DIX
An early form of the tune DIX was composed by Conrad Kocher (b. Ditzingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, 1786; d. Stuttgart, Germany, 1872). Trained as a teacher, Kocher moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work as a tutor at the age of seventeen. But his love for the music of Haydn and Mozart impelled him to a career in music. He moved back to Germany in 1811, settled in Stuttgart, and remained there for most of his life. The prestigious Cotta music firm published some of his early compositions and sent him to study music in Italy, where he came under the influence of Palestrina’s music. In 1821 Kocher founded the School for Sacred Song in Stuttgart, which popu larized four-part singing in the churches of that region. He was organist and choir director at the Striftsckirche in Stuttgart from 1827 to 1865. Kocher wrote a treatise on church music, Die Tonkunst in derKirche (1823), collected a large number of chorales in ZionsHarfe (1855), and composed an oratorio, two operas, and some sonatas. William H. Monk created the current form of DIX by revising and shortening Conrad Kocher’s chorale melody for “Treuer Heiland, wir sind hir,” found in Kocher’s Stimmen aus den Reiche Gottes (1838). Monk’s tune was published with Dix’s text in the 1861 edition of Hymns Ancient andModern, of which Monk was music editor. 513 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS Dix regretted the use of this tune for his text, but the combination has proven a good match—“As with Gladness” is the most popular Epiphany Liturgical Use: Epiphany; Christmas season. 359 Christ Is the King and He Shall Reign
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From seeking Christ through faith's journey (Law) to eternal communion in heavenly light (Gospel), moving from earthly pilgrimage to eschatological fulfillment