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Music of the Early Lutheran Church

            During the history of music, some of the most significant developments were due to religious motivation. The Renaissance era in Europe was characterized by an attitude of reform and pursuit of knowledge. A religious reformation was on its way to hit Europe in the beginning of the 16th century. This would cause a division between the Catholic Church and the new Lutheran Church. Martin Luther would lead this reform and break from the Catholic Church and will eventually fuel new musical traditions and composers.
             Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg, was responsible for leading the Reformation in Europe in the early 16th century. During the time he was studying theology he encountered a great dilemma. He would question the idea of achieving salvation through one's merits and good deeds in a world filled with immorality. This lead to an epiphany, which he called his "tower experience,"" where he claimed that the just individual shall reach salvation through faith alone. He believed that the Bible is the only necessary medium between an individual and God. These beliefs were the foundation of the Reformation. The event that triggered the Reform was the release of his "Ninety-Five Theses " in 1517. It heavily criticized the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope for the sales of indulgences that pardoned individuals of their sin. His "Ninety-Five Theses " reached the masses of Germany thanks to the invention of the printing press, and can be interpreted as a result of this recent development. Luther's views became increasingly popular in Germany partly due to the Leipzig Debate that helped settle and solidify his ideas. In 1520, Luther wrote three treatises that laid the groundwork for the protestant church. These works attracted the attention of the German authorities and the Pope. He was excommunicated and then outlawed by the Empire at the Diet of Worms.


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1. Music and Religious Change in the Renaissance

... represent the ideals of the two faiths and their leaders. The challenges made to the Roman Catholic Church throughout Europe form one of the important chains of events in C16th history. This affected the way services were carried out and in turn the music which is part of the service. The new Protestant churches, were eager to strip their worship of the extravagant ritual and ceremony, which played an integral role in the Catholic service. Music, at the forefront of this ... usually based on a limited amount of thematic material due to them being of a strophic form. This means they cons...

  • Word Count: 1035
  • Approx Pages: 4
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2. Differences Betweeand Black and White Christianity/Church

... a formal church setting come only from services I've regularly attended at an ELCA Lutheran church and a Presbyterian church. Both congregations are made entirely of white families. In fact, I only saw one black person enter the doors of the Lutheran church (to witness a friend's baptism) in 10 years of attendance, and never at the Presbyterian church. So when I talk about the white church, I ... the Black church and the White church. These differences range from the use of music and style of preaching to history/origin. They include ideas of what it takes to become a member of the church...

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3. The Keyboard Suites of Handel and Bach

... valet. Duke Johann Adolf discovered that the boy had skill on the organ, and George Frideric participated in a small bit of Sunday chapel music. It is unclear where he learned to play, but it is certain that the Duke commanded he be trained in music. (Weinstock 10) Despite his father's opinions of music, George Frideric was placed under the tutelage of the church organist, Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau, upon their ... that the Elector wanted to take the boy into his service. The old man, however, wanted no part of it, and he ordered his son to return home. (Weinstock 13-14) At that time, Geor...

  • Word Count: 2823
  • Approx Pages: 11
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4. Sacred and Secular Music

... views on prayer in your own language. This incorporated folk culture into sacred music. Johann Sebastian Bach, nicknamed the King of Polyphony and considered by many to be the greatest composer in the history of western music, spent most of his life working in a Lutheran church position as both organist and music director. Many musicologists agree that even many of his secular works contain religious interpretations. Bach was a Baroque-era composer who ... lived from 1681-1750. Amadeus Mozart lived from 1756-1791, during the classical era. Mozart is famous for homophony, which is melody...

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5. A Comparison Of The Classical Era And The Jazz Era

... to dance. It became known as "Bop," with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie being the early proponents. In the last twenty years, there has been a combination of jazz with popular music of the US and Latin America. This modern Jazz music has been called "Fusion." Present day exponents include Pat Metheny and Chic Corea. There ... of these kinds of music been transmitted to later generations of musicians? Early in the evolution of classical music, a system of notation was gradually developed which for the most part remained stable from the Renaissance on. This gave the composer control o...

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6. The Age Of Renaissance

... then born around fifteen twenty-two. Lutheran Churches became territorial and state churches meaning the state supervised and diciplined the members. Luther also formed new religious services to replace the mass. These worship services focused on Bible reading, preaching the Word of God, and song. Protestant Reformation began to emerge after Luther's heresy brought up questions of who's interpretation of the Holy Bible was the correct one. This led to ... expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus recieved some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately infl...

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7. The City of Guelph

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8. World Religions

... reflects more faithfully the teachings of Buddha and his early disciples. The Vinaya-pitaka, a collection of books on the disciplinary rules of the order, and Sutta-pitaka, or tracts consisting in part of alleged sayings of Buddha, and Abhidhamma-pitaka, comprising of the more detailed treatises on