Martin Rinkart, or Rinckart (23 April 1586,

Eilenburg Eilenburg (; , ) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig. Geography Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge of the D� ...

– 8 December 1649) was a German Lutheran clergyman and

hymnist 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 is traditionally ...

. He is best known for the text to "Nun danket alle Gott" (" Now thank we all our God") which was written c. 1636. It was set to music 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 ...

about 1647, and translated into English in the 19th century by Catherine Winkworth. Rinkart was a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

Eisleben Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. First mentioned in the late 10th century ...

and archdeacon at

, where he was born and also died. He served there 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 ...

and a severe plague in 1637.

Hymns

* ''Nun danket alle Gott'' (Now thank we all our God) * 'Rinkart' is the name of a tune written by

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 ...

for the hymn 'Christ is the world's true Light' by

G. W. Briggs George Wallace Briggs (14 December 1875 – 30 December 1959) was an English hymn writer and Anglican clergyman. Career Briggs was born on 14 December 1875, in Nottingham, to George Briggs and Betsy Ann Hardstaff, and educated at Loughborough Gra ...

(New English Hymnal 494).

External links

Martin Rinkart
hymnary.org

Bach Cantatas Website * * 1586 births 1649 deaths German Renaissance composers People from Eilenburg German Lutherans German Lutheran hymnwriters German male composers 17th-century German composers 17th-century hymnwriters 17th-century German musicians 17th-century German male musicians {{Germany-composer-stub