Michael Franck (16 March 1609 – 24 September 1667) was a German poet, composer and Protestant hymnwriter. He was born in

Schleusingen Schleusingen is a town in the Hildburghausen (district), district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl. Geography The town of Schleusingen in the Henneber ...

, and died in

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

. Franck initially established a career as a baker. Although he was fairly successful, "he became completely impoverished, because of nocturnal thefts and plunders of his house". He moved to

in 1640, and began teaching. There, he also wrote

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 and poems.

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 ...

thought highly of Franck's poetry, and, in 1659, inducted Franck into his literary association, '' Elbschwanenorden'' (Order of Elbe Swans).

Hymns

Franck's hymns have been incorporated into compositions 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 ...

and

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

. Franck's hymn " Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig" was the base for Bach's

chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chor ...

''Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig'', BWV 26.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franck, Michael 1609 births 1667 deaths People from Hildburghausen (district) German bakers 17th-century German educators German Protestant hymnwriters German poets Writers from Thuringia 17th-century hymnwriters