Christoph von Schmid

SCHMID, Christoph von. b. Dinkelsbühl, north of Augsburg, 15 August 1768; d. Augsburg, 3 September 1854. Born into a Catholic family, he was educated at Dillingen, obtaining a ‘Schulbenefiziat’ (benefice with teaching duties) at Tannhausen an der Mindel (west of Augsburg, not Tannhausen near Dinkelsbühl). There he published his first collections of hymns at his own expense, for distribution among his parishioners to encourage them to sing hymns. They were a children’s book, Der erste Unterricht von Gott für die lieben Kleinen (‘First lessons of God for the dear little ones’), and Christliche Gesänge zur öffentlichen Gottesverehrung in katholischen Kirchen (‘Sacred songs for the public...