Luther's musical reforms included the use of instruments in worship. His Deudsche Messe ( German Mass) was published in 1526. 4įour collections of his chorales were first published in 1524. The Lutheran church's most important musical contribution was the German Choralor Kirchenlied (church song), in English, a chorale. Luther insisted that hymns be sung in every worship service for it was, according to him, the vigorous singing of simple hymns that could open the hearts and minds of God's people to embrace the Word of God. Just as the mass publications of the Bible for individual study fostered literacy in the Reformation countries, the mass distribution of hymnbooks encouraged musical literacy among all levels of society and thus was of enormous cultural value. His first congregational hymnbook, Geystliche Gesangbuchlein, was published in 1524. His most enduring musical contributions were of course his chorales or hymns. Luther completed his German vernacular translation of the New Testament in 1521. Additionally, Luther translated a number of Latin texts and used the psalms and poems as the basis for many other hymns. Luther began to compose hymns in 1523, the exact number of which has been, and remain, disputed. Not only did Luther exercise a profound influence on the religious and cultural life of sixteenth century Europe, but also he freed music from the domination of the Roman Catholic Church, opening the door to a revolution in music and in the arts generally. This stress on congregational participation in worship became a lynchpin of the Reformation." 2 He understood the tremendous benefit resulting from hearing the Word of God and then uniting as a congregation to offer thanksgiving in song. Luther's stated goal was the restoration of true worship. Contrasting with the high church's entrenched musical traditions was the simple and pragmatic approach of men like Martin Luther. They objected to the distractions of elaborate vocal and instrumental music, the dangers of overly theatrical performances, the unwarranted expense of elaborate ceremonies and enormous pipe organs and the uselessness of text unintelligible to the common man. The Reformation fathers condemned the Gregorian Chant for some very telling reasons, revealing along the way their own evolving concepts of music. "By re-introducing public worship, the reformers displaced virtually overnight a thousand years of high church ritual. 1Īs early as 1501, the Bohemian Brethren had printed the first Protestant hymnbooks. Pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, Palm Beach Gardens, FLįew composers of church music have received more attention than has Martin Luther. Luther and Calvin on Music and Worship John Barber, PhD Magazine, Volume 8, Number, 26, June 25 to July 1, 2006
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |