Nikolaus Herman (1500–1561), a German cantor, composer, and poet. He was probably born in Altsdorf near Nuremberg. He arrived in Jáchymov around 1520 and worked there his entire life as cantor of St. Joachim’s Church, organist of the parish church of St. Joachim, and as a teacher at both the Latin and girls‘ schools. As a convinced Lutheran, he applied Luther’s religious and pedagogical reforms—he introduced Lutheran music into the services of the Jáchymov church and into the curricula of the Latin and girls‘ schools. The connection of sacred music, flourishing in the Latin school, with Humanist pedagogy was not a given. Herman found a great advocate and supporter in Mathesius. Together, they helped ensure that the evangelical faith and music penetrated deeply into the lives of the inhabitants of Jáchymov. Herman wrote, composed hymns, and was a poet. His composed melodies and clear and understandable language with a popular character found considerable resonance, which applies especially to his Bergreihen, miners‘ songs, and Abendreihen, evening songs sung in a circle. He composed primarily sacred songs for worship, school, and family. In 1560, Herman published the collection Die Sonntagsevangelia über das Jahr in Gesänge verfasset für die Kinder und christlichen Hausväter, a work that shaped musical development. Many of his songs are still included in evangelical hymnals today.
