reatest composers have recognized the beauty and
majesty of Nicolai's inspiring themes and have seized upon his chorales
to weave them into a number of famous musical masterpieces. The strains
of the seventh and eighth lines of "Wachet auf" may be heard in the
passage, "The kingdoms of this world," of Handel's "Hallelujah chorus."
Mendelssohn introduces the air in his overture to "St. Paul," and the
entire chorale occurs in his "Hymn of Praise." The latter composer has
also made use of the "Wie schoen" theme in the first chorus of his
unpublished oratorio, "Christus."

The circumstances that called forth Nicolai's two great hymns and the
classic chorales to which he wedded them are tragic in nature. A dreadful
pestilence was raging in Westphalia. At Unna, where Nicolai was pastor,
1,300 villagers died of the plague between July, 1597, and January, 1598.
During a single week in the month of August no less than 170 victims were
claimed by the messenger of death.

From the parsonage which overlooked the churchyard, Nicolai was a sad
witness of the burials. On one day thirty graves were dug. In the midst
of these days of distress the gifted Lutheran pastor wrote a series of
meditations to which he gave the title, "Freuden Spiegel," or "Mirror of
Joy." His purpose, as he explains in his preface, dated August 10, 1598,
was "to leave it behind me (if God should call me from this world) as the
token of my peaceful, joyful, Christian departure, or (if God should
spare me in health) to comfort other sufferers whom He should also visit
with the pestilence."

"There seemed to me," he writes in the same preface, "nothing more sweet,
delightful and agreeable, than the contemplation of the noble, sublime
doctrine of Eternal Life obtained through the Blood of Christ. This I
allowed to dwell in my heart day and night, and searched the Scriptures
as to what they revealed on this matter, read also the sweet treatise of
the ancient doctor Saint Augustine ("The City of God") ... Then day by
day I wrote out my meditations, found myself, thank God! wonderfully
well, comforted in heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content."

Both of Nicolai's classic hymns appeared for the first time in his
"Mirror of Joy." As a title to "Wachet auf" Nicolai wrote, "Of the voice
at Midnight, and the Wise Virgins who meet their Heavenly Bridegroom. Mt.
25." The title to "Wie schoen" reads, "A spiritual bridal song of the
believing soul concerning Jesus Chris