Balthasar Benjamin Kindermann (10 April 1636 – 12 February 1706) was a German poet, teacher and pastor.
Kindermann was born in
Zittau
Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...
, 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 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 ...
to study theology, but he also studied poetry and rhetoric with
August Buchner
August Buchner (2 November 1591 – 12 February 1661) was a German philologist, poet and literary scholar, an influential professor of poetry and rhetoric at the University of Wittenberg.
Career
Buchner was born in Dresden the son of Paul Buch ...
. In 1657 he earned his master's degree in theology. One year later he was crowned as ''
poeta laureatus'' 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 ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) 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 Republic), then Ge ...
", 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 pastor 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. H ...
in 1690 and became head of the school (''Scholarch'') later. He died in
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
in 1706.
Kindermann's work is extremely versatile: it includes satirical "poems" in the style of
Johann Michael Moscherosch, 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 List of cities and towns in Germany, 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 sit ...
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 (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...
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 (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 ...
used as the basis for his chorale cantata
''Was frag ich nach der Welt'', BWV 94, for the ninth Sunday after
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
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