Ludwig Helmbold

Ludwig Helmbold
Born January 21, 1532
Mühlhausen
Died April 8, 1598 (aged 66)
Nationality German
Occupation Poet, philosopher and ecclesiastical minister
Known for Lutheran hymns

Ludwig Helmbold, also spelled Ludwig Heimbold, (21 January 1532 – 8 April 1598) was a poet of Lutheran hymns.[1] He is probably best known for his hymn "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren", of which J. S. Bach used the fifth stanza for his cantata O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165; Bach also used his words in BWV 73, 79 and 186a.

Biography

Helmbold was born in Mühlhausen. He became a professor of Philosophy an der Erfurt University in 1554. In 1571 he was appointed a minister at the Marienkirche in Mühlhausen, later as Superintendent.[2]

Helmbold was crowned poeta laureatus by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1566 on the Reichstag at Augsburg.[2]

The Mühlhausen cantors Joachim à Burck and Johannes Eccard set many of his more than hundred chorales to music. Some of his works were used by Johann Sebastian Bach in his cantatas, such as

A few of his songs are still included in the German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch.

In 1998, a street named Helmboldstraße, next to Bonatstraße, was named after him in Mühlhausen.

References

  1. ↑ Schweitzer, Albert. Die Orgelwerke Johann Sebastian Bachs: Vorworte zu den "Sämtlichen Orgelwerken". Georg Olms Verlag. p. 135. ISBN 978-3-487-41697-7.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ludwig Helmbold (Hymn-Writer, Composer)". bach-cantatas.com. 2006. Retrieved 2010-07-15.

Literature

External links

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