Excerpts

 
 

INTRODUCTION

TE LAUDAMUS is designed as a companion—a hymnal intended not to replace or duplicate, but to complement whatever is a congregation’s primary hymnal, providing worthy entries, treasures not found in recently published hymnals. As it has evolved, Te Laudamus has become a collection of historic and modern resources, with an emphasis on gems from the Reformation era. The assortment includes psalms, hymns, and liturgies deemed suitable for Lutheran worship today, which may be used with benefit in other denominations as well. Te Laudamus is indebted to resources from A New Song 1975 (ANS–Protes’tant Conference, the hymnal that it expands), The Lutheran Hymnal 1941 (TLH–The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America), Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary 1996 (ELH–ELS), Lutheran Hymnal 1973 (LH–Australia), Lutheran Worship 1982 (LW–LCMS), Liber Hymnorum: Latin Hymns of the Lutheran Church, 2016, and others.

The theology of worship, practiced and taught by the fathers of the Reformation, has influenced the direction and focus of Te Laudamus. Dr. Norman Nagel accurately enunciates this theology in a modern treatise, found in the Introduction to Lutheran Worship, 1982. There the author initiates the discussion with the essential truth that worship begins with God (Gottesdienst):

Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise. Music is drawn into this thankfulness and praise, enlarging and elevating the adoration of our gracious giver God.

It is noteworthy that the very first words we see on the cover, the title of our hymnal, reflect this divine direction. Te, the divine pronoun Thee, is purposely placed first, and laudamus (our praise of Him) second. For in worship God creates, revives, and sustains faith in us, and then in response, we thank Him in joyful praise.

Nagel continues, relating this basic understanding to specifics in the Divine Service:

Saying back to Him what He has said to us, we repeat what is most true and sure. Most true and sure is His name, which He put upon us with the water of our Baptism. We are His. This we acknowledge at the beginning of the Divine Service. Where His name is, there is He. Before Him we acknowledge that we are sinners, and we plead for forgiveness. His forgiveness is given us, and we, freed and forgiven, acclaim Him as our great and gracious God as we apply to ourselves the words He has used to make Himself known to us.

Nagel further explains that reciprocal relationship between what God does first, and our response to Him:

The rhythm of our worship is from Him to us [i.e.. Gottesdienst —ed.], and then from us back to Him. He gives His gifts, and together we receive and extol them. We build one another up as we speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Our Lord gives us His body to eat and His blood to drink. Finally, His blessing moves us out into our calling, where His gifts have their fruition.

Nagel addresses the question of what resources we use within this reciprocal framework:

How best to do this we may learn from His Word and from the way His Word has prompted His worship through the centuries. We are heirs of an astonishingly rich tradition. Each generation receives from those who went before and, in making that tradition of the Divine Service its own, adds what best may serve in its own day—the living heritage and something new.

In this spirit the editors of Te Laudamus proceeded. Determined to listen to God first (Gottesdienst), as the title suggests, we placed God’s “hymns” first. All 150 Psalms are included, all pointed for congregational singing to the ancient Gregorian psalm tones, all nine. These were used by the early church and by the church in the Reformation era, preserved in 16th-century Lutheran resources (e.g., Matthias Ludecus and Lucas Lossius), and presumably patterned after those used in Old Testament synagogue and temple worship. In recognition of the Trinity confessed in the Psalter, the historic custom of concluding each psalm with the Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit) is observed.

After God speaks in His 150 Psalter “hymns,” we are given opportunity to respond with hymns written by human poets, some old (with Reformation contributions well represented) and some new—172 numbered 151 to 322. These are organized by the church year’s seasons and principal feast days and by topical categories (cf. the outline on TL 150 verso). Uniquely, Te Laudamus includes more of the following than any other current hymnal:

(a) all thirty-six hymns associated with Luther as composer, and/or as poet or translator, and/or as editor (plus his Te Deum and Great Litany),

(b) twenty-nine Paul Gerhardt hymns,

(c) fourteen hymns by Martin Franzmann, a modern poet, and

(d) twenty-three early church Latin hymns (i.e. Ambrose, Sedulius, Prudentius), several of which have been paired with the chorales that evolved from them.

In recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the entire corpus of Luther’s hymn and liturgical contributions are included in Te Laudamus. Since other current hymnals also include some of those Luther hymns, there are a few “duplications” here. However, wherever there is a “duplication,” Te Laudamus offers the “duplication” in a unique musical setting and with a unique translation. Also, in recognition of this anniversary, forty-two other Reformation era chorales (not found in other current hymnals) are included.

Te Laudamus has also restored many fine stanzas of historic hymns, stanzas that have been deleted in other current hymnals. If the number of stanzas needs to be reduced, pastors now have the opportunity to make their own choices. If reduction is not needed, pastors may wish to divide the hymn into sections, perhaps singing a portion before the sermon and/or a portion afterward. Furthermore, multiple stanzas provide opportunities to use a variety of forms of alternation (e.g., congregation with choir, and/or with soloists, and/or with organ, and/or with men and women, etc.). Finally, Te Laudamus provides historic settings (harmonizations) by Praetorius, Scheidt, Schein, Vulpius, Hassler, and Bach, settings also not found in other current hymnals. For the convenience of those who may not be familiar with a unique characteristic of early music melodies, that notes are often arranged in groupings of twos and threes that alternate unpredictably, we have provided a helpful symbol: In these cases, the grouping that features the change is identified with a square bracket above it. Since the rhythmic tactus is on the first note of each grouping, the tactus changes when groupings change. Thus, with the addition of one note, the tactus is elongated commensurately, and with the reduction of one note, it is similarly reduced. Additionally, at the conclusion of some hymns, a triangular “trefoil knot” as a symbol of the Trinity is placed before doxological stanzas to alert congregants to the ceremony of standing in honor of the Holy Trinity.

After God’s 150 Psalms and our 172 hymns (151–322), the liturgical section of Te Laudamus begins on page 323 with entries not found in any other current hymnals. First is a sturdy, modern setting of the Divine Service, an adaptation of the Service of Holy Communion by Healey Willan. For the convenience of the pastor and congregants, this is followed by the historic Church Year Propers. Following this are the ancient morning and evening Offices, Matins and Vespers, with Versicles and Responses set to a 16th-century Lutheran adaptation of the original Gregorian notes. Included with Matins are choices of two Te Deum settings, one by Luther and the other by Willan. In Vespers there is a setting of the Magnificat, pointed to the ancient Gregorian Tone IX, Tonus Peregrinus, as pointed in 16th century Lutheran sources. Furthermore, Luther’s Great Litany is also available, pointed for chanting by pastor and congregation according to the melody Luther adapted from ancient sources for his German Litany. In the liturgies, some ceremonial customs are identified as follows: Phrases are italicized when congregants customarily bow their heads, such as in the Gloria Patri and the Creed; and crosses (✠) are placed when congregants customarily make the sign of the cross on themselves, such as at the mention of the Holy Trinity and the conclusion of the Creed and of the Lord’s Prayer.

Following the Te Laudamus liturgical section is the Appendix. For pastors there is a Prayer of the Church and Proper Prefaces for the Church Year. For musical leaders there are resources for the liturgical use of handbells and harmonizations of the Gloria Patri for use with Introits.

Te Laudamus is indebted to the encouragement, counsel, and support of the Protes’tant Conference, publisher of the periodical Faith-Life, whose members have made possible the publication of this hymnal and were diligently involved in the editing and proofing process. It has also drawn heavily on the inspiration, knowledge, and expertise of its chief-editor, the Rev. Joel Hensel, who fortunately was able to complete most of his editorial responsibilities before our Lord called him to his eternal home in 2018. His contributions include the Preface, several settings of hymns, and his salutary influence felt throughout the book.

As we continue listening to God’s wholesome Word and receiving Him in His Sacraments, we pray Te Laudamus will provide a living framework through which God will come to us with His forgiveness, mercy, and salvation, and we will respond to Him with thankful praise.

Daniel G. Reuning

Available Spring 2026

Published by
The Protes’tant Conference
❦
Hardcover | leatherette
Smythe-sewn binding
765 pages
Color illustrations
ISBN: 978-1-934328-06-4

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