Befiehl du deine Wege

The Alte Kirche in Stein, built in 1660.

My first visit to Stein bei Nürnberg and Faber-Castell was in December of 2012. While visiting the Martin Luther Church (donated by patron Lothar von Faber and erected in 1861), I was told that the Lutheran hymn Befiehl du deine Wege was performed each year in honor of Baron Lothar. The hymn text was written by Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676) and there have been several chorale settings based on a melody by Hassler (1564-1612). The church in Stein has used a setting and melody written by Michael Haydn (1736-1806).

After returning home I decided to compose my own setting of Befiehl using Haydn’s melody, and sent the manuscript to Count von Faber-Castell as an expression of gratitude. With his passing in January, 2016, I revisited the score and recorded this performance on a baritone guitar. I added some original video, and the result is this tribute to the Count.

https://vimeo.com/186045629