Born: c1620 - Merseburg, Germany
Died: c1682 - Ohlau, Silesia

Martin Jahn [Janus, Jähn, Jahn, Jan] was a German poet. On March 14, 1644 he was registered at the University of Königsberg - with high probability of already being trained as a musician. Here he studied theology for several semesters, until he received an employment as a musician in Steinau an der Steinau (Upper Silesia). In the course of the counter-reformation he fled to Niederlausitz. He served at the two Evangelist Churches in Sorau he as director of music, probably with support of the baron Sigismund Seifried von Promnitz. After the death of his sponsor (June 30, 1654), he worked as Rector and Kantor at the city school in Sagen (North Silesia, from which, however, he was driven out again during denomination confusions. After a long period of looking for a new job, he accepted the post of Kantor in Ohlau, where the reformator Herzogin (Duchess) Luise resided.

Of Martin Jahn's works (many are considered as lost) only the church hymn (song) Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne exists. His Passionale melicum, which includes also texts by Andreas Gryphius, Martin Opitz), offers what is considered as erste umfassende Sammlung ev. Passionslyrik ("the first comprehensive collection of Evangelist Passion lyrics").

Source: BBKL Website (Author: Reinhard Tenberg, 1990), English translation by Aryeh Oron (May 2006)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2003), Teddy Kaufman (May 2006)

Texts of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

BWV 147, BWV 154

Chorale Texts used in Bach’s Vocal Works

Title

Year

EKG

Zahn

Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne

Links to other Sites

Janus, Martin (BBKL) [German]

Bibliography

Siegfried Fornaçon: M. J., ein schlesischer Glaubensflüchtling. In: Jb. für schlesische Kirche und Kirchengeschichte. NF 35, 1956. S. 31-43
Lebensbilder der Liederdichter und Melodisten. Bearb. von Wilhelm Leuken. Göttingen 1957. S. 150-151
ADB XIII, 710- 711
MGG VI, 1671-1673
RISM IV, 490

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