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 ...

was a great enthusiast for music, and this is why it forms a large part of

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 ...

services; in particular, Luther admired the composers

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

and

Ludwig Senfl Ludwig Senfl (born around 1486, died between December 2, 1542 and August 10, 1543) was a Swiss composer of the Renaissance, active in Germany. He was the most famous pupil of Heinrich Isaac, was music director to the court of Maximilian I, Hol ...

and wanted singing in the church to move away from the ''ars perfecta'' (Catholic Sacred Music of the late Renaissance) and towards singing as a ''

Gemeinschaft ''Gemeinschaft'' () and ''Gesellschaft'' (), generally translated as " community and society", are categories which were used by the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in order to categorize social relationships into two types. The Gesellscha ...

'' (community). Lutheran

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s are sometimes known as chorales. Lutheran hymnody is well known for its doctrinal,

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need t ...

, and musical richness. Most Lutheran churches are active musically with choirs, handbell choirs, children's choirs, and occasionally

change ringing Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a tightly controlled manner to produce precise variations in their successive striking sequences, known as "changes". This can be by method ringing in which the ringers commit to memor ...

groups that ring bells in a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

, a devout Lutheran, composed music for the Lutheran church: more than half of his over 1000 compositions are or contain Lutheran hymns.

History

Lutheran hymnals include: * '' Achtliederbuch'', a.k.a. the first Lutheran hymnal (1524). Contains, among others, " Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein", " Es ist das Heil uns kommen her", " Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein", " Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl" and " Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir". * '' Erfurt Enchiridion'' (1524) * '' Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn'' (1524) * '' Becker Psalter'' (1602) * '' Praxis pietatis melica'' (1640/47) * '' Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch'' (1682)

Characteristics

When Johannes Zahn catalogued the tunes of over 8800

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

hymns in the late 19th century, he used the verse characteristics of the lyrics as basis of his classification system.

Hymnodists

Lutheran

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

s or hymn-writers: *

Martin Behm Martin Behm (1557–1622) was a German hymnwriter. Born in Lauban (now Lubań in Poland), Behm was deacon and later chief pastor of the town's Holy Trinity Church. He wrote approximately 480 hymns, including "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Li ...

Elisabeth Cruciger Elisabeth Cruciger (also spelled Kreuziger, Creutziger etc.; née von Meseritz) (c. 1500 - 2 May 1535), a German writer, was the first female poet and hymnwriter of the Protestant Reformation and a friend of Martin Luther. Life Elisabeth von ...

Simon Dach Simon Dach (29 July 1605 – 15 April 1659) was a German lyrical poet and hymnwriter, born in Memel, Duchy of Prussia (now Klaipėda in Lithuania). Early life Although brought up in humble circumstances (his father was a poorly paid court int ...

Wolfgang Dachstein Wolfgang Dachstein (1487–1553) was a German organist, composer, and lyricist. He was born in Offenburg. From 1503 Dachstein studied Music and Theology with Martin Luther at Erfurt. He entered the Dominican convent in Strasbourg and in 1521 b ...

* Paul Eber * Paul Fleming *

Johann Franck Johann Fran(c)k (1 June 1618 – 18 June 1677) was a German politician (serving as mayor of Guben and a member of the Landtag of Lower Lusatia) and a lyric poet and hymnist. Life Franck was born in Guben, Margraviate of Lower Lusatia. After ...

Michael Franck Michael Franck (16 March 1609 – 24 September 1667) was a German poet, composer and Protestant hymnwriter. He was born in Schleusingen, and died in Coburg. Franck initially established a career as a baker. Although he was fairly successful, "he ...

Paul Gerhardt Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheran minister and hymnodist. Biography Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. His father died in ...

Johannes Gigas Johannes Gigas (22 February 1514 — 12 July 1581) was a German Protestant theologian, hymn writer, educator and Reformer. Gigas was born in Nordhausen, Thuringia and died in Schweidnitz (now Świdnica, Silesia, Poland). The libretto of ''Ach, ...

* N. F. S. Grundtvig * Claus Harms *

Johann Heermann Johann Heermann (11 October 158517 February 1647) was a German poet and hymnodist. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on 26 October with Philipp Nicolai and Paul Gerhardt. Life Heermann was born in Raudten ...

