OT ENOUGH. It was simply not enough for the editorial team of the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal to include hundreds of fresh, forgotten, fabulous hymns. The book also includes all the “old favorites” which are known and loved by Catholics everywhere. Without question, one of those much-loved hymns is: To Jesus Christ, Our Sovereign King, with a famous text by Monsignor Martin Hellriegel (d. 1981).
Melody Comes From Where? • Most hymnals call the melody “Ich Glaub An Gott” and cite the Mainz Gesangbuch from 1870. But has anyone actually seen the original melody? Has anyone actually seen the original harmonization? When you look in German hymn books, the tunes for “Ich Glaub An Gott” don’t match the tune we know:
This one seems closer, but still hardly a match:
Ted Marier • In his famous hymnal—which was given a very positive review by Daniel Craig—Dr. Theodore Marier (d. 2001) calls this tune “Christus Rex” and describes it as a “Mainz melody.”
Update: (29 October 2022)
{From the former director of the Basilica in Saint Louis.}
Well, dear friend, as you know the hymn is closely associated with St. Louis and Msgr. Hellriegel is still highly revered there as well. The story is that he “knew that tune from growing up” in the area around Mainz. However, neither “Ich glaub…” nor the tune seem to be recognized over there when we were in Germany and tried to find out the origin. So, as you said, it may remain a mystery.
