What did composer, Martin Luther do that helped to start the Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther and music

Martin Luther (1483-1548) was not just a theologian and a reformer, he was also a musician and a composer.

In the reform of the liturgy, he gave community singing a renewed role. He composed nearly thirty chorales, and, with other musicians, a hymn book. He asked that singing be taught in schools.

The role Luther wanted music to take contributed to the incredible development of this art in German speaking countries.

Musical grooming

Martin Luther and his family past G.A. Spangenberg (1866)

When Luther studied in Eisenach, he had music lessons forth with dance and singing -and so did Melanchthon and many of his contemporaries. He learned to distinguish between the different musical genres. Later on, living in a monastery where liturgy played an important role, he could refine his skills. Luther was able to transcribe folk melodies and to harmonise them, equally well as to write melodies on psalms in everyday words. He met musicians, such as Ludwig Senfl attached to the Bavarian court and Johan Walter attached to the Saxon courtroom. The latter introduced him in Rome to Josquin des Prez (1440-1521). When Frederick the Wise died, Johan Walter backed Luther, but his successor, John the Magnanimous did not share the same appreciation of music.

Reformation and music

Luther's hymn "God is our rampart" © Arc en ciel

Equally Luther reformed the liturgy, he accorded full importance to the sermon and to community singing, run across On the order of the divine service in the community in 1523. The singing called Choral singing was defined as an assertion of faith, and a spiritual commentary on biblical texts. It could be backed by an organ -chamber organs at the time-, or by an instrumental group.

To implement the change, worshippers had to be acquainted with music do. Schools or parishes became responsible for vocal grooming, given by a "cantor".

A hymn book also had to exist designed and published. A team of musicians effectually Luther was in charge of the project that resulted in the geistliches Gesangbuchlein or small-scale sacred song book. Luther himself composed thirty-vi hymns on German texts, some based on psalms, others being spiritual commentaries, ofttimes adjusted to folk melodies. Just Luther did not discard the utilize of Latin, which he appreciated its facility in adapting information technology to music. Besides, some of his composer friends used both German language and Latin.

Many of Luther'south hymns have survived, among which Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott (A mighty Fortress our God is even so), or Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in death'due south bondage).
They are however in utilize in their simple harmony, but the themes were taken up in great polyphonies, those by Johann-Sebastian Bach being the near impressive.

The hymns were translated and crossed borders. They were frequently sung in French reformed liturgies, added to psalms by Goudimel (ca 1520-1527) that Calvin had promoted. The French reformer may non have been as sensitive to music as Luther, he mistrusted choral singing every bit potentially distracting, as the main theme could atomic number 82 to variations and involved instrumentation.

Luther's heritage: Heinrich Schütz, Dietrich Buxtehude and Johann-Sebastian Bach

The office Luther had granted to music and choral singing greatly helped the development of this fine art in German speaking countries. Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707), Johann-Sebastian Bach (1735-1782) oftentimes used Lutheran themes in their cantatas and oratorios. Each of them adult his own musical language and his instrumentation, but among them Johann-Sebastian Bach gave that linguistic communication a creative power that had rarely been equalled. All were members of families with violinists, harpsichordists, cantors, teachers, or instrument makers.

The musical skills of Johann-Sebastian Bach'south family could be traced to Luther; in fact the first of them Hans Bach, the son of a bakery, was built-in nearly 1550 and composed hymns. All his descendants downwards to Johann-Christian Bach (1735-1782) were devoted to music in some way or some other as cantor, composer or organ-builder.