Georg Neumark
Georg Neumark was a notable German poet and musician, born in 1621 in Langensalza, Thuringia. After graduating from gymnasium schools in Schleusingen and Gotha, he faced significant hardships while attempting to pursue his education, including being robbed by bandits en route to the university in Königsberg. Despite these challenges, he found work as a tutor in Kiel, where he composed the hymn "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten," reflecting his deep faith and resilience. Neumark later enrolled at the University of Königsberg, studying law and poetry, though he encountered further setbacks, including losing all his belongings in a fire. He eventually returned to Thuringia and was appointed court poet and librarian by Duke Wilhelm II of Saxe-Weimar in 1652. Neumark was also active in literary societies, contributing to the enhancement of the German language. Although he became blind in 1681, he continued to serve in his roles until his death on July 18, 1681. In addition to his literary achievements, Neumark was a skilled musician, proficient in playing the viola da gamba and composing various musical works.
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Subject Terms
Georg Neumark
Poet
- Born: March 16, 1621
- Birthplace: Langensalza, Thuringia, Germany
- Died: July 18, 1681
- Place of death: Weimar, Germany
Biography
Georg Neumark was born in 1621 in Langensalza, Thuringia, Germany. He attended gymnasium schools in Schleusingen and Gotha, graduating from the school in Gotha in September, 1641. That fall, he departed with a group of merchants for the Michaelmas Fair in Leipzig. There he joined another group traveling to Lübeck, intending to go on to Königsberg to attend the university there, but the group was attacked by bandits outside of Magdeburg. Neumark was robbed of all his belongings except a prayer book and a small amount of money he had sewn up in his clothes. Unable to continue on his route without money or provisions, Neumark attempted to find work in Magdeburg but was unsuccessful, as was the case in Lüneburg, Winsen, and Hamburg, cities to which friends helped him travel. In December, 1641, he tried his luck in Kiel, where he befriended Nicolaus Becker, a pastor who also hailed from Neumark’s home region of Thuringia. Near the end of December, Becker recommended Neumark for a tutoring position with the family of judge Stephan Henning, and the relief at having finally found work inspired Neumark’s hymn Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten.
Neumark stayed with the Henning family until 1643, when he had saved enough money to resume his earlier plans. He enrolled in the university at Königsberg on June 21, 1643, and continued there for five years, studying law as well as poetry and earning money as a tutor. In the middle of his studies, disaster again befell Neumark when a fire destroyed all his belongings. He left Königsberg for Warsaw, Poland, in 1648 and then moved on the next year to Thorn, Danzig, and Hamburg. At the end of 1651, he had returned home to Thuringia.
In 1652, Duke Wilhelm II of Saxe-Weimar, who was also the president of the German literary Fruitbearing Society, named Neumark court poet, librarian, and administrative registrar of Weimar. Neumark also became secretary of the ducal archives and joined the Fruitbearing Society in September, 1653, becoming the group’s secretary in 1656. Twenty-three years later, he joined the Pegnitz Order, a society devoted to the purification and improvement of the German language. Neumark went blind in 1681, but his blindness did not prevent him from keeping his posts, in which he served until death on July 18, 1681. Neumark was also a talented musician and composer who played the viola da gamba proficiently and composed various forms of music.