Johann Crüger (9 April 1598 – 23 February 1662) was a German composer of well-known

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'' d ...

s. He was also the editor of the most widely used

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...

of the 17th century, '' Praxis pietatis melica''.

Early life and education

Crüger was born in Groß Breesen (now part of

Guben Guben (Polish language, Polish and Sorbian languages, Sorbian: ''Gubin'') is a town on the Lusatian Neisse river in Lower Lusatia, in the States of Germany, state of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. Located in the Spree-Neiße Districts of German ...

) as the son of an innkeeper, Georg Crüger.Nummert, Dietrich
"Mit 24 schon Musikdirektor. Kantor und Lehrer Johann Crüger"
'' Berlinische Monatsschrift'', pp. 64–68 (April 1998) He was an ethnic Sorb, baptized as Jan Krygar.Zersen, David and Mellenbruch, Eric. “Najwuznamn-niši němski kěrlušer poreforma-ciskeje doby bě Serb”, Serbsky protyka, pp. 53–56 (2018) (In Sorbian) He studied at the nearby

Lateinschule The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Coloni ...

(then located in Guben) until 1613, and that school's teaching program included music and singing. He then traveled to Sorau and Breslau for further education, and finally to

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

, where he received musical training from Paulus Homberger (1560–1634). In 1615 he traveled to Berlin, where he studied theology at the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster. In 1616 he was engaged as a house tutor to the von Blumenthal family; his pupils included Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal. From 1620 he studied theology at the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

and trained himself further in music through private study.

Career

From 1622 to his death, a period of 40 years, he was simultaneously a teacher at the gymnasium ''Zum Grauen Kloster'' and

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

of the Nikolaikirche in Berlin. Crüger composed numerous concert works and wrote extensively on music education. In 1643 he became acquainted with the famous hymn writer Paul Gerhardt, for whom he wrote the music for various hymns, including " Wie soll ich dich empfangen". In 1647 he edited the most important German Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, '' Praxis pietatis melica'', which appeared in many more editions. Among the hymns for which he composed music is Johann Franck's "" (You, o beautiful building of the world). It is no longer in practical use, but one

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

, "" (Come, O death, to sleep a brother), was prominently used in Bach's solo cantata ''Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen'', BWV 56. He composed the tune for Rinkart's " Nun danket alle Gott", and for Franck's " Jesu, meine Freude", which Bach used for a motet of the same name.

Personal life

In 1628, he married the widow of a city councilman. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, Crüger and his family endured many hardships including hunger.Bautz, Friedrich Wilhelm
"Biografía de Crüger"
'' Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'' He fell ill with plague, and almost died of that disease, losing five children and his wife in 1636. In 1637, having recovered from the disease, he got married a second time, to the 17-year-old daughter of an innkeeper, with whom he had fourteen children, most of whom died at a young age. One of his daughters married the court painter Michael Conrad Hirt, who made a portrait of Crüger in 1663. Crüger died in Berlin.

References

External links

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Free scores
at the Mutopia Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruger, Johann 1598 births 1662 deaths People from Guben German Lutheran hymnwriters German Lutherans German male classical composers German Baroque composers German classical composers of church music University of Wittenberg alumni German music theorists German people of Sorbian descent 17th-century German classical composers 17th-century German male musicians