Born: April 29, 1584, Fraustadt, Posen, Prussia (now Wschowa, Poland).
Died: December 1, 1635, Oberpritschen, Posen (now Przyczyna Górna, Poland).
A cold wind swept through the streets of Fraustadt in 1613, carrying with it the heavy silence of mourning. Inside the Protestant church “Zum Kripplein Christi,” Melchior Teschner sat with pen in hand, his thoughts shaped by the sorrow and hope that only a season of plague could bring. It was here, amid the shadow of death and the promise of heaven, that Teschner composed the melody that would outlast his own days—a tune that would one day ring out in churches across the world: “Valet will ich dir geben.”
Melchior Teschner was born on April 29, 1584, in Fraustadt, a town nestled in Silesia—now Wschowa, Poland. The details of his childhood are mostly lost to time, but what is clear is that Teschner’s early years were marked by a rigorous education. He attended the Gymnasium in Zittau, Saxony, where Johann Klee guided him through the intertwined worlds of music and theology. In the Lutheran tradition, these were not separate pursuits; music was a vessel for truth, and truth was meant to be sung.
By 1602, Teschner was a young man with a scholar’s mind and a musician’s heart. He entered the University of Frankfurt an der Oder, where he studied under Bartholomäus Gesius—a composer whose influence would echo in Teschner’s own work. The years that followed saw him moving between the universities of Helmstedt and Wittenberg, deepening his knowledge of both scripture and song.
Teschner’s first professional appointment came in Schmiegel, Posen, where he served as cantor and lector. But it was his return to Fraustadt in 1609 that set the stage for his most enduring contribution. As cantor at “Zum Kripplein Christi,” Teschner worked alongside Pastor Valerius Herberger, a partnership that would soon bear fruit in the face of tragedy.
The plague of 1613 swept through Fraustadt, claiming over two thousand lives. Herberger, having survived, wrote a hymn for the dying—“Valet will ich dir geben”—a farewell to this world and a declaration of hope in Christ. Teschner set these words to music, crafting two five-part settings that were published in Leipzig the following year. The second of these, modeled on a Geneva psalm by Louis Bourgeois, would become the melody we now know as “ST. THEODULPH.”
In 1614, Teschner was ordained as pastor in Oberpritschen, near his hometown. There, he balanced the demands of ministry and music, shepherding his congregation through the turbulence of the Thirty Years’ War. He married in 1616, raising three sons and four daughters, and saw his own family continue his pastoral legacy after his death.
Teschner’s life unfolded during a period of profound change in German music. The early 17th century was a crossroads: the grandeur of Renaissance polyphony met the expressive new styles arriving from Italy. Some German churches clung to the old ways, insisting on the “gravity and majesty” of Josquin and Lassus, while others experimented with the lighter textures of the Italian concerted style. Teschner, like many of his contemporaries, found himself navigating these currents, blending tradition with innovation.
The Lutheran chorale was at the heart of worship, and Teschner’s melodies were crafted for congregational singing—clear, singable, and rich with meaning. His most famous tune, “Valet will ich dir geben,” is marked by its sturdy meter (7.6.7.6 D) and its ability to carry both sorrow and hope. It is no accident that this melody, with some adaptation, became the setting for the Palm Sunday hymn “All Glory, Laud and Honor,” a song of praise that echoes through Holy Week services to this day.
All glory, laud, and honor
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.
While “Valet will ich dir geben” is Teschner’s most enduring legacy, his creative output was not limited to a single hymn. Between 1613 and 1614, he composed a number of other hymns—“Anbetung dir, dem Lamme,” “Herr über Tod und Leben,” and “O Gott, nimm an die Gaben,” among others. He also wrote wedding songs, though these have not enjoyed the same lasting popularity.
Teschner’s music was shaped by the realities of his time: plague, war, and the shifting landscape of church music. Yet, his melodies have outlived the turmoil of the 17th century, finding new life in hundreds of hymnals and countless worship services. The tune “ST. THEODULPH” alone has appeared in at least 628 hymnals, clear evidence of its lasting ability to unite voices in praise and prayer.
The last years of Teschner’s life were shadowed by the violence of the Thirty Years’ War. In 1635, at the age of 51, he died as a result of an attack by Cossacks—a tragic end that speaks to the dangers faced by pastors and their flocks in that era. Yet, even in death, Teschner’s legacy was not silenced. His son, and later his grandson, would serve as pastors in Oberpritschen, continuing the work he began.
Melchior Teschner may not have achieved the fame of Heinrich Schütz or Michael Praetorius, but his contribution to the Lutheran hymn tradition is unmistakable. His music bridges the gap between sorrow and hope, tradition and innovation, earth and heaven. Each time “All Glory, Laud and Honor” is sung, Teschner’s melody carries the prayers of a new generation, just as it did for those who first heard it in a plague-stricken town four centuries ago.
In the end, Teschner’s life is a reminder that God uses ordinary men—pastors, cantors, fathers—to shape the worship of His people. Through melody and ministry, Teschner’s legacy continues, inviting us to join our voices with his in a song of farewell, hope, and praise.
