Herzlich tut mich verlangen

Knoll wrote the "" (spiritual song for the dying) "" (I desire dearly a blessed end) during the plague of 1599. It became known already during his lifetime. It appeared in Görlitz in 1613 in the hymnal Harmoniae sacrae. == Hymn tune ==

The tune, "Befiehl du deine Wege" (Zahn No. 5385a), was written by Hans Leo Hassler around 1600 for a secular love song, "", which first appeared in print in the 1601 ''. It was combined with the sacred text "", first in Brieg in an organ tablature''. It was first printed with this text in 1613 in Görlitz in the hymnal . Johann Crüger published it in 1640 in his hymnal . He used the same tune for Paul Gerhardt's hymn "" (In English: "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded"), in his Praxis pietatis melica which was published in 1656. The rhythmic melody in phrygian mode was later sung in regular meter. Its phrygian mode and ambiguous harmonies contribute to the affekt of sadness common to all three texts. The hymn appears in 52 hymnals. \new Staff > == Musical settings ==

The hymn was used as the base for a 1640 composition by Johann Crüger and a four-part setting by Samuel Scheidt, written in 1650. Johannes Brahms composed two chorale preludes as part of his Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122, in 1896. Max Reger composed a chorale prelude as No. 14 of his 52 Chorale Preludes, Op. 67 in 1902. Jahn Topeit (born 1967) composed a setting for three instruments, titled (Reflections on the chorale ...), published by Hofmeister in 1998. wrote a partita for organ, translated to "My Heart Is Filled With Longing / Partita about dying blessedly. Paul Simon used it for the basis of his song American Tune. == References ==