The First Lutheran hymnal, published in 1524 as ''Etlich Cristlich lider / Lobgesang und Psalm'' (Some Christian songs / canticle, and psalm), often also often referred to as the Achtliederbuch (Book with eight songs, literally Eightsongsbook), was the first

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

History and content

The hymnal was created by

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

and

Paul Speratus Paul Speratus (13 December 148412 August 1551) was a Swabian Catholic priest who became a Protestant preacher, reformer and hymn-writer. In 1523, he helped Martin Luther to create the First Lutheran hymnal, published in 1524 and called ''Achtliede ...

working in collaboration. It contains eight hymns: four by Luther, three by Speratus, and one anonymous, which has been attributed to Justus Jonas. The creators declared their intentions on the title page: "Lobgesang / un Psalm / dem rainen wort Gottes gemeß / auß der heylige schrifft / durch mancherley hochgelerter gemacht / in der Kirch zu singen / wie es dann zum tayl Berayt in Wittenberg in übung ist." (Canticle / and psalm / according to the pure word of God / from the holy scripture / made by several learned eople/ to be sung in church / as already practised in part in Wittenberg.) The hymnal is rather "eine lose buchhändlerische Zusammenfassung", a loose collection of songs which existed as broadsheets, than a hymnal with a concept. It was printed around the turn of the year 1523/1524 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

by Jobst Gutknecht. The title page showed

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north of ...

as the location of print. The booklet of twelve pages contained eight songs on five different melodies. The little hymnal was distributed in Europe. Luther's adversaries complained that "the whole people are singing themselves into his doctrines." Because of the great demand, another collection was published the same year, the Erfurt ''Enchiridion'', containing 26 hymns, 18 of them by Luther.

Songs

# (Luther) # (Speratus) # (Speratus) (German Wikisource page) # (Speratus) # (Luther) # (Luther) # (Luther) # (anonymous, setting for two voices)

Sources

Konrad Ameln Konrad Ameln (6 July 1899 – 1 September 1994) was a German hymnologist and musicologist, who wrote standard works about Protestant church music. Life Childhood, youth and academic years Born in Neuss, Ameln grew up in Kassel and attended t ...

(ed.): ''Das Achtliederbuch'', facsimile Nürnberg, 1523/24, 2, 1956
From The “Eight Songs,” Wittenberg, 1524.
With English Translations and Music, as part of the Online Library of Liberty: A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets.

References

External links

Stephen A. Crist Video
An Introduction to the Achtliederbuch, held by Pitts Theology Library at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

Achtliederbuch
Portal zu Bibliotheken, Archiven, Museen 2011 {{Lutheran hymnody Reformation in Germany Lutheran hymnals 1524 books 1524 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 16th-century Christian texts

History and content

Songs

See also

Sources

References

External links