<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This article seeks to demonstrate Martin Luther's often-overlooked credentials as a musician. Luther was convinced that music was the <italic>viva voce evangelii</italic> (living voice of the gospel), and unlike other more radical Reformation movements, he encouraged the use of choral and congregational singing in worship. Some of his familiar hymns – <italic>Nun freut euch, Ein’ feste Burg and Aus tiefer Not</italic> – offer insights into his ambitions to embed congregational singing into his vision of reformed worship, which went hand in hand with liturgical reform. Luther's <italic>Formula Missae</italic> and the vernacular <italic>Deutsche Messe</italic> lay the groundwork for Lutheran worship, which restructured the service around the centrality of the gospel proclamation. Luther's musical tradition reached its zenith in the work of J. S. Bach, which continues to echo in the Western musical canon, leaving Luther with a lasting musical legacy.</p></abstract>

This article seeks to demonstrate Martin Luther's often-overlooked credentials as a musician. Luther was convinced that music was the viva voce evangelii (living voice of the gospel), and unlike other more radical Reformation movements, he encouraged the use of choral and congregational singing in worship. Some of his familiar hymns – Nun freut euch, Ein’ feste Burg and Aus tiefer Not – offer insights into his ambitions to embed congregational singing into his vision of reformed worship, which went hand in hand with liturgical reform. Luther's Formula Missae and the vernacular Deutsche Messe lay the groundwork for Lutheran worship, which restructured the service around the centrality of the gospel proclamation. Luther's musical tradition reached its zenith in the work of J. S. Bach, which continues to echo in the Western musical canon, leaving Luther with a lasting musical legacy.

Martin Luther: music and mission

Holiness

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Martin Luther: music and mission"}

This article seeks to demonstrate Martin Luther's often-overlooked credentials as a musician. Luther was convinced that music was the viva voce evangelii...

Martin Luther: music and mission

Published Online: Jun 16, 2020

Page range: 235 - 256

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/holiness-2017-0008

Keywords
MARTIN LUTHER, MUSIC, REFORMATION, J. S. BACH, ORGAN MUSIC, LITURGY

© 2017 John Swarbrick, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Martin Luther: music and mission

Published Online: Jun 16, 2020

Page range: 235 - 256

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/holiness-2017-0008

KeywordsMARTIN LUTHER, MUSIC, REFORMATION, J. S. BACH, ORGAN MUSIC, LITURGY

© 2017 John Swarbrick, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Keywords
MARTIN LUTHER, MUSIC, REFORMATION, J. S. BACH, ORGAN MUSIC, LITURGY