Emily R. Brink (PHH 158) composed the HEIDELBERG 1 for this text in Champaign, Illinois, in 1975 (the year that the new translation of the catechism was adopted by the Christian Reformed Church). Brink composed the tune, along with a setting for the final "Amen" answer in the Heidelberg Catechism, for a hymn contest celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Calvin College in 1976. Although no submitted hymns were selected as the centennial hymn, eight of Brink's settings for various Q&As of the Catechism (see also 507) were published in Bible Landmarks: A Study of the Heidelberg Catechism, part of the Bible Way curriculum published by CRC Publications in 1977.
HEIDELBERG 1 consists of one flexible chantlike formula, which is applied to stanzas 1-4, and another set of derived motives, which shape stanza 5. Either sing in unison throughout or sing stanzas 1-4 in unison and stanza 5 in harmony. Organ accompaniment initially calls for two manuals and pedal with a clear stop for the soprano part; the increased texture in four parts in stanza 5 suggests a fuller registration.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook