Georg Neumark
Encyclopedia
Georg Neumark was a German poet
and composer
of hymns.
and later transferred to that of Gotha
. In 1640 he began law studies at the University of Königsberg
. Fleeing the tumult of war he took a position as tutor in Kiel
. In 1643 he was able to return to Königsberg, where he devoted himself more and more to music, in which he was greatly supported by Simon Dach
.
After graduating in law Neumark went first to Danzig
and in 1649 to Thorn
. Two years later, in 1651, he returned to his native Thuringia
. There his uncle, councilor Plattner, introduced him to the duke Wilhelm IV of Saxe-Weimar
, who appointed him Kanzleiregistrator and in 1652 librarian.
In the following year the duke brought Neumark into the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft. He received the nickname der Sprossende (the sprouting) and the motto
Nützlich und ergetzlich (useful and delightful), as well as the emblem Schwarzbraune gefüllte Nelken (dark-brown carnation). In 1656 he was elected Erzschreinhalter der Fruchtbringenden Gesellschaft (guardian of the shrine). His famous hymn Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten appeared in 1641.
The Pegnesische Blumenorden (a poet's society in Nurnberg named after the river Pegnitz
) accepted Neumark a member in 1679. He carried on an extensive but not untroubled correspondence with the society's president, Sigmund von Birken, who acted as his literary agent.
On July 8 1681 Georg Neumark died at the age of 60 in Weimar, where he was interred in the Jacobsfriedhof. The Evangelical Church
marks his memorial on July 9.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of hymns.
Life
Neumark was the son of Michael Neumark and his wife Martha. From 1630 he attended the Gymnasium in SchleusingenSchleusingen
Schleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl....
and later transferred to that of Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
. In 1640 he began law studies at the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
. Fleeing the tumult of war he took a position as tutor in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. In 1643 he was able to return to Königsberg, where he devoted himself more and more to music, in which he was greatly supported by Simon Dach
Simon Dach
Simon Dach was a Prussian German lyrical poet and writer of hymns, born in Memel in the Duchy of Prussia.-Early life:...
.
After graduating in law Neumark went first to Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and in 1649 to Thorn
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
. Two years later, in 1651, he returned to his native Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. There his uncle, councilor Plattner, introduced him to the duke Wilhelm IV of Saxe-Weimar
Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar
Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar , was a duke of Saxe-Weimar.Wilhelm was the fifth son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt...
, who appointed him Kanzleiregistrator and in 1652 librarian.
In the following year the duke brought Neumark into the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft. He received the nickname der Sprossende (the sprouting) and the motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
Nützlich und ergetzlich (useful and delightful), as well as the emblem Schwarzbraune gefüllte Nelken (dark-brown carnation). In 1656 he was elected Erzschreinhalter der Fruchtbringenden Gesellschaft (guardian of the shrine). His famous hymn Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten appeared in 1641.
The Pegnesische Blumenorden (a poet's society in Nurnberg named after the river Pegnitz
Pegnitz River
The Pegnitz is a small river in Franconia in the German federal state of Bavaria. The Pegnitz has its source in the city of the same name at an altitude of and meets the Rednitz at northwest of Fürth...
) accepted Neumark a member in 1679. He carried on an extensive but not untroubled correspondence with the society's president, Sigmund von Birken, who acted as his literary agent.
On July 8 1681 Georg Neumark died at the age of 60 in Weimar, where he was interred in the Jacobsfriedhof. The Evangelical Church
Evangelical Church in Germany
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a federation of 22 Lutheran, Unified and Reformed Protestant regional church bodies in Germany. The EKD is not a church in a theological understanding because of the denominational differences. However, the member churches share full pulpit and altar...
marks his memorial on July 9.
Selected works
- Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, 1641, his most famous hymn, used by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1724 for his chorale cantataBach cantataBach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 93Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 93Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten , BWV 93, is a cantata of Johann Sebastian Bach, written in Leipzig for the fifth Sunday after Trinity, first performed on 9 July 1724.-History:... - Poetisch- und Musikalisches Lustwäldchen, Hamburg 1652
- Fortgepflantzter Musikalisch-Poetischer Lustwald, Jena 1657
- Christlicher Potentaten Ehren-Krohne, Jena 1675
- Poetisch-Historischer Lustgarten, Frankfurt/Main 1666
- Poetische Tafeln, oder gründliche Anweisung zur deutschen Verskunst, Nürnberg 1668
- Der Neu-Sprossende Teutsche Palmbaum, Nürnberg 1669
- Thränendes Haus-Kreutz, Weimar 1681 (Digitalisat)
Further reading
- Gottfried Claussnitzer: Georg Neumark. Ein Lebens- und Literaturbild aus dem siebzehnten Jahrhundert. Diss., Universität Leipzig 1924
- Hans Friese: Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten. Georg Neumark und sein Lied. Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1960
- Franz Knauth: Georg Neumark nach Leben und Dichten. Beyer, Langensalza 1881
- Michael Ludscheidt: Georg Neumark (1621–1681). Leben und Werk. Winter, Heidelberg 2002, ISBN 3-8253-1361-1 (zugl. Dissertation der Univ. Jena, 2000)
Bibliographies
- Gerhard DünnhauptGerhard DünnhauptGerhard Dünnhaupt, FRSC is a German bibliographer, literary historian, emeritus professor of the University of Michigan, an honorary life member of the Modern Language Association of America, and an Elected Fellow of the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada...
: "Georg Neumark (1621-1681)", in: Personalbibliographien zu den Drucken des Barock, Bd. 4. Stuttgart: Hiersemann 1991, S. 2958-78. ISBN 3-7772-9122-6