Georg Weissel (poet)

Georg Weissel (* 1590 in Domnau , East Prussia ; † August 1, 1635 in Königsberg (Prussia) ) was a Protestant pastor and hymn poet .

Life

Weissel studied theology and music at the Albertus University , among others with the musicians Johann Eccard and Johann Stobäus . After working as a rector in Friedland (East Prussia) he was born on 3 Advent 1623 for the first priest at the Altrossgarten Church in Koenigsberg ordained .

23 songs, written according to Opitz's rules , have come down to us. His most famous song is the occasion of the inauguration of the newly constructed Altrossgarten Church on 2nd Advent 1623 created Adventlied power up the door on the 24th Psalm . It can be found in almost every Christian hymn book today . Catherine Winkworth translated it into English in 1853 under the title Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates . Johann Sebastian Bach used his song Nun liebe Seel, now it's time for the fifth cantata of the Christmas Oratorio .

Weissel is also represented in the Protestant hymn book with the songs O Tod, wo ist dein Stachel (EG 113) and Such, Who Wants There, Another Goal (EG 346), written on the occasion of his inauguration as pastor in Königsberg.

Johannes Block: Georg Weissel. In: Wolfgang Herbst (Ed.): Who is who in the hymnal? Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-50323-7 , pp. 344-345 ( limited preview in Google book search).
Wolfdietrich von Kloeden : WEISSEL, Georg. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 13, Bautz, Herzberg 1998, ISBN 3-88309-072-7 , Sp. 691-693. ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
Werner Krause: The Lord of Glory is coming - How the Advent song “Open the door, the gate opens wide” came about . Verlag der St. Johannis-Druckerei, Lahr-Dinglingen 1900 (4th edition 2004). ISBN 3-501-18304-6 .