Born: 1626 - Weida, Vogtland, Thuringia, Germany
Died: December 4, 1669 - Guben
Christoph Peter [Petraeus] was a German composer and music editor. His first appointment was as schoolmaster and Kantor at Grossenhain, Saxony. He moved in 1655 to Guben, where he was Kantor until his death. He worked closely there with the poet and civic official Johann Franck. 40 melodies in the latter’s Geistliches Sion (1672), the first part of his Teutsche Gedichte, are by Peter, and he referred to Peter’s skills in the second part, Irdischer Helicon (1674). Peter’s Andachts-Zymbeln is an anthology of chorales by various composers which also contains preliminary instructional matter, a letter of 1524 from Martin Luther to Spalatin, and testimonial… Go to person page >
Original text: Ihr Gestirn', ihr hohlen Lüfte. According to Bach-Cantatas.com, the original text by Johann Franck and the original melody by Christoph Peter both date from 1655.