Martin Luther: Music


Figure 1.-- Luther loved music. Unlike some other Protestant Reformers, he did not want to banish music from religous services. Rather he wanted to increase the importantce of music by making it comunal and central to the service. In doing so he also launced th process by which Germany became the preminent country in the development of European music.
Luther is of course best known for launching the Reformation. This alone makes him one of the most important figures in history. And this does not just mean among Protestants. The Reformation along with the Renaissance and Rnlightement was one of the central steps in the forging of Western Civilization--essentially modernity. But this was not Luther' only contribution. He also played an important role in the development of Western music. Before Luther Germany (atually the German states) was just ome of several European nations. After Luther Germany became central to Western music. The three B's (Betoven, Bach, and Brahams) not to mention Mozart are at the hear of Western music, but they are only a of a host of German compossers. The primacy of Germany in music is undeniable and it all began with Luther. Music was used in Catholic services for centuries. During Medieval era it was priests or a choir of monks including boys training for the priethood. Luther loved music and he wanted it to be at center of the Mass, but he favored the congregational singing of the early church. For that to be the case , servies including the singing had to be done in German, not Latin. He wanted the entire congregation to participate in services through singing. Larger congregations at first kept agood bit of the Latin liturgy. Smaller churches, hiwever,began began using Luther's Deudsche Messe. The chorle and cantrafacta became important, but soon polyphonic chorale settings appared, especially in Germany. A German theological professor describes luther's views. "Also music and painting are in God's service. Praying was Luther's most important engagement, but he visited imperturbably a religeous service, listened to the sermon, received the Lord's Supper (communion ), sang religeous songs and read the bible. Also the music and the pictures could very well be seen and heard in God's service unlike the Swiss reformators Luther lived a pious lifeand he wanted to encourage the Evangelical Christians to become more devout. But how do you become pious? It could be taught. That's why Luther used his catechisms. Only Belief is important and sets people free and right.Believing is a gift from God , which we always can ask for prayer." [Jung] Germany became a hot bed musical innovation ad creativity. Catholic countries hung on to pre-Reformtion forms. Other reformers were less interested in music than Luther. The Swiss reformers (Zwingli and Calvin) id not want music to be at the center of the service. Zwingli did not want anything to detract from the sermon. In this enviromnt it would be Germany that wold come to to dominate European music. While this began as church misic, it would prepare the way for the classics of secular music as well.

Sources

Jung, Martin. Zuerst Professor für evangelische Theologie an der Universität in Osnabrück. This is the German text which we have tried to translate. "Auch Musik und Bilder stehen im Dienste Gottes Das Gebet war für Luther das Wichtigste, aber unabdingbar gehörte für ihn zum frommen Leben auch der Besuch des Gottesdienstes, das Hören der Predigt, der Empfang des Abendmahls, der Gesang kirchlicher Lieder und das Lesen der Bibel. Ebenfalls konnten für ihn die Musik und die Bilder, anders als für die Schweizer Reformatoren, weiter im Dienste Gottes stehen. Luther führte ein frommes Leben und wollte die evangelischen Christen zu einem frommen Leben anleiten. Aber wie wird man fromm? Frömmigkeit kann man und muss man lernen und üben. Deswegen verfasste Luther auch seine Katechismen. Aber die Grundlage für jedes fromme Leben bildet der Glaube, auf den alles ankommt und von dem alles abhängt. Allein der Glaube macht den Menschen fromm, frei, selig, gerecht. Und der Glaube ist ein Geschenk Gottes, um das man Gott allerdings bitten kann und soll – im Gebet."







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Created: 3:39 AM 7/8/2016
Last updated: 3:40 AM 7/8/2016