Macht hoch die Tür

"Macht hoch die Tür" (Fling wide the door) is a German popular Advent hymn, written in Ducal Prussia in the 17th century. The incipit is the first line, "Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit (Fling wide the door, unbar the gate). The lyrics were written by Georg Weissel in 1623, for the inauguration of the Altroßgärter Kirche in Königsberg. The melody that is now associated with the text appeared first in 1704 in the hymnal by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen.

"Macht hoch die Tür" appears as number 1 in the current German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG 1). It is also part of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob (GL 218), among others. As one of the best-known and most popular Advent songs, it was translated, into English by Catherine Winkworth in 1855 as "Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates", also to Swedish and Norwegian, among others. It was also translated to Indian languages like Telugu and Tamil.

The lyrics were written by Georg Weissel in 1623, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Altroßgärter Kirche in Königsberg on the second Sunday in Advent that year, where he was appointed minister the following Sunday. For the service of his appointment as minister the following Sunday, he wrote "Such, wer da will, ein ander Ziel".

"Macht hoch die Tür" appears as number 1 in the current German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG 1). It is also part of the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob (GL 218), It is published in 62 hymnals.

The lyrics are in five stanzas of eight lines each. The beginning is based on the call to open the gates for the King from Psalm 24, which causes the question for which king.(Psalms 24:7–10) This passage meant originally the celebration of the entry of the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple in Jerusalem. It was early interpreted in the Christian church as referring also to the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem, narrated by Matthew (Matthew 21:1–9) quoting Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). Both the psalm and the gospel are recommended readings in the Protestant church in Germany for the first Sunday in Advent.

The last two lines of all stanzas express praise, similar to a refrain, with the first stanza praising God, the second the Saviour, the third the Comforter, the fourth the Trinity, the final one the name of God for ever.

Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit; es kommt der Herr der Herrlichkeit, ein König aller Königreich, ein Heiland aller Welt zugleich, der Heil und Leben mit sich bringt; derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt: Gelobet sei mein Gott, mein Schöpfer reich von Rat. Er ist gerecht, ein Helfer wert; Sanftmütigkeit ist sein Gefährt, sein Königskron ist Heiligkeit, sein Zepter ist Barmherzigkeit; all unsre Not zum End er bringt, derhalben jauchzt, mit Freuden singt: Gelobet sei mein Gott, mein Heiland groß von Tat. O wohl dem Land, o wohl der Stadt, so diesen König bei sich hat. Wohl allen Herzen insgemein, da dieser König ziehet ein. Er ist die rechte Freudensonn, bringt mit sich lauter Freud und Wonn. Gelobet sei mein Gott, mein Tröster früh und spat. Macht hoch die Tür, die Tor macht weit, eu’r Herz zum Tempel zubereit’. Die Zweiglein der Gottseligkeit steckt auf mit Andacht, Lust und Freud; so kommt der König auch zu euch, ja, Heil und Leben mit zugleich. Gelobet sei mein Gott, voll Rat, voll Tat, voll Gnad. Komm, o mein Heiland Jesu Christ, meins Herzens Tür dir offen ist. Ach zieh mit deiner Gnade ein; dein Freundlichkeit auch uns erschein. Dein Heilger Geist uns führ und leit den Weg zur ewgen Seligkeit. Dem Namen dein, o Herr, sei ewig Preis und Ehr.

It took some time until the text was connected with the melody popular today. The first music for the lyrics was a five-part choral setting by Johann Stobäus, whom Weissel knew from their time of studies in Königsberg. Stobäus re-published in 1642 Preußische Fest-Lieder auf das ganze Jahr für 5–8 Stimmen by his teacher Johannes Eccard, which was first printed in 1598. He included his setting of "Macht hoch die Tür" in its Erster Teil (First part).

The melody that is now associated with the text appeared first in 1704 in a hymnal by Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen, the Freylinghausen'sches Gesangbuch (Freylinghausen's Songbook), titled Geist-reiches Gesang-Buch (Song book rich in spirit).

It has been set to music frequently, such as a five-part choral setting by Max Reger, No. 1 of his Zwölf deutsche geistliche Gesänge, WoO VI/13/1, written in 1899.

As one of the best-known and most popular Advent songs, it was translated to several languages. Niels Johannes Holm translated it to Norwegian in 1829, revised by Magnus Brostrup Landstad in 1861, as "Gjør døren høy". Catherine Winkworth wrote a translation to English in 1855, "Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates". A Swedish version, "Gör porten hög" was translated by Jacob Arrhenius [sv] for Jesper Swedberg's Book of Hymns, printed in 1694. It was revised for a later edition by Johan Olaf Wallin.In English, it has been translated as Fling Wide the Door by Gracia Grinal, 1943, published by Augsburg Fortress in its hymnals, most recently Evangelical Lutheran Worship.