Balthasar Benjamin Kindermann (10 April 1636 – 12 February 1706) was a German poet.
Kindermann was born in
Zittau
Zittau ( hsb, Žitawa, dsb, Žytawa, pl, Żytawa, cs, Žitava, Upper Lusatian Dialect: ''Sitte''; from Slavic "'' rye''" (Upper Sorbian and Czech: ''žito'', Lower Sorbian: ''žyto'', Polish: ''żyto'')) is the southeasternmost city in the Ge ...
, the son of a ''Schwertfeger,'' a smith who specialized in weapons. He attended the
Gymnasium of his home town and was encouraged by Elias Weise. In 1654 he enrolled at the
University of Wittenberg
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...
to study theology, but he also studied poetry and rhetoric with
August Buchner. In 1657 he earned his master's degree in theology. One year later he was crowned as ''
poeta laureatus
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...
'' by
Johann Rist
Johann Rist (8 March 1607 – 31 August 1667) was a German poet and dramatist best known for his hymns, which inspired musical settings and have remained in hymnals.
Life
Rist was born at Ottensen in Holstein-Pinneberg (today Hamburg) on 8 Marc ...
; he was made a member of Rist's ', the "Order of Swans of the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...
", an association interested in language, in 1660.
In 1659 Kindermann became vice principal of the Saldernsche Schule in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
, and was appointed rector in 1664. In 1660 he married Dorothea Schiffner, the daughter of a Swedish captain, with whom he had four sons and two daughters. In 1667 he went to Magdeburg as a deacon at the Johanniskirche. From 1672 he served as first minister of the Ulrichskirche. He succeeded
Christian Scriver
Christian Scriver (2 January 1629 – 5 April 1693) was a German Lutheran minister and devotional writer.
Biography
Christian Scriver was born at Rendsburg in the Duchy of Schleswig, Germany. He entered the University of Rostock in 1647 ...
in 1690 and became head of the school (''Scholarch'') later. He died in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...
in 1706.
Kindermann's work is extremely versatile: it includes satirical "poems" in the style of
Johann Michael Moscherosch
Johann Michael Moscherosch (7 March 1601 – 4 April 1669), German statesman, satirist, and educator, was born at Willstätt, on the Upper Rhine near Strassburg.
His bitterly brilliant but partisan writings graphically describe life in a G ...
, poetic and rhetorical writings, poetry collections, as well as several plays. He wrote ''Lobgesang des Zerbster Biers'' (''Song of praise of the
Zerbst
Zerbst () is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until an administrative reform in 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the former Anhalt-Zerbst district.
Geography
Zerbst is situated in the Anhalt-Wittenberg regi ...
beer'') in 1658.
His most successful work, ''Der Deutsche Redner'' (''The German Speaker''), a guidebook for speeches, was first published in
Frankfurt an der Oder
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...
in 1660; it appeared in six editions, was edited in 1680 under the title ''Teutscher Wolredner'' and appeared in two more editions.
In 1664, he wrote the hymn ''Was frag ich nach der Welt'', which
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
used as the basis for his chorale cantata ''
Was frag ich nach der Welt, BWV 94
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata (What should I ask of the world) 94 in Leipzig for the ninth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 6 August 1724. It is a chorale cantata, based on the hymn by Balthasar Kindermann (166 ...
'', for the ninth Sunday after
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
of 1724.
Selected works
* ''Lobgesang des Zerbster Biers'' Wittenberg 1658
* ''Der Deutsche Redner'' (The German Speaker) Frankfurt/Oder 1660
* ''Unglückselige Nisette'' Frankfurt/Oder 1660
* ''Buch der Redlichen'' Küstrin 1661
* ''Der Jungfrauen A.B.C.'' (The Virgins' A.B.C.) Wittenberg 1661
* ''Schoristen-Teuffel'' Jena 1661
* ''Die Böse Sieben'' Zeitz 1662
* ''Der Deutsche Poet'' (The German Poet) Wittenberg 1664
* ''Kurandors von Sittau Neue Gesichter'' Wittenberg 1673
References
External links
*
Balthasar Kindermannbach-cantatas.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kindermann, Balthasar
German poets
1636 births
1706 deaths
German male poets