Luther Paper

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Martin Luther

His Contributions to the Musical Practices

Of the

German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church

Larry Folz

Music History



!r "chim#f

Martin Luther is $no%n mostly for his role as the innovator of the

Protestant &eformation of Euro#e in the si'teenth century as %ell as a #riest

#rofessor of theology an music com#oser* n less than ten years Martin

Luther %oul #ut in +uestion the religious core of an em#ire that ha rule

for a thousan years an set into motion an onslaught of revolutionary ieas

that %oul resha#e ,estern Civilization* Luther is often also consiere the

beginning element in the colla#se of meieval feualism an the -rst

sha#ing of ieas of freeom an liberty that lie at the heart of the t%enty



-rst century*. /his #a#er %ill e'amine ho% Luther im#lemente ne% music

into the %orshi# #ractices of the Lutheran Church*

One of the ma0or contributions of the &eformation to the Christian

Church %as the restoration of the #o#ular song to the #eo#le* Luther

in1uence a transition from the #riest2church ominate %orshi# service

#ractices of the Catholic Church to one that is more %eighte in the

involvement of the congregation as %ell as the #riests in the #roclamation of

Go3s ,or* ,hile the #o#ular singing of religious hymns an songs %as not

uncommon in the mile 4ges its use in connection %ith the liturgy %as

ty#ically not consistent from service to service an %as often at the is#osal

of the church rather than the #eo#le* "ince Martin Luther stoo at the center

of the German &eformation an its encouragement of #o#ular congregational

song it is im#ortant that Luther3s vie% of congregational music an its role in

%orshi# be clearly unerstoo*

4ccoring to Marilyn "tul$en author of the Hymnal Com#anion to

the Lutheran 5oo$ of ,orshi# Luther3s vie% of congregational song %as

roote in the iea that music %as a gift from Go himself a gift %hich only

foun its true ful-llment in e'alting the Lor*6 For Luther music %as given as

a gift to man$in from Go an though it coul be re%or$e or re%ritten the

#hysical elements of music li$e vibrations through air the #ro#ortions an

.&obin Leaver Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Gran &a#is7

,illiam 5* Eermans Publishing 6889) ::*

6Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7

Fortress Press .;<.) .;*



relationshi#s of i=erent #itches an so on are absolutely an funamentally

the gift of Go in creation* "tul$en also %rites that it is commonly acce#te

that Luther greatly brought congregational %orshi# to a #lace of #rominence

in the Church but %hat is overloo$e is that Luther felt that the

congregation3s #artici#ation in the service through a congregational hymn or

chorale %as the bac$bone an integral #art in the %orshi#ing of Go an not

0ust common Christian songs loosely attache to the %orshi# service*>

Luther consiere music a irect gift from Go an hel it as

something e'tremely sacre because of this fact* His comments an ieas

on music are many an varie but one comment seems to be brought u#

numerous times throughout his %or$s7 Music is ne't to /heology?* 4 letter

that Luther %rote to com#oser Lu%ig "en1 ate October @ .A>8 contains

his most e'tene statement7

#lainly 0uge an o not hesitate to aBrm that e'ce#t for theology

there is no art thatcoul be #ut on the same level %ith music since e'ce#t for theology(music) alone #rouces %hat other%ise only theology can o namelya calm an 0oyful is#osition/his is the reason %hy the #ro#hets inot ma$e use of any art e'ce#t musicD %hen setting forth theirtheology they i it not as geometry not as arithmetic not asastronomy but as music so they hel theology an music most tightlyconnecte an #roclaime truth through Psalms an songs*@

/his istinctive statement Music is ne't to /heology? is %hat istinguishes

Luther from his #reecessors as %ell as many of his contem#oraries*

>bi* @;*

@&obin Leaver Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Gran &a#is7

,illiam 5* Eermans Publishing 6889) 9<*



n the evelo#ment of a boy of material for use in congregational

song the early &eformation le by Luther3s o%n e'am#le a##ear to have

been ra%n from -ve main areas or sources*

/he -rst source %as the abunance of material foun in Gregorian

chant* Luther %oul ta$e the original meloies from the chants an often

times %oul sim#lify them to ma$e them more accessible for congregational

singing an correct alter or im#rove? the te't of the chant theologically

%here they %ere contrary to the &eformation3s unerstaning of the gos#el*

Chants %ere ta$en from both the Orinary an Pro#er of the Mass as %ell as

from the re#ertoire of Latin OBce hymns* For e'am#le the meloy from the

oBce hymn eni Creator "#iritus? became omm Gott "cho#fer?(Figure

.)*

Figure 1 “Komm Gott Schopfer” (Lehmann 1965, 261)



4 secon source of early &eformation hymnoy %as the Liesen, a boy

of sacre #re&eformation German fol$ hymns that use some form of yrie

eleison? at the en of each stanza* Liesen %ere often sung in #rocessions

by #ilgrims at other s#ecial religious occasions an occasionally at Mass* 4n

e'am#le of this %oul be Iesus Christ Our "avior /rue? (Figure6)*

/he thir source of early &eformation hymns %as the Cantios, Latin

s#iritual songs of #re&eformation times %hich although religious in conte't

%ere not irectly associate %ith the liturgy such as Goo Christian Friens

&e0oice? an He %hom she#hers came #raising?*

/he fourth source that contributes to &eformation hymns %as through

the #rocess of contrafaction* /y#ically this #rocess involve #roviing a

sacre te't to an alreay e'isting #o#ular secular meloy* 4 classic e'am#le

of this is Luther3s chilren3s song for Christmas From Heaven on High

Figure 2 “ Jhesus Christus unser Heyland” (Lehmann 1965, 259)



Come to Jou? (Figure >) %hich is base on the secular song of Luther3s time

Goo Ke%s from 4broa 5ring?*

/he -nal

source of hymns for the &eformation Church %as ne%ly com#ose hymns*

Luther encourage Christian #oets to #re#are ne% songs %hich the #eo#le

coul ma$e their o%n an %ith %hich they coul #raise their Go an

#roclaim the Gos#el* 5y .A6@ there ha accumulate aroun forty

,ittenberg hymns (aroun half %ritten by Luther) an these ha forme the

basis of the -rst ,ittenberg hymnal the eystiliches esang$ Buchlein!" 4t

Luther3s encouragement the com#oser t%entyeightyearol Iohan ,alter

com#ose #oly#honic choral settings for the hymns in four or -ve #arts*

A 4nre% Pettegree #eformation and the Culture of Persuasion (Ke% Jor$7

Cambrige niversity Press 688A) @A*

Figure 3 “From Heaven on High I come to You” (Lehmann 1965,29)



Luther %rote a great eal of original hymns that %ere irectly

intert%ine %ith the #rinci#al of catering to various facets involve %ith the

%orshi# service* n Luther3s min hymns %ere a %ay to instill the ,or of

Go in its follo%ers* ,hile some hymns %ere %ritten to convey #ersonal

e'#eriences an re1ect the struggles an victories of one3s faith others %ere

mere forms of instruction evise to #romote memorization an

unerstaning* For e'am#le Luther com#ose hymns that %ere base on

the /en Commanments calle /hese are the Holy /en Commanments?

(Figure @)* /he hymn3s te't is literally the /en Commanments a##lie to

real life situations* /his sho%s Luther3s #ractical a##roach to inserting

hymns into his %orshi# services for the #ur#ose of utility* 4nother e'am#le of

this #ractice is Luther3s hymn Our Father in the Heaven ,ho 4rt? (Figure A)

%hich em#loys the same conce#t as the /en Commanments hymn but

rather for the Lor3s Prayer*

Figure ! “These Are the Holy Ten Commands” (Lehmann 1965,2"#)



Figure 5 “Our Father in the Heaven Who Art”(Lehmann 1965, 296)



Luther contribute such a great amount to the generation of hymns

but also %rote many chants to be #erforme uring the %orshi# service* His

chants remaine largely un$no%n outsie of Germany an some fae a%ay

by the en of the si'teenth century* One e'am#le is /he 4gnus !ei? (Figure

:) %hich %as a chant to be #erforme uring the aministration of

communion* /he chants %ith their e'tene intonations an meitations

%ere more syllabic an meloious than #ro#er Gregorian chants but they

serve a s#eci-c #ur#ose an their basic an fol$li$e character mae it

#ossible for the congregation to actively #artici#ate in the liturgy*:

Luther an many other com#osers of the &eformation %ere hymn

%riters in the traition of the Meistersingers meaning that they %ere both the

#oet an the song creator* 4 favorite %riting evice for Meistersingers to use

on ne%ly com#ose chorales is the fre+uent use of barform* n essence

barform %as a three #art #oetic an musical structure %here you have an 4

section consisting of t%o #arts an a 5 section consisting of three #arts* /he

: Lehman Luther’s’ Works: Liturgy and Hymns (Philael#hia7 Fortress Press .;:A)

ol* A>7 .A.*

Figure 6 “The Agnus Dei” (Lehmann1965)



4 section is #laye t%ice an then the 5 section begins7 4 (ab) 4 (ab) 5

(ce) form* 4n e'am#le of this barform is !ear Christians Let s Ko%

&e0oice? (Figure 9)* Kotice that the 4 section has t%o ine#enent meloies

an then is re#eate follo%e by the 5 section %hich consists of three

ine#enent meloies* Other hymns that also share this form inclue 4

Mighty Fortress is Our Go? an 4ll Glory 5e to Go on High?* 9

n aition to hymns an chants Luther com#ose many chorales that

he felt %hen teame %ith hymns an chants he coul #rovie a great eal of

#artici#ation %ith both the church sta= an #atrons* 4ccoring to Charles

Etherington choral songs ra% from three sources secular songs ins#iration

9Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7

Fortress Press .;<.) 6>*

Figure " “Dear Christians et !s "o# $e%oice”(Lehmann 1965, 219)



an #lainsong<* Etherington also states that the even measure rhythm %e

associate chorals %ith toay %as not al%ays the case %ith Luther3s early

chorals an that in many cases there %as a mi'ture of u#le an tri#le

rhythm es#ecially in those borro%e from the Latin liturgy as %ell as a

great eal of free rhythm of #lainsong;* Chorals %ere generally sung slo%ly

in unison by the congregation %ith organ accom#animent* Else%here

musical instruments %ere associate %ith #rofane uses an generally

consiere un-t for %orshi#* n Germany the organ %oul become almost

inse#arable from #ublic %orshi#*

One of Martin Luther3s most %ell $no%n com#ositions %oul li$ely be

%hat %oul later become the 5attle Hymn of the &eformation7 $in feste Berg

or %& Mighty 'ortress( Many scholars believe that it %as the result of the

#erio of stress culminating in the a##earance at ,orms an the &etreat in

,artburg.8* n this hymn he attains the summit of an invincible faith in Go

in e-ance of the evil an a %orl of enemies* 4s %ritten by Iames

Mac$innon n this magni-cent challenge of a foe %e have the thrilling

manifestation of the s#irit that carrie Luther an the &eformation to trium#h

in the struggle against the might an ma0esty of &ome?*.. /he hymn3s

#o#ularity s#rea ra#ily all over Germany an even serve as the basis for

<Charles Etherington Protestant Worship Music: Its History and Practice (Ke% Jor$7

Holt &inehart an ,inston .;:6) ;>*

; bi* ;A*

.8E*G* "ch%iebert Luther and his )imes: )he #eformation from a *e+ Perspectie

("aint Louis Concoria Publishing House .;A8) :96*



I*"* 5ach3s Cantata <8* Other com#osers that have also use the meloy are

Feli' Menelssohn in his Fifth "ym#honyD Giacomo Meyerbeer in his o#era

Les Huguenots- an 4le'aner Glazuno= in his 'innish 'antasy" .6

.. Iames Mac$innon Luther and the #eformation (Ke% Jor$7 &ussell an &ussell

.;:6) ol* @7 >69*

.6 Mary "tul$en Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philael#hia7

Fortress Press .;<.) >8<*



$i%&iograph'Etherington Charles* Protestant Worship Music" Ke% Jor$7 Holt &inehart an

,inston .;:6*

Leaver &obin* Luther.s Liturgical Music" Gran &a#is 7 ,illiam 5* Eermans 6889*

Lehmann Helmut /* Luther.s Works /olume !0" Philiel#hia 7 Fortress House .;:A*

Mac$innon Iames* Luther and the #eformation: /ol 1" Ke% Jor$7 &ussell an &ussell

.;:6*

Pettegree 4nre%* #eformation and the Culture of Persuasion" Ke% Jor$7 Cambrige

niversity Press 688A*

"ch%iebert E*G* Luther and his )imes" "aint Louis7 Concoria .;A8*

"tul$en Marilyn* Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship" Philael#hia 7

Fortress Press .;<.*

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