Thomas Hansen Kingo (15 December 1634 – 14 October 1703) was a Danish bishop, poet and hymnwriter born in Slangerup, near Copenhagen. His work marked the high point of Danish baroque poetry.

Early life and education

His parents were Hans Thomsen Kingo and Karen Sørensdatter. His father was born in Crail, Scotland, and moved to Helsingør, Denmark, as a two-year old; he became a weaver of modest means. The name Kingo is a shortening of the Scottish name Kinghorn. Although his parents were not wealthy, he was sent to Frederiksborg Latin School at the age of 16 in 1650. He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, enrolling in 1654 and graduating in 1658.

Career

Kingo started his career by working as a private tutor at Frederiksborg Castle. From 1659 he lived on the Vedbygård estate at Tissø, where he wrote some of his first poems. In 1661 he was appointed chaplain to the priest Peder Worm at Kirke Helsinge and Drøsselbjerg, and in 1668 he was ordained a minister in his hometown of Slangerup, where his poem-writing began. In 1677 Kingo was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Funen.

Poems and hymns

At first he essayed patriotic poems, but later devoted himself almost entirely to writing hymns, and in 1674 the first part of his Aandelige Siunge-Koor ("Spiritual Song Choir") appeared, followed in 1681 by a second part. This work consists of a collection of hymns, several of which are still popular in the Church of Denmark. Charged by the government with the compilation of a new hymnbook, he edited what became known as Kingo's hymnal (Kingos Psalmebog, 1699), which contains eighty-five of his own compositions, and which is still used in various parts of Denmark and Norway. Some parts of the Danish rural population firmly held to his hymns during the Pietist and Rationalist period, contributing to their survival. The same goes for the Faroe Islands, where his hymns have been in widespread use through most of the 20th century, often sung to quite complicated folk melodies, which may, however, often be traced back to Kingo’s melody collection, or Gradual, from 1699, as described by Marianne Clausen in her magnum opus about Faroese folk singing. The original copies of his hymnals are located at the National Library of the Faroe Islands. Though not the first Danish hymnwriter, Kingo is considered the first of importance; among 17th-century Danish poets he is generally a leading figure. His hymns are born by a forceful and often Old Testamental wrath and renunciation of the world alternating with Christian meekness and confidence. Both elements are thrown in relief by his private thrift and fighting nature. His worldly poems and patriotic songs are often long-winded and marked by outer effects but in short version he is unequalled, as in his both plain and worthy ode to naval hero Niels Juel.

Personal life

Kingo's first wife, Sille Blackenborg, to whom he had dedicated the poem "Chrysillis, mit Hjeertes Guld", died the year after their wedding in 1670; she was the widow of the priest of Kirke-Helsinge. His second wife, Johanne Lauritsdatter Lund, was 13 years older than him. His last wife, Birgitte Balslev, was 30 years old when the 60-year-old Kingo married her in 1694. In 1679 he was admitted to the nobility and in 1682 he received his doctorate in theology. He was appointed justitsråd ('councilor of justice') in 1690. He was plagued with a skin condition in his later years and died in Odense in 1703. He is buried in Fraugde Kirke outside of Odense. Thomas Quellinus designed an epitaph as well as an elaborate metal screen for Kingo's burial chapel in the chapel in the church. The screen was made by either Hans Hansen or Hans Hermansen, two Odense-based smiths who have signed their works HH. The screen was later transferred to Frederik Christian Kaas' burial chapel in the church. An 1874 bust of Kingo by Theobald Stein stands on the north side of St. Knud's Cathedral in Odense. A 1911 statue of Kingo created by Viggo Jarl stands outside Frederick's Church in Copenhagen. Thomas Kingo's Church in Odense and the street Kingosgade in Copenhagen are also named in his honour.

Gallery

Selected works

Hymns

The website salmer.dk lists the following hymns by Kingo:

Poems

Sources