Praxis pietatis melica
Praxis pietatis melica
Praxis pietatis melica (Practice of Piety in Song) is a Protestant hymnbook started in the 1640s by Berlin cantor Johann Crüger. It appeared under this title from 1647 to 1737 in 45 editions and became one of the best-known Lutheran hymnals of the 17th century.
Crüger wrote melodies for many texts in the hymnal, and several of these tunes are still sung today, including Jesu, meine Freude; Herzliebster Jesu; and Nun danket alle Gott. Between 1647 and 1661 he also published about 90 hymns by the poet Paul Gerhardt, among them O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden.
The collection was meant for use in both church services and private devotion. The Latin title explains its aim as “practice of Godliness in Christian and comforting chants,” and the subtitle notes it was largely drawn from Martin Luther and other learned writers, gathered carefully.
Earlier, in 1640 Crüger published Newes vollkömliches Gesangbuch (New Complete Song Book) with 240 texts and melodies, including core Reformational songs and 18 melodies of his own, mostly to texts by Johann Heermann. In 1643 Crüger met Gerhardt, who became a major contributor; Crüger supplied melodies and choral settings for many of Gerhardt’s hymns.
In 1647 a second volume, Praxis pietatis melica, appeared with 383 texts and 170 melodies and included for the first time 18 Gerhardt hymns. The title’s inspiration came from a German translation of The Practice of Piety.
Hymn numbers grew quickly: by the fifth edition (around 1653) there were about 500 hymns, with 82 of them on Gerhardt’s texts. The tenth edition (1661), the last Crüger prepared, had about 550 hymns, including 90 Gerhardt titles. The collection continued to be published until 1737, reaching its 45th edition, and it enjoyed the widest distribution of any Protestant hymnal in German-speaking lands for much of its life.
Several songs from Praxis pietatis melica are still in use today, such as Jesu, meine Freude; Nun danket alle Gott; and Herzliebster Jesu. The work’s name helped inspire the later Pietism movement.
In some editions, additional Gerhardt hymns and other songs were added, including special editions commissioned by Luise Henriette of Brandenburg in 1653, which brought more of Gerhardt’s work and other hymns into the collection.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:55 (CET).