* Ludwig Helmbold *

Valerius Herberger Valerius Herberger (21 April 1562 – 18 May 1627) was a German Lutheran preacher and theologian. Life He was born at Fraustadt, Silesia (now Wschowa in Poland). He studied for three years at Freystadt in Silesia (now Kożuchów in Poland), and ...

Konrad Hubert Konrad Hubert, also Konrad Huber, Konrad Huober, or Konrad Humbert (1507 – 13 April 1577), was a German Reformed theologian, hymn writer and reformer. He was for 18 years the assistant of Martin Bucer at St. Thomas, Strasbourg. Life Hubert wa ...

* Justus Jonas *

Christian Keymann Christian Keymann (also ''Christian Keimann''; 27 February 1607 – 13 January 1662) was a German hymnwriter. He is known for writing the chorale " Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" in 1658, which served as the base for Bach's chorale cantata '' Meinen ...

Balthasar Kindermann Balthasar Benjamin Kindermann (10 April 1636 – 12 February 1706) was a German poet. Kindermann was born in Zittau, the son of a ''Schwertfeger,'' a smith who specialized in weapons. He attended the Gymnasium of his home town and was encouraged ...

Johann Kolross Johann Kolross (also ''Johannes Kolrose'', Latinized ''Rhodonthracius'', c. 1487 – c. 1560) was a poet, philologist and educator of the German Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. He studied in Freiburg, and worked as rector of the bo ...

* Martin Luther * Hemminki of Masku * Johann Matthäus Meyfart * Georg Neumark *

Hallgrímur Pétursson Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 – 27 October 1674) was an Icelandic poet and a minister at Hvalsneskirkja and Saurbær in Hvalfjörður. Being one of the most prominent Icelandic poets, the Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík and the Hallgrímskirk ...

* Christian Heinrich Postel * Adam Reusner * Bartholomäus Ringwaldt *

Martin Rinkart Martin Rinkart, or Rinckart (23 April 1586, Eilenburg – 8 December 1649) was a German Lutheran clergyman and hymnist. He is best known for the text to "Nun danket alle Gott" (" Now thank we all our God") which was written c. 1636. It was set t ...

Johann Rist Johann Rist (8 March 1607 – 31 August 1667) was a German poet and dramatist best known for his hymns, which inspired musical settings and have remained in hymnals. Life Rist was born at Ottensen in Holstein-Pinneberg (today Hamburg) on 8 Mar ...

* Gottfried Wilhelm Sacer * Carl Schalk * Martin Schalling the Younger *

Lazarus Spengler Lazarus Spengler (March 13, 1479 in Nuremberg – September 7, 1534 in Nuremberg) was a prominent supporter of Martin Luther and leader of the Protestant Reformation in Nuremberg, as well as a famous hymnwriter. Life and career Spengler was t ...

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 ...

Paul Stockmann Paul or Paulus Stockmann (3 January 1603 – 6 September 1636) was a German academic, preacher and hymn-writer. He fought at the Battle of Lützen in 1632 and later served as court preacher to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, before dying of the plag ...

Melchior Teschner Melchior Teschner (29 April 1584 – 1 December 1635) was a German cantor, composer and theologian. Born in Wschowa in Poland, Teschner attended the ''Gymnasium'' in Zittau, Saxony, and studied under Johann Klee. In 1602 he began studies in music ...

* N. Samuel of Tranquebar * Jaroslav Vajda *

Michael Weiße Michael Weiße or Weisse ( – 19 March 1534) was a German theologian, Protestant reformer and hymn writer. First a Franciscan, he joined the Bohemian Brethren. He published the most extensive early Protestant hymnal in 1531, supplying most hymn t ...

* Catherine Winkworth

Hymnologists

Hymnologists who published on Lutheran hymns: *

Nancy Raabe Nancy Elizabeth Miller Raabe (born 1954) is an American clergy member, author, and composer. She is the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Early life and education Raabe was born in 1954. She graduated from Pomona College ...

Philipp Wackernagel Carl Eduard Philipp Wackernagel (28 June 1800, in Berlin – 20 June 1877, in Dresden) was a German schoolteacher and hymnologist. He was an older brother of philologist Wilhelm Wackernagel. He was educated in mineralogy and crystallography at B ...

History

Characteristics

Hymnodists

Hymnologists

References

Citations

Sources