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Music and Martin LutherForum Sunday, May 21, 2017

St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, Southport, N.C.

presented by Lois Moore, Director of Worship and

Music Arts

The sights and sounds of the Roman Catholic ChurchReformation 500 Martin Luther’s thoughts about musicThe Elements of Music: Timbre, Pitch, Dynamics, Texture, Tempo, Structure, DurationMusic of the RenaissanceTextureText settingsStructureCompositions inspired by pre-existing sources Comparison of music of the Roman Catholic Church and Martin LutherChorale/ HymnThe German Mass Martin Luther’s German Mass and today’s church serviceConclusion

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The Sights and Sounds of the Roman Catholic

Reformation 500

October 31, 1517 Wittenberg, Germany

Martin Luther had strong opinions about music:

• “I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God”.

• “A person who does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs!“

• He did not like timpani and trumpets and called them "heavenly battle cries", a terrible "shouting to the honor of God".

• He did not favor organ pipes very much and said that "they scream and shout".

“I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God. The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them....”

Martin Luther

Elements of Music: Texture, Text Settings, StructureMusic of Martin Luther

Music from every historical period is created by manipulating the elements of music

in a manner peculiar to the era, reflecting the prevailing tastes.

Each musical period emphasizes one element over another:

• Medieval: pitch

• Renaissance: texture, structure, text setting“Golden Age of Singing”. Increasingly more important to understand the words. Vocal music was more important than instrumental music. Instrument size, shape and materials had not been standardized. Instruments playing together would not be in tune.

• Baroque: harmony

• Classical: structure

• Romantic: structure (emotions)

• Impressionistic: timbre

• Modern: tempo/duration

• 20th Century: dynamics

Musical TextureMonophonic: single line, linear listening

Polyphonic: several lines sounding simultaneously, horizontal listening

Difficult to understand the words

Homophonic: several lines sounding simultaneously purposely forming harmony,

vertical listening

Words are easier to understand

Text Settings

Melismatic: one syllable, many notes, Medieval style

Syllabic: one syllable, one note, Renaissance, words easier to understand

Structure

Strophic form

• It has a text and a tune with several verses sung to the same tune.

• Chordal style with the tune in the top voice.

• Verses sung by the congregation.

• Simple, Metrical tunes, Rhyming verses, Easily Memorized.

The Musical Compositions of Martin Luther

Luther composed original pieces. However, many were adapted from pre-existing sources:

• Sacred tunes: Chant (Plainchant, Plainsong)

• Secular tunes: Folk music

His music is transitional, a bridge between the Medieval and the Renaissance. He keeps the contemplative sound of Gregorian chant, but also has the melodic complexity of the Renaissance.

The musical examples that follow illustrate this process:

• A sacred chant became the tune for a secular song

• The sacred chant and the secular song inspired Martin Luther and Johann Walther to write a sacred text to the tune

Victimae Paschali Laudes Latin Chant (11th century)

Inspired Henrich Issac’s poem O Welt, Dich Muss Lassen Opens with a monophonic texture moving to a homophonic texture

The song O Welt, Dich Muss Lassen inspired Martin Luther and Johann Walther

to write a sacred text: Christ Lag in Todesbanden

Questions? Review:

• Elements of Music: Timbre, Pitch Dynamics, Texture, Tempo, Structure, Duration

• Historical Musical Periods: Bridge between Medieval and Renaissance Periods

• Texture: polyphonic texture less desirable, preference for homophonic texture

• Text setting: melismatic less desirable, preference for syllabic text setting

• Structure: Strophic Chorale/ Hymn form

• Illustration using a pre-existing source to create something new: 11th century chant, inspire a 15th century secular poem, Luther and Walther’s sacred text

Musical Comparison: Music of the Roman Catholic Church with Music of the Reformation

“Ave Maria, Virgo Serena” Motet composed by Josquin des Prez 1485

• Musical Texture?

• Musical Structure?

• Text Setting?

• Language?

• Participants?

“A Mighty Fortress” Chorale composed by Martin Luther 1529

• Musical Texture?

• Musical Structure?

• Text Setting?

• Language?

• Participants?

Comparison: Music of the Roman Catholic Church, 1485

Comparison: Music of Martin Luther, 1529

Musical Comparison: Music of the Roman Catholic Church with Music of the Reformation

‘Ave Maria, Virgo Serena” Motet composed by Josquin des Prez 1485

• Musical Texture? Polyphonic

• Text Setting? Melismatic

• Musical Structure? Motet

• Language? Latin

• Participants? Trained Choirs

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” Chorale composed by Martin Luther 1529

• Musical Texture? Homophonic

• Text Setting? Syllabic

• Musical Structure? Chorale, Hymn

• Language? Vernacular

• Participants? Congregation

Martin Luther did not invent the Chorale, Hymn

• Hymns were existing “folk” songs. Most anonymous and existing for many years.

• They were sung in the open air, on pilgrimages and processions, or to bury the dead, but not during the church service.

• They were sung in groups, sometimes led by soloists, as an expression of faith.

• He believed hymn singing would allow the people to participate in the worship service.

• With the singing of hymns the congregation not longer observed, they joined in.

Luther believed that hymn singing came from “the depth of the singing heart with incomparable power”, and “with the sense and understanding of the heart".

Martin Luther’s “Singing Church”. His first hymnal, was called the “Parish Song Book”, Wittenberg, 1529.

Luther wrote a small number of chorales. About 40 of his hymns have survived. “A Mighty Fortress” is one of them.

Luther’s German Mass first celebrated on October 29, 1524

Luther was not the first to write a German Mass. First to use his own translations of the Latin, or new texts

Large churches

• With trained choirs kept much of the Latin liturgy and musical styles of chant.

• Changes: music written by German composers with Latin texts, German translations, or new German texts fitted to the old melodies.

Smaller churches

• Adopted a German Mass, published by Luther in 1526 which followed the main outline of the Roman Catholic Mass.

• Changes: Most Mass elements were replaced with chorales, or hymns.

• Parts of the liturgy were now sung by the congregation: Creed and Holy, Holy, Holy for example.

Reformation 500: The German Mass

The Roman Catholic Church and Martin Luther’s Reforms

Roman Catholic Church: ceremony was “acted out” by the clergy

• Without modern sound amplification and limited sight lines, the congregation could not see or hear what the celebrant was doing or saying.

• In fact, most of the Mass took place behind a screen further separating the congregation from the clergy performing the service.

• Trained choirs were needed to perform the complex musical setting that music of the church required.

Martin Luther’s Reformation:

• Taking congregational participation from being merely tolerated to the centerpiece of worship.

• The congregation would not longer be “observers”, instead “participants.

• The congregation became participants when the church became the “Singing Church”.

• The “musical texture, structure and text settings “of the Chorale/Hymn made musical participation accessible to the people.

Martin Luther’s musical reforms: Congregational Participation in the spoken Language of the People

He believed through singing, an illiterate society learned the tenets of their faith and remembered what they learned. He used basic texts to teach the elements of the Christian faith set to music:

• “That Man a Godly Life Might Live”, the Ten Commandments (teaching the Law)

• “We Believe in the One True God”, the Apostle’s Creed (teaching the Trinity)

• “Our Father, Thou Art in Heaven Above”, the Lord’s Prayer (teaching prayer and relationship with God)

Music should be sung in the vernacular (the language spoken in the country) and not the language of the church, Latin.

When the language of the song is understood, "a person sings and listens not only with words, but with sense and understanding of the heart".

Questions?Review:

• What was once sung outside of the church was now sung in the church

• What was once sung by trained choirs was now sung by the congregation

• Chorale/ Hymns: were newly composed or from pre-existing sources

• The German Mass: celebrated in the vernacular with portions of the Mass replaced by chorales/hymns

• Chorales/Hymns: were used to teach the principles of faith

Martin Luther’s German Mass resembles today’s church service.

• Chants: intoned by the clergy (or lay assistant)

• Hymns: sung by the congregation

• Chorales, anthems: trained choirs who sing more complex music

• Organ: played harmony while congregation sang all the verse in unison

• Organists: used chorale tunes as basis for improvisation

Luther’s influence on music cannot be understated.

• He treasured and encouraged the arts as a reflection of the creative ability granted to people by their Creator, and as such pleasing to Him.

• He affirmed that music as an excellent gift of God to be used in his praise and the proclamation of His word.

• The idea that music as an expression of personal creativity could be pleasing to God.

• He set the stage for the next 300 years of music and opened the door for Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn and the greatest of all Lutheran composers, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Martin Luther's music evokes a great theologian who was a great artist

In Conclusion, as Lutherans we are all member’s of the “Singing Church”

Resources

• https://www.luther2017.de/en/reformation/and-culture/music/martin-luther-father-of-songs/

• https://william.johnstonhaus.us/2009/12/13/music-history-i-martin-luther-the-german-reformation-and-their-impact-on-sacred-music/

• http://www.rjgrune.com/blog/martin-luthers-view-on-music

• Giovanni Palestrina “Hodie Christus” https://youtu.be/VaQhK5sjKYI

• Reformation 500: https://youtu.be/5rwb3jPbedU

• Josquin des Prez “Ave Maria Virgo Serena” https://youtu.be/qXMZoKofu7g

• Reformation 500: Music and the Reformation: The German Mass https://youtu.be/pygo7wuLXck

• Victimae Paschali Laudes https://youtu.be/AneBNAmTyr8

• O Welt dich muss lassen https://youtu.be/5yjd2ryBwyc

• Christ Lag in Todesbanden https://youtube.com

• Christ Lag in Todesbanden (musical notation) https://youtu.be/rqwgeKOgezg