Herman, Nikolaus 01/01/1500 - 05/03/1561

Nikolaus Herman (1500-1561) was born in 1480 or 1500 in Altdorf, near Nürnberg, Germany. He was a church musician and teacher and composed numerous Protestant hymns.



In 1518 he came to the Latin School in St. Joachimsthal as a church musician and teacher. He was a devotee of the Reformation, there is a letter extant written to him by Martin Luther on the 6th of November, 1524. In St. Joachimsthal he worked with Johannes Mathesius, among others, who was the director of the school from 1532 on and after 1540 a minister. Herman retired on the 24th of June, 1557. He published his songs, which he regarded as primarily for the children he taught, under the title "Die Sonntagsevangelia über das Jahr in Gesänge verfasset für die Kinder und christlichen Hausväter" (The Sunday Gospels throughout the Year, Set to Music for Children and Christian Fathers".