Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr lyrics by Nikolaus Decius
"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" (Alone to God in the highest be glory) is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius. With the reformers intending church service in German, it was intended as a German version of the Gloria part of the Latin mass, used in almost every service. Decius wrote three stanzas, probably in 1523, while a fourth was added, probably by Joachim Slüter.
"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" is included in many German hymnals, including the current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch and (in three stanzas) in the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob. Catherine Winkworth translated it to "All glory be to God on high".History
With the Reformation, the traditional Latin of Christian church services was changed to German. "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" is a paraphrase of the Latin Gloria from the mass liturgy. The oldest prints of the hymn do not mention an author, but it is believed that it was written in Low German by Nikolaus Decius in 1523, which makes it one of the earliest songs of the Reformation. The melody, Zahn No. 4457, is adapted from the Gloria of the mass for Easter in Gregorian chant, Lux et origo (GL 114).