Melchior Vulpius

Melchior Vulpius (* 1570 in Wasungen; † August 7, 1615 in Weimar ) was a German church cantor and composer.

Vulpius came from a poor family of craftsmen. He attended the town school in Wasungen, Thuringia, and received instruction from John Steuerlein. From 1588 he attended the school at Speyer. After his marriage in 1589 he got a job at the Gymnasium in Bergisch hen Schleusingen. 1596 he was appointed city cantor at Weimar. He wrote and published church music, one of his most famous musical settings is for the hymn "Oh, stay with your grace " to the text of Joshua Stegmann, which is often sung in Protestant churches of the year and the decision of worship. Important compilations were the Cantiones sacrae (1602 and 1604 ); Hymns and spiritual songs, Dr. Luther (1604 ); Canticum beatissimae ( 1605), and a beautiful spiritual Hymns (1609 ). The Cantional ( a collection of songs ) was in 1646, after his death, published in Gotha.

Song melodies

• Day breaks and sheweth itself
• The bright Sun
• Christ, who is my life / Abide with your grace
• Jesus, your Passion
• Down is the sunshine
• Praise God the Lord, ye nations all

Compositions

• Pars prima Cantionum sacrarum 1602
• Pars secunda selectissimarum Cantionum sacrarum 1603
• Churches and Sacred Songs Geseng D. Martini Lutheran and other pious Christians in 1604
• First part of German every Sunday Gospels Proverbs 1612
• The suffering and death of our Lord's Savior Jesus Christ Auss the holy Evangelists Matthäo 1613 ( new edition 1981)
• The other part of German every Sunday Ev. Proverbs 1614