Poliander was Johann Eck's secretary at the 1519 Leipzig Debate, where he met Martin Luther and joined the Protestant Reformation.
Poliander became pastor of Altstadt Church in 1525 in Königsberg (Kaliningrad), capital of the new Duchy of Prussia (a fief of the Crown of Poland), succeeding the fiery Johannes Amandus.
He donated his personal collection of 1,000 books to Altstadt's council; this became the foundation of the later Königsberg Public Library.
Gramann's hymn "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren" was set by several composers.
nun geht das Jahr zu Ende, BWV 28 for the Sunday after Christmas.