Kaspar Füger (also Caspar, born c. 1521, died after 1592) was a German Lutheran pastor and hymn writer. Füger was born around 1521 in Dresden. He worked as a chaplain in

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies first met near ...

, Saxony, and later he served as pastor at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden. He died after 1592. His son of the same name was a composer of hymns and from 1585 to 1586 ''Kreuzkantor'' (director of music) at the same church. Füger the Elder wrote a Christmas carol, "Ihr Christenleut". which was used by several composers.

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

set different stanzas of it, on the tune by

Johann Crüger Johann Crüger (9 April 1598 – 23 February 1662) was a German composer of well-known hymns. He was also the editor of the most widely used Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, '' Praxis pietatis melica''. Early life and education Crüger was b ...

, for his

Christmas cantata A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church ser ...

s ''Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes'', BWV 40 (1723), and ''Unser Mund sei voll Lachens'', BWV 110, and as the final chorale in Part III of his ''

Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance in a churc ...

'' of 1734.

References

German Protestant hymnwriters 16th-century German Lutheran clergy 1520s births 1590s deaths 16th-century hymnwriters {{Germany-writer-stub