Nikolaus Herman (first name alsoNicolaus orNiklas;[1]c. 1500 – 3 May 1561) was a GermanLutherancantor and teacher, creating numerous Protestanthymns. Some of them are contained in hymnals in several languages.
Herman was born inAltdorf. In 1518 he came as cantor and teacher at the Latin School of Joachimsthal (nowJáchymov, Bohemia). He was a supporter of theReformation; a letter ofMartin Luther to him is dated 6 November 1524. He collaborated with people such asJohannes Mathesius, who served there from 1532 as principal of the school, and from 1540 as a pastor.[2] On 24 June 1557 Herman retired. He published his hymns, which he wrote primarily for teaching children, in 1560 under the titleDie Sonntagsevangelia über das Jahr in Gesänge verfasset für die Kinder und christlichen Hausväter (The Sundays' Gospels through the year in songs written for the children and Christian fathers).[3]
Several of his hymns are part of present-dayhymnals, such as the current German Protestant hymnalEvangelisches Gesangbuch (EG) and the Catholic hymnalGotteslob (GL).
He created text and melody for a few hymns:
He wrote the text of:
Johann Sebastian Bach used stanzas from his hymns in severalcantatas. In the cantata forEaster Sunday 1715,Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret, BWV 31, Bach used the melody of "Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist" instrumentally in movement 8, stanza 5 as the closing chorale, movement 9.[6] Bach closedChristus, der ist mein Leben, BWV 95 (1723), with stanza 4 of the same hymn.[6] The first stanza of "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" appears in the center of the cantata for the first Sunday afterEasterHalt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67 (1724), a stanza from "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich" inSüßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt, BWV 151, for the third day of Christmas 1725, and the hymn's final stanza to closeIch lebe, mein Herze, zu deinem Ergötzen, BWV 145 for the third day of Easter (1729). In hisOrgelbüchlein, he composed organ preludes on "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich" (BWV 609) and the Easter hymn "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" (BWV 629).[2]
Several hymns were translated to Danish and English and included in hymnals, such as the DanishPsalmebog for Kirke og Hjem [da]. "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich" was translated to "Let all together praise our God" by A. T. Russell, as No. 52 in hisPsalms & Hymns, 1851, and to "Praise ye the Lord, ye Christians" E. Cronenwett, as No. 31 in theOhio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880, among others.[8]
