The New International Encyclopædia/Spitta, Karl Johann Philipp

SPIT'TA, Karl Johann Philipp (1801-59). A German religious poet, born in Hanover. He was educated at Göttingen, and from 1824 to 1828 he was a tutor at Lüne, and there wrote the best of his hymns. Afterwards he was vicar or pastor in several churches, and in 1859, shortly before his death, was made superintendent at Burgdorf. His hymns, contained in Psalter und Harfe (1833; revised with biographical note by his son, Ludwig, 1890; ‘Jubilee’ ed., 1901), and in the Nachgelassene geistliche Lieder (1861 and often), rank high in the German spiritual song of the century, and attained great popularity by their freshness of thought, purity of style, and depth of sentiment.