Ludwig Helmbold, also spelled Ludwig Heimbold, (21 January 1532 – 8 April 1598) was a poet of

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s. He is probably best known for his hymn " Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren", of which

J. S. 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 w ...

used the fifth stanza for his cantata ''O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad'', BWV 165; Bach also used his words in

BWV 73 (Lord, as you will, so let it be done with me), 73, is a Bach cantata, church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it for the third Sunday after Epiphany (holiday), Epiphany and first performed it in Leipzig on 23 January 1724. It was pr ...

, 79 and 186a.

Biography

Helmbold was born in

Mühlhausen Mühlhausen () is a city in the north-west of Thuringia, Germany, north of Niederdorla, the country's geographical centre, north-west of Erfurt, east of Kassel and south-east of Göttingen. Mühlhausen was first mentioned in 967 and bec ...

. He became a professor of

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

an der Erfurt University in 1554. In 1571 he was appointed a minister at the Marienkirche in Mühlhausen, later as

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

. Helmbold was crowned ''poeta laureatus'' by

Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II (31 July 1527 – 12 October 1576) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death in 1576. A member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, he was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (King ...

, in 1566 on the Reichstag at Augsburg.

Hymns

The Mühlhausen cantors

Joachim a Burck Joachim von Burck, also Joachim a Burgk or Joachim Moller (Burg, 1546-Mühlhausen, 24 May 1610) was a German composer, notable for an early German Passion setting. As Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German c ...

and

Johannes Eccard Johannes Eccard (1553–1611) was a German composer and kapellmeister. He was an early principal conductor at the Berlin court chapel. Biography Eccard was born at Mühlhausen, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. At the age of eighteen he went to ...

set many of Helmbold's more than hundred hymns to music. Some of his works were used by

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 w ...

in his

cantatas A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of t ...

, such as * ''Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir'', BWV 73 * ''Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild'', BWV 79 * ''Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht'', BWV 186a * ''O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad'', BWV 165. A few of his hymns are still included in the German Protestant hymnal '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (EG): * EG 320: "Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herren" * EG 365: "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" (Also in ''

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary The ''Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary'' (''ELH'') is a hymnal created by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1996. The Norwegian heritage of the ELS is evident in this hymnal, although a broader ethnicity is clearly represented. From the indexes l ...

'', #465) * EG (Nordelbien) 558: "Amen, Gott Vater und Sohne"

Other recognition

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

References

Literature

* * *

External links

*
Entries for Ludwig Helmbold
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmbold, Ludwig 16th-century German poets 16th-century German male writers 1532 births 1598 deaths Academic staff of the University of Erfurt German male poets 16th-century male writers Clergy from Thuringia