Philipp Nicolai (10 August 1556 – 26 October 1608) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Lutheran pastor, poet, and composer. He is most widely recognized as a
hymnodist
A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...
.
Biography
Philipp Nicolai was born at
Mengeringhausen
Mengeringhausen is a village and a municipal district of Bad Arolsen in Waldeck-Frankenberg, in Hesse, Germany. Its population is estimated to be 3,800 people.
The was first mentioned as the town 'Stadt Mengeringhausen' in 1234. The town was in ...
in
Waldeck,
Hesse,
Germany where his father was a Lutheran pastor. His early education include studies at
Kassel in Hesse,
Hildesheim in Lower Saxony and
Dortmund in Westphalia. He studied theology at the
University of Erfurt where he was a pupil of
Ludwig Helmbold.
In 1583, he was ordained to the Lutheran ministry and was appointed minister at
Herdecke
Herdecke () is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located south of Dortmund in the Ruhr Area. Its location between the two Ruhr reservoirs Hengsteysee and Harkortsee has earned it the nickname ...
. He was subsequently expelled during the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) ...
. In 1588, he became pastor at Altwildungen in Hesse. He graduated with a Doctorate Degree in Theology from 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 i ...
in 1594. In 1596, he became the minister at
Unna in
Westphalia. In 1601, he was elected chief pastor of
St. Katherine's Church (''Katharinenkirche'') in
Hamburg.
He was the author of two famous
hymns: ''
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
"" (literally: Awake, the voice is calling us) is a Lutheran hymn written in German by Philipp Nicolai, first published in 1599 together with "". It appears in German hymnals and in several English hymnals in translations such as "Wake, Awake, ...
'' and ''
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
"" (; How lovely shines the morning star) is a Lutheran hymn by Philipp Nicolai written in 1597 and first published in 1599. It inspired musical settings through centuries, notably Bach's chorale cantata , but also vocal and instrumental works by ...
'', sometimes referred to as the King and Queen of Chorales, respectively. These two
chorale
Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale:
* Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the ...
s have inspired many composers, including
Johann Sebastian Bach, whose
chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the German Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chorale cantata includes mult ...
s
''Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern'', BWV 1, and
''Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme'', BWV 140, are based on them.
Bach's
organ transcription of the latter, as published in the
Schübler Chorales
' ( 'six chorales of diverse kinds, to be played on an organ with two manuals and pedal'), commonly known as the ''Schübler Chorales'' (german: Schübler-Choräle), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastia ...
, has become world famous. Nicolai is supposed to be the last example of the
Meistersinger
A (German for "master singer") was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composition and unaccompanied art song of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part.
Guilds
The ' ...
tradition, in which words and music, text and melody stem from one and the same person.
''King and Queen of Chorales'' (Christian Classics Eternal Library)
/ref>
Philipp Nicolai is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context doe ...
of the Lutheran Church on 26 October together with hymnodist
A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...
s Johann Heermann
Johann Heermann (11 October 158517 February 1647) was a German poet and hymnodist. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on 26 October with Philipp Nicolai and Paul Gerhardt.
Life
Heermann was born in Raudten ...
and Paul Gerhardt
Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheran minister and hymnodist.
Biography
Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. His father died in ...
.
Hymns
* ''Wachet auf! ruft uns die Stimme'' (Eng: Wake, O wake! With tidings thrilling)
* “Wie schön leuchtet”
See also
*Lutheran orthodoxy
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the ''Book of Concord'' and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine R ...
References
Other sources
*Glover, Raymond F. (1990) ''The Hymnal 1982 Companion, Volume One'' (Church Publishing Inc)
*Crump, William D. (2013) ''The Christmas encyclopedia'' (McFarland & Company, 3rd ed.)
Further reading
''Philipp Nicolai 1556-1608'' (The Cyber Hymnal)
''Philipp Nicolai Society'' Wittenberg Trail)
''Studies In Lutheran Chorales'' by Hilton C. Oswald, Edited by Bruce R. Backer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolai, Philipp
1556 births
1608 deaths
People from Bad Arolsen
People from Waldeck (state)
German poets
University of Wittenberg alumni
People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar
German Lutheran hymnwriters
German male writers
German-language poets