Johann Crüger

Johann Crüger (9 April 1598 – 23 February 1662) was a German composer of well-known

Crüger was born in Groß Breesen (now part of Guben) as the son of an innkeeper, Georg Crüger.^[1] He was an ethnic Sorb, baptized as Jan Krygar.^[2]

He studied at the nearby

From 1622 to his death, a period of 40 years, he was simultaneously a teacher at the

Crüger composed numerous concert works and wrote extensively on music education. In 1643 he became acquainted with the famous hymn writer Paul Gerhardt, for whom he wrote the music for various hymns, including "Wie soll ich dich empfangen". In 1647 he edited the most important German Lutheran hymnal of the 17th century, Praxis pietatis melica, which appeared in many more editions.^[1]

Among the hymns for which he composed music is Johann Franck's "

In 1628, he married the widow of a city councilman. During the Thirty Years' War, Crüger and his family endured many hardships including hunger.^[3] He fell ill with plague, and almost died of that disease, losing five children and his wife in 1636. In 1637, having recovered from the disease, he got married a second time, to the 17-year-old daughter of an innkeeper, with whom he had fourteen children, most of whom died at a young age.^[3] One of his daughters married the court painter Michael Conrad Hirt, who made a portrait of Crüger in 1663.^[1] Crüger died in Berlin.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johann Crüger.

• Free scores by Johann Crüger at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
• Free scores by Johann Crüger in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Free scores at the Mutopia Project