Background
Helmbold was born in Mühlhausen.
university professor writer poet
Helmbold was born in Mühlhausen.
He is probably best known for his hymn "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren", of which J. South. Bach used the fifth stanza for his cantata O heilges Geistund Wasserbad, BWV 165. Bach also used his words in BWV 73, 79 and 186a. He became a professor of Philosophy an der Erfurt University in 1554.
In 1571 he was appointed a minister at the Marienkirche in Mühlhausen, later as Superintendent.
Helmbold was crowned poeta laureatus by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1566 on the Reichstag at Augsburg. The Mühlhausen cantors Joachim à Burck and Johannes Eccard set many of his more than hundred chorales to music
Some of his works were used by Johann Sebastian Bach in his cantatas, such as Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir, BWV 73 Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79 Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht, BWV 186a O heilges Geistund Wasserbad, BWV 165. In 1998, a street named Helmboldstraße, next to Bonatstraße, was named after him in Mühlhausen.