"Wer unterm Schutz des Höchsten steht" (Whoever stands under the protection of the Most High) is a Christian hymn in German. The anonymous text, paraphrasing Psalm 91, appeared first in 1972 in a Protestant hymnal, with a 1537 melody from Michael Vehe's hymnal. It is contained in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob.
| "Wer unterm Schutz des Höchsten steht" | |
|---|---|
| Christian hymn | |
| Written | 1851 (1851) |
| Language | German |
| Based on | Psalm 91 |
| Melody | after Michael Vehe |
| Composed | 1537 (1537) |
| Published | 1972 (1972) |
"Wer unterm Schutz des Höchsten steht" appeared first in 1972, then in the common Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch (EKG).[1][2] A paraphrase of Psalm 91, it is written in three stanzas. The associated melody came from the first Catholic hymnal that Michael Vehe published in 1537.[1]
The hymn was included in the common German Catholic hymnal Gotteslob in 1975, as GL 291,[3] and in the second edition as GL 423, in the section Leben in Gott / Vertrauen und Trost (Life in God / Trust and solace).[4] It is a Psalmlied, a song that can be used instead of a liturgical psalm reading.[5]
Johann Paul Zehetbauer composed a four-part setting.[6] Gaël Liardon wrote a chorale prelude for organ.[7] A chorale cantata for choir a cappella by Stephan Rommelspacher was published by Carus-Verlag in 2010, in a collection Chorbuch Trauer (Choir Book Memorial), aimed at public memorial services in cases of accidents and disasters.[2] Walter Gleißner wrote an organ piece Meditation, published in 2014 by Dohr, in a collection Miniaturen für Orgel.[8] A 2019 collection Tagzeitenliturgie mit dem Gotteslob for music to observe the liturgy of the hours, initiated by the Diocese of Mainz and published by Carus-Verlag, includes two choral settings of the song and one for organ.[9]