Max Reger Morgengesang

Morgengesang Thou highest light, day without end,
thou God and my most faithful Lord,
from thee the light of grace goes forth
and brightly shines for all the earth.
This is our Saviour Jesus Christ,
for he is God’s own truth most blest,
and his gospel’s light glows sublime
until he draws all hearts to him.
He is the light of all the world,
in whom men clearly may behold
the bright and beauteous light of day
that brings them blessing and all joy.

Johannes Zwick
Translation: Jean Lunn

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Morgengesang Du höchstes Licht, ewiger Schein,
du Gott und treuer Herre mein,
von dir der Gnaden Glanz ausgaht
und leuchtet schön gleich früh und spat.
Das ist der Herre Jesus Christ,
der ja die göttlich Wahrheit ist,
der mit sein’r Lehr hell scheint und leucht’,
bis er die Herzen zu sich zeucht.
Er ist der ganzen Welte Licht,
stellt jedem vor sein Angesicht
den hellen, schönen, lichten Tag,
an dem er selig werden mag.

Johannes Zwick

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Jürgen Schaarwächter
Translation (abridged): Elizabeth Robinson

Max Reger grew up as a Catholic in the Upper Palatinate and described himself as “Catholic to his fingertips.” By 1907, when he was appointed composition professor at the Leipzig Conservatory, he had become aware of the quality of the corpus of Protestant chorales. Adalbert Lindner reported Reger’s remark of 1898; “the Protestants don’t know what they have, with their chorales!” Reger had already come into close contact with the chorale at an early age. His friendship with the Protestant organist Karl Straube was exceptionally important in the following period, and when Reger married the divorced Protestant Elsa von Bercken in 1902, his break with the Catholic church was complete. Through Straube’s influence, Reger composed many works for use in the Protestant church, particularly in his time in Weiden

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