen. At Bologna, in 1562, he attained the degree of doctor of laws. From 1563 to 1580, when he retired from active life, he was assessor and professor of law at Konigsberg. He was a thorough and versatile scholar, and more than once filled the office of rector of the university. Although a Lutheran by conviction, he was criticised by his coreligionists for the reason that he based his translation of the Psalter of Beza and Marot not on the original text, but on the Reformed French Psalter. His object was to popularize in Germany the melodies of the French Psalter, of the beauty of which he had received a deep impression during a long sojourn in Berry; and thus he adhered to the texts which served as channels for these melodies, in order that the meter and versification might accord with the French model. His work was primarily designed for private edification. The Psalter was completely rendered into German by 1562, but the publication was deferred till 1573.
Although but a mediocre performance in point of language and practical objectiveness, the Psalter enjoyed a success not much inferior to that of the Huguenot Psalter itself. For nearly two hundred years, Lobwasser had almost unlimited sway in the German Reformed Church; and to this day, he is not quite out of date. He owed this success distinctly to the verbally exact adaptation of his version to the French melody. The work was recast musically in 1607 by Landgrave Maurice of Hesse, who sought to bring it into harmony with the declamatory style of singing at that time coming into fashion, and again by Samuel Marschall (Basel, 1606); by Cruger (Berlin, 1656); by Sultzberger (Bern, 1675). Lobwasser also published a collection of Hymni patrum und anderer gottseliger Manner, welche durchs ganze Jahr in den Kirchen gesungen werden, aus dem Latein ins Deutsch mit gleichen Reimen gebracht (Leipsic, 1578-79). Some of these translations found acceptance in the Lutheran Church.

Ad 2: Rare songbook for the church with translations, adaptations and texts by Martin Luther and Johannes Habermann (1516-1590), published together with (1), by Hendrik Wetstein, with the Cathechismus at the end as called for on the title van (1): pp. 2-24: Psalm-Lieder (Ps. 1-3, 6, 12-15, 23, 25, 31, 37, etc.; pp. 24-45: Vom H. Abendmahl; pp. 45-74: Fest Gesänge; pp. 74-92: Lehr- und Trost Lieder; pp. 92-105: Morgen-, Abend- & Tisch-Gesänge; pp. 105-115: Vom Todt und Sterben; pp. 115-128: Von dem Jüngsten Tage, Vom ewigen Leben, etc.; pp.128-154: Geistlichen Lieder und Andächtigen Gesänge & Reys-Gesänge; pp. 154-156: Register; pp. 157-67: Johannes HABERMANN, Morgen und Abendsegen, auff alle tage in der Wochen andächtig zu sprechen. Then follows the Catechismus on pp. 1-45.

Binding: the beautiful richly gilt tooled red morocco binding is undoubtedly made in an Amsterdam workshop around the year 1700, possibly the 'Double Drawer Handle Bindery' (cf. Storm van Leeuwen, pp. 228-83: border XXXII, and tools 86/87, 106, 121, 132). For the border also: Storm van Leeuwen, p. 343, border III: Art Book Bindery (1705-41); for the tulip stamp: Storm van Leeuwen, p. 363, tool 9 (and 29): 'Houbraken Group' (1708-21).

Nice copy.- (Hinges weak, top of spine and upper edges damaged).

Wackenagel, Das deutsche Kirchenlied, I, 509ff, IV, 844ff.; E. Koch, Geschichte des Kirchenliedes, II, pp/ 594-7; P. Wolfrum, Die Entstehung und erste Entwickelung des deutschen evangelischen Kirchenliedes, pp. 134ff.; J. Zahn, Die Melodien der deutschen Kirchenlieder, VI, pp. 56ff; ADB, XIX, pp. 56-8; ad binding: J. Storm van Leeuwen, Dutch decoprated bookbinding in the 18th century, vol. 1, pp. 268, 272-3, 343, 363.

Related Subjects: 17th Century Dutch Luther Psalter

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