Ich steh an deiner Krippe hier

My faith Thy lowly bed beholds,
My Life and my Salvation;
Thee in my heart my faith enfolds,
And brings Thee her oblation.
My heart and soul, will, spirit, mind,
Oh, take them all, to Thee resign'd:
Make all to Thee well-pleasing.


Ich steh an deiner Krippe hier,
O Jesu du mein Leben;
Ich komme, bring und schenke dir,
Was du mir hast gegeben.
Nimm hin, es ist mein Geist und Sinn,
Herz, Seel und Mut, nimm alles hin
Und laß dir's wohlgefallen.


This is a major Protestant Christmas hymn. Lyrics are by Paul Gerhardt (March 12th 1607 – May 27th 1676), one of the most important poets of Protestant hymns in Germany until today. In this hymn we join the shepherds and the three wise men standing in adoration at the manger in Bethlehem. A very popular score for this hymn was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21st 1685 – July 28th 1750).

The music you hear, is this hymn played by some members of the brass band of the protestant Kreuzkirche in Freiburg. The instrumentalists are from the right: Axel Peter (High-Blower, Soprano), Carsten T. Rees (Soprano), Markus Reuter (Alto), Alex Hellmer (Tenor), Johanna Ziemann (Basso) and Boris Peter (Basso and son of Axel). Since I had to play the trumpet, I am particularly thankful to Achim Kraemer for assistance with the shooting of the pictures.

As you can see on the panorama it was a cold day – an ice-cold day. We even got some problems with the valves of one of the trumpets. On this bleak winter morning we got together to send musical greetings to all viewers of the Wrinkle in Time:

We wish you a Merry Cristmas and a Happy New Year!

Europe / Germany

Lat: 48° 0' 49" N
Long: 7° 48' 59" E

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

Canon EOS 5D, Sigma 12-24 mm, Manfrotto 303SPH + 338, Realviz Stitcher Unlimited