The Leuthen Chorale was a tune

Melody

A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...

 originally composed in the seventeenth century by Johannes Crüger, tutor to the von Blumenthal

Von Blumenthal

The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...

 family and Director of Music at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. It was used as the setting for Martin Rinckart's hymn Nun danket alle Gott (sung in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 to the same tune as Now Thank We All Our God

Now Thank We All Our God

"Now thank we all our God" is a popular Christian hymn. It is a translation from the German "Nun danket alle Gott", written circa 1636 by Martin Rinkart , which in turn was inspired by Sirach, chapter 50 verses 22–24, from the praises of Simon the high priest...

). This hymn is the basis for two J.S. Bach compositions: the chorale harmonisation BWV 386 and the Leipzig Prelude

Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes

The Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668, are a set of chorale preludes for organ prepared by Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig in his final decade 1740-1750, from earlier works composed in Weimar, where he was court organist...

 BWV 657.

After the Battle of Leuthen

Battle of Leuthen

In the Battle of Leuthen or Lissa, fought on 5 December 1757, Frederick the Great's Prussian army used maneuver and terrain to decisively defeat a much larger Austrian army under Charles of Lorraine, thus ensuring Prussian control of Silesia during the Seven Years' War.- Background :While Frederick...

 in 1757, an unknown Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...

n soldier standing near Frederick the Great began singing it spontaneously, and the hymn was taken up by the entire assembled Prussian army, about 25.000 men.