Johann Leon (Hymn-Writer)

Born: 1531 - Ohrdruf, Thuringia, Germany
Died: Easter 1597 - Wölfis, , Thuringia, Germany

Johann [Johannes] Leon was a Lutheran pastor and hymn-writer. He began his studies in 1550 in Wittenberg. In 1553 he became a teacher in Erfurt and in 1554 pastor in Azmannsdorf. He was for some time an army chaplain, then in 1557 pastor at Königsee (Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt). From 1560 to 1563 and from 1568 to 1574 he was pastor in Großmölsen. In 1563 he was a field preacher with Graf (Count) Günther von Schwarzburg. In 1574 or 1575 he became pastor in Wölfis near Gotha, where he remained until his death.

Johann Leon wrote numerous church hymns, Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt, which J.S. Bach later edited as a chorale (BWV 351). J.S. Bach also used the melody of this hymn, which comes from an unknown composer, the instrumental movement of his cantata Kantate Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106), and for his organ chorales BWV 707 and BWV 708. Heinrich Schütz and Georg Philipp Telemann also used his texts. His hymns appeared principally in his (1) Handbüchlin, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1566, and (2) Trostbülein. The edition printed at Nürnberg, 161-1, has a preface of December 9, 1588, so that the first edition was probably 1589. His hymns are reprinted in Wackernagel, iv., Nos. 671-715.

Works

Erfurter Weihnachtsspiel (1553)
Handbüchlein, von diesem Jammerthal seligklich abzusterben, published by Thomam Rebart (1560)
Trostbüchlein (1589)
Theses Theologicae De Traditionibus (1589)

Source: German Wikipedia Website; (October 2017), English translation by Aryeh Oron (September 2018); Hymnary.org Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (September 2018)

Texts of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

BWV 106/2d; BWV 351

Chorale Texts used in Bach’s Vocal Works

Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt (1589)

Links to other Sites

Johann Leon (Wikipedia) [German]
Johannes Leon (Hymnary.org)
ADB: Leon, Johann (WikiSource) [Geeman]

Bibliography

Eduard Emil Koch: Geschichte des Kirchenlieds und Kirchengesangs der christlichen insbesondere der deutschen evangelischen Kirche. Zweiter Band. 3. Auflage. Welser, Stuttgart 1867, S. 256–258 (Digitalisat).
Albert Schumann: Leon, Johann. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 18, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, S. 298 f.