Martin Janus
| Martin Janus | |
|---|---|
| Born |
c. 1620 Merseburg |
| Died | c. 1682 |
| Other names | Martin Jahn, Jähn, Jan |
| Education | University of Königsberg |
| Occupation |
|
Martin Janus (also Martin Jahn, Jähn and Jan; c. 1620 – c. 1682) was a German Protestant minister, church musician, hymnwriter, teacher and editor. He wrote the lyrics of the hymn "Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne", which became popular in the arrangement of a Bach chorale as Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.
Career
Born in Merseburg, Janus inscribed to the University of Königsberg on 14 March 1644. He probably received musical education even before. After studying theology for several semesters, he became church musician (Kantor) in Steinau, part of the Duchy of Oppeln. During the Thirty Years' War, he had to flee because the area became Catholic again during the Counter-Reformation. Janus worked as the music director for two churches in Sorau in Lower Lusatia, probably supported by Freiherr Sigismund Seifried von Promnitz. After the death of Promnitz in 1654, Janus moved to Sagan where he became rector and musician at the municipal school (Stadtschule). C. 1664, he also became minister in the nearby Eckersdorf (now Bożnów in Sagan) He had to flee again when Duke Wenzel Eusebius von Lobkowicz made the Duchy of Sagan Catholic again, and Protestant preachers and teachers were expelled. Janus found a position as church musician in the duchy of Ohlau, where Luise of Anhalt-Dessau resided. He died in Ohlau c. 1682.[1][2]
Work
In 1652, Janus published a collection of 50 four-part settings of Passion-songs. It is regarded as the first collection of Passion-songs. In 1663 he published a collection of 200 songs, titled Passionale melicum. It was intended for use at home. Several songs became well-known, for example "Du großer Schmerzensmann" on a text by Adam Thebesius, which is part of the current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch as EG 87. Martin wrote songs himself, but only one became popular, "Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne".[2] It was not part of his song collections, but appeared in the hymnal Christlich Herzens Andacht in Nürnberg in 1665.[3] Johann Sebastian Bach used it in the Leipzig version of his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147.[4] His chorale setting became popular in the arrangement Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.[5]
References
- ↑ Reinhard Tenberg 1990.
- ↑ Hymnary 2017.
- ↑ Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 673.
- ↑ Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 675.
Bibliography
- Dürr, Alfred; Jones, Richard D. P. (2006). The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Oxford University Press. pp. 673–675. ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
- Reinhard Tenberg (1990). "Janus, Martin". In Bautz, Friedrich Wilhelm. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). 2. Hamm: Bautz. cols. 1558–1559. ISBN 3-88309-032-8.
- unknown author (1881), "Janus, Martin", Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) (in German), 13, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 710–711
- "Martin Janus". hymnary.org. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
External links
- Literature by and about Martin Janus in the German National Library catalogue
- Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne / Text and Translation of Chorale Bach Cantatas Website
- Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring The Oxford Dictionary of Musical Works
- BWV 147.6=147.10 bach-chorales.com