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Fine survey of the history of music in early Lutheranism and the most prominent Lutheran composers of that era from Johann Walter to Heinrich Schuetz. Apr 29, Erin rated it really liked it. Finished this quite a while back but keep forgetting to mark it. Great book for anyone interested in our hymns, liturgy and music. Tim Schalk rated it it was amazing Aug 29, Christopher marked it as to-read Feb 26, Kimberly marked it as to-read Jan 17, Georg added it Jun 17, Christine marked it as to-read Nov 04, Alan Kornacki added it Dec 26, We see that Luther was not specifically trying to break away from Latin, but rather make the Divine Service more accessible to everyone, for not every person read and understood Latin, but most every person was perfectly fluent in speaking the vernacular language of their area, in this case, German.
Both of these traditions are still widely practiced in Lutheran Churches across the world, usually three to four hymns are sung on a normal service day with a sermon splitting the service in half. In regards to chanting and speaking within this mass, all but the sermon from the priest was chanted by the choir, cantor, and congregation. Luther, being a singer and composer himself, was very aware of the various musical conventions of the Catholic Church and continued many in his Mass. The Gospel, recited in German, was part of the Proper and sung in mode 5: In contrast, the Kyrie, recited in the traditional Greek language, was part of the Proper and sung in mode 1: Just as Catholic music grew out of its humble beginnings in ancient plainsong, Lutheran music gradually evolved from its roots in the chorale.
Most notably the Musae Sioniae —10 , a nine volume collection of more than chorales and different sacred pieces by Michael Praetorius. It featured newly composed chorales set homophonically, polyphonically, and monophonically, chorales set to popular folk tunes, madrigal style hymns, cantus-firmus based compositions, and a new style of piece that took preexisting chorales melodies and set them polyphonically, known as chorale motets ; these became very popular.
As time passed these motets began to incorporate more complex and varied polyphony, incorporating new styles of imitation that broke away from the Franco-Flemish tradition of Josquin; however, this brought about another schism within the church that Luther had alluded to previously: These motets were not accessible to the general congregation who were used to singing simple, monophonic chorales with little digression, and who were, for the most part, not trained musically. The only remaining option was for the choir to perform these motets, but for many, this resembled the Catholic tradition too closely and was met with opposition, thus creating more splits within the church over these trivial matters.
Despite quarreling over the use of a choir, it has continued today and even the practice from this time period is similar. This was a very exciting and controversial time in the Lutheran Church with many musical, theological, and liturgical strives made that would impact not only sacred music and Lutheran practice, but Protestantism and music as a whole.
A major controversy at the time and perhaps still surprising to some today was the use of secular tunes as bases for sacred chorales and hymns. Many believed these tunes had no place in the Lutheran Divine Service and found it quite sacrilegious that these pieces would be performed within the walls of a chapel. This genre was a combination of two preexisting genres: The prelude was a short piece which varied in form but usually had a theme introduced that was then put through a series of variations in an improvisatory style and then in strict counterpoint.
It was refined by a seventeenth century German-Danish composer and organist from North Germany named Dieterich Buxtehude in his nineteen pieces called praeludiums. The full details of the books are found in the Bibliography. The influence of a hymn book. Some Lutheran hymnologists have compared the relative importance of the Bible and hymnbook with the sun and the moon Albrecht The hymn book was compared to the moon, reflecting the sun's rays, that is, reflecting biblical teachings. This is a useful picture in some ways, but fairly misleading in others, because although the influence of the Bible seems to be the constant, invariable element in the Christian's faith life, it is not that simple, and on the other hand the hymnbook does not only passively reflect the Bible, but also actively shapes the way the Bible teachings are understood.
The content of the Bible is fixed. But the way we interpret it is not. The way we judge the relative importance of different passages, where we place our emphasis and which texts we practically ignore, changes and shifts with our theology and context. Such changes in theology and biblical interpretations are reflected but also shaped by the hymn book. Shifts in theology change hymn writers' choices of themes and interpretations. New favourite themes and ways to deal with classical Christian questions emerge.
Hymns may also be critical comments on popular trends. The new hymns have an impact on the consciousness and understanding of congregations. Some become popular and well used, others are quickly forgotten. Then there are the selectors and the hymnal commissions, who according to their theological understanding make choices about hymns that are selected and left out of normative hymn books. After the new hymnal or song book has been distributed, it is then the pastor and the congregants who determine what is sung and what is left unsung.
The question which songs become, and which will remain genuine 'church hymns', accepted and loved as part of a community's identity and expressing its theology, is an immensely complex process Lieberknecht If we are honest, for most people in the pews, it is the tune more than anything else, which determines whether a song is accepted. The text, which may have more or less theological value, is for many people a secondary consideration. I think we all know examples of popular songs with problematic theology. They survive in spite of attempts of critical theologians to suppress them.
Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This broke wide open in the Pietist movement, starting in the later 17th century. It must be noted that in spite of my criticism, Luther is consistent in this hymn in making the battle a spiritual battle between Christ and Satan, and not a physical battle between us and our foes here on earth. Then the two translators make cuts - understandably, as the original has eight verses. WS It must be noted that in spite of my criticism, Luther is consistent in this hymn in making the battle a spiritual battle between Christ and Satan, and not a physical battle between us and our foes here on earth.
I am someone who has experienced for myself - but would also argue it is true in general - that the songs we sing shape our theology much more deeply than the sermons we hear. The relationship between the faith of a community and its singing tradition is a complex one of give and take. It is a relationship alive and fraught with emotion, as can be seen in the debates around music and what should be sung, in almost every congregation in which I have attended services.
This article is part of an ongoing research project into the question of the quality of Christian songs. What makes a song 'work'? What helps it survive into the next generation who probably will have a different taste in music?
What characteristics in the text and the tune should we look out for when we decide which songs are worth teaching a congregation? I conceded that there are great exceptions to the general trends, but argued that in general many of these songs had a shallow, one-sided theology, which focussed on glory to the detriment of the Cross, pretended Christians don't have any problems, ignored the horizontal aspects of Christian life such as responsibility, love and service and concentrated almost exclusively on the exalted Christ, to the exclusion of the human, compassionate, serving and suffering Jesus, not to mention a concern for justice or the well-being of the whole earth.
I still maintain that many of my criticisms of the lyrics of praise and worship music are valid, but the longer I reflected on what I said, the more I realised that much of what I had criticised is true also of my own tradition, indeed of much of Christian theology through the centuries. It is therefore unavoidable, that I should turn the same critical eye on the tradition that shaped me. And this is a good time to do it. The Lutheran Churches are preparing for the th Anniversary of the Reformation, and have given each year this decade a theme: We are now in the year celebrating Luther and music.
What are the theological and spiritual trends that shaped Lutheran singing? How did the shifts in theology and spirituality affect Lutheran singing tradition, and what in these trends and shifts has an enduring quality for us today? How did theology and biblical interpretation shape the hymn book, and how did the hymn book in turn shape theology? Without spending much time on this, I do want to give a very brief overview of the history of Lutheran hymnody 5 to follow some of these trends and shifts and to consider their longterm effects.
I think it is well-known that Luther himself is the founder of our hymn-singing tradition, and that from his time on the Lutheran chorale was a fixed part of Lutheran worship. Songs were used not only to praise but also to preach and teach. This came at a time when music in worship had made a bad name for itself, as far removed from the people and as a hindrance rather than a help in worship.
The reformer Zwingli saw music as a hindrance to genuine worship and banned it from the service entirely Thompson Calvin more realistically, saw it as a powerful vehicle to propel words into the hearts of people - both good words, and bad words Leith Therefore he decided that music could only be used to imprint scriptural words into people's consciousness and did not allow freely composed hymns as this opened the floodgates to problematic theology.
Luther himself made no such restrictions even though some hymnologists have argued that he did Routley Of course as staunch Lutheran orthodox officials they would never have admitted to agreeing with Calvin. Fortunately, throughout the ages, people continued to write - and often outside formal worship - these other songs would gain popularity and acceptance, until they were finally taken up into the official hymnals.
This dual stream process has come to be characteristic of Lutheran song tradition. We have an officially sanctioned hymn book which is generally used in services 11 and often other songbooks or collections are used elsewhere, in youth groups, bible study groups and revival services. These contain songs that are part of contemporary theological and music trends.
These contemporary songs are sung in these groups, become popular or are discarded, and also shape the spirituality of those attending. Some of the songs are later taken into the official hymnals, others are rejected as having inferior quality music and problematic, or one-sided theology. So throughout our history, we have had the watchdogs, the hymnal commissions, which have tried to keep the official hymnals according to orthodox Lutheran theology and good taste in music. Of course they have had no means of control over what is sung in the homes, in youth groups and home fellowships and in revival meetings.
This is where in every generation contemporary writers have had their space, and they have taken it with sometimes wonderful, sometimes theologically very problematic results, giving the next round of hymnal commissioners much to sift, to select from and to discard. Lutheran orthodoxy had a very clear sense of 'doctrinal correctness' and this more than emotive appeal shaped hymns in the 16th and early 17th century EG This resulted in some fairly dry teaching texts, as well as militant songs about the preservation of the faith of the church. This broke wide open in the Pietist movement, starting in the later 17th century.
This movement focussed on faith experience -rather than theological teaching - on a personal emotional relationship with Christ. The movement produced many great songs 13 , but also moved into the opposite extreme of orthodoxy - excessive subjectivity, emotionalism and even hostility to the world. Again, the official guardians of church teaching allowed these songs only slow entry into the official hymnals. Lutheran church music reached its high point during the 18th century. The settings of J. Bach to even the drier Lutheran chorales have endeared them to countless people, through the ages.
Even today, many young people gain access and a love for our hymns through choir music by Bach. But the next backlash against emotive music was coming.
This time it was the Enlightenment, spreading its message of reason as only criterion of truth, which had its effect on hymns. It rejected all emotionalism, resulting in very dry songs which were little more than appeals to human morality with some allowance made for praise of a creator God. Little has survived from this era EG However too many verses and heavy content can dull even emotive tunes.
Many traditional hymns were rewritten to conform to rationalist principles or were no longer sung Albrecht In the 19th century a new wave of emotional fervour was released. Traditional hymns discarded during the Enlightenment were rediscovered, as were the Pietist favourites, and in the midst of missionary fervour a singing tradition developed that was exported to the mission field, translated and adapted: Many of these were collected in the influential songbook Mission Harp.
Most of these songs were rejected by the hymnal commission of 70 years ago as excessively sentimental or too militant. But they continued to be sung with enthusiasm in groups and services. Some of these songs have now been accepted into the latest German hymnal Klek The counter movement was again inevitable, and at the beginning of the 20th century, a movement started that rejected the Romantics of the 19th century, rediscovered Reformation hymns and medieval hymns and wrote music in the old medieval church tones and in the style of Gregorian chant or the Genevan psalter.
It is the hymn book I grew up with. It generally rejected the songs of the 19th century, only 14 of its hymns are from the 19th century 20 , and it purged the hymnal of excessively emotive tunes. The extremes of the pendulum of Lutheran hymnal history gives some substance to the prejudice, that whatever Germans do, good or bad, they tend to do thoroughly. The other Lutheran traditions such as the Scandinavians and later the Americans and Australians, steered clear of these extreme swings, but to look into this goes beyond the scope of this study. I will stay with my own tradition, which is the South African German Lutheran community.
Our Lutheran congregations in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, are largely a product of the 19th century missionary movement and were deeply influenced by the spirituality behind the Mission Harp songs.
They were also a product of the strong German nationalism of the 19th and early 20th century and the militancy and triumphalism in some of its music. How this is reflected in the 'non-official' singing tradition would be a fascinating object for another study, but goes beyond the scope of this one. Nevertheless the congregations were committed Lutherans with loyalty to Germany, and thus, although there was little understanding of the post-war shift in consciousness and theology in Germany, most congregations accepted the post-Second World War hymnal which was brought out in Germany.
Many continued to sing their favourites from the Mission Harp, emotive songs of a fervent, personal faith and of course the contemporary songs of various styles that came out. But in the church services, the strong proclamatory songs of Lutheran faith were still the standard. The hymns of the Evangelisches Kirchengesangbuch. This article focuses on these hymns, hymns of Lutheran tradition and Lutheran identity, which remained the staple in Lutheran services throughout the missionary period, which had been translated into other languages throughout the mission fields and which unite Lutherans in song when they come together.
I have taken as basis of this study the hymns from the German EKG. Of course not all these have been translated. But a great many have, and they give the study a clear limit and focus. I will quote the English translations if they are fairly close to the German. I have looked at themes, theological trends and most particularly, asked the question: How do these hymns compare to the points I critiqued in my article on Worship songs?
How much 'horizontal focus' do these hymns have? Where do they focus on the healing and compassionate ministry of the human Jesus, and on Christian love and responsibility? I fully admit that I have taken a much wider sample than in my study on worship songs, and had I taken only the top 50, the results might have been pretty dismal. But I have now looked at the full spread of this now year-old collection, and obtained a sense of the themes and the gaps. Authorised denominational hymnals normally have a wide spread of themes. They cover the themes of major church festivals, worship and sacraments, stages of life and the life of faith of a Christian.
They represent the best of what was produced in countless generations of Christian hymn singing, and if they contain Psalm texts of believers much further back. Because each new generation has its own emphasis and theological bias, they are able to be much wider and more thorough in their spread of emphases than any contemporary songbook is able to be. Nevertheless, each hymn book still has its blind spots and limitations, which each new generation of songwriters is challenged to rectify.
Songs of praise and thanksgiving are the backbone of any hymnal and any contemporary song book. And the EKG is no exception. However compared to many other hymnals the section is relatively small, only 13 songs out of and only a handful of them have exuberant, emotive tunes EKG This alone makes understandable the desire by many congregants in that time to supplement the EKG, with more emotive songs. On the other hand, these are songs of praise that take seriously the reality of human suffering and difficulties and still find words to praise God through it, much as the Psalm writers do.
I have critiqued worship songs saying that their praise is often shallow, pretending that Christians have overcome all problems through faith. Fairly typical of this is the hymn: In You is gladness in all our sadness. In You is gladness in all our sadness,. Jesus, sunshine of my soul.
By You are given blessings from heaven. You're the one who makes us whole. Our hearts You've woken, our bonds You've broken, trusting You surely we build securely. Luther's own hymns have the tendency to be didactic. Songs of adoration simply express love of God or Christ and appreciation of who God is and his or her attributes. This is of course where worship songs have their strength, and where the EKG has a big gap.
Suppressing emotive songs also meant suppressing adoration of God. Hymns praised and thanked and taught about God and human sin and salvation, but left little space for the human need for expressions of the personal faith relationship and what it means to the believer. Having grown up in a tradition that frowned upon such songs, I have grown to appreciate the need for them and the need to find such songs that express such sentiments well, but without being too shallow and sentimental.
Both worship songs today and the emotive songs of the missionary and Pietist movement have a whole range of such songs of adoration, those that do it well, and those whose lyrics are no more than a play on emotions with little theological substance. Of course, the question when something is 'too sentimental' is a matter of opinion.
To understand the current friction in Lutheran congregations between traditionalists and the proponents of contemporary worship music one needs to understand something of the forces that shaped Lutheran tradition. I have found that choosing songs which are emotive songs of adoration with some solid theological substance is the key element in breaking down the sometimes acrimonious divisions between these two groups.
Whilst the element of adoration is rare in the EKG there are examples where it is done well. One poet who straddles the divide is the well-known hymn writer Paul Gerhardt, who was a convinced Lutheran Orthodox theologian, but also a forerunner of the Pietist movement, with a very personal approach in his hymns. His expressions of intimate closeness to God are firm favourites in the EKG such as his line: The Reformation hymns which became canon in Lutheran orthodoxy are largely devoid of elements of adoration.
Luther himself has moments which are more emotionally expressive, for example in his Pentecost hymn and in his Christmas hymn for children: O dearest Jesus, child so blessed,. But it was the proclamatory and didactic tone of the Reformation hymns that set the standard for Lutheran hymns, one could say until today.
Consciousness of sin or Confession. Lutheran theology has a strong awareness of, and focus on human frailty and brokenness. This is a strength, but can also become a weakness if it is taken to extremes. In spite of the Lutheran proclamation of salvation by grace through faith, in some hymns it can seem as though sin is so serious, that salvation is still questionable and something needing to be pleaded for, rather than trusted in. Also, in spite of the fact that many hymns speak in general about sin in the generic sense of separation from God and not doing his will, there are very few hymns, where human sin and failings are spelt out more concretely.
In common with much of Christian theology there are references to 'fleshly lusts and earthly desires' and a failure to keep the commandments. In a few cases mention is made of greed and selfishness or envy EKG , but relatively little mention of how our selfish actions sometimes harm or hurt our neighbours. Many hymns have been shaped by eras of war and conflict in Germany, not least by the Thirty Years' War in Germany - the time in which Paul Gerhardt grew up. But although many hymns ask for peace or God's protection during war, and see war as an evil, there is little recognition of human sin and selfishness as the cause of war and destruction.
A notable exception here is Paul Gerhardt's hymn of thanksgiving for the end of the Thirty Years' War, which has a strong notion of repentance for the sins that unleashed God's wrath in war, and a call to preserve the peace EKG This example is of course a reminder of the fact that the more concrete and contextual songs are, the less likely they are to survive into the next generation which has different problems and questions. And critical, prophetic songs are less likely to gain a foothold in popular consciousness.
The above-mentioned hymn was sung regularly soon after the Second World War, then again fell into disuse and was excluded from the present hymnal. Luther's own hymns speak a lot of repentance and sin. Concrete sins mentioned are usually false teachings EKG , hating God's will and trying to redeem oneself rather than relying on God EKG , , that is, 'religious' sins rather than social sins. This did set the tone for Lutheran hymn writing. Luther called his own theology a 'theology of the Cross' rather than a 'theology of glory' and this has been characteristic of Lutheran spirituality and also of Lutheran hymnals Luther [] The Cross is linked directly with the sin of the individual and God's gift of forgiveness and salvation of the sinner EKG 54, Contemplating the Cross leads to repentance example 64 v.
Jesus' pain is described in vivid detail to remind the believer what the cost of salvation has been EKG 56, 60 v. The Cross is seen as a source of comfort in affliction and in the face of death EKG 63 vv. However it happens relatively seldom that the Cross is seen in relation to the pain and suffering of others, or that we see Christ's Cross in the pain of the world.
The third speaks of the 'Lamb carrying the sins of the world' EKG Considering how central this ancient Christian term for Christ is, it is sobering to see how little the 'salvation of the world' features in the hymns. There are songs which speak in the plural, but meant is the Christian congregation, not the world. The world is seen as the enemy, responsible in part for the crucifixion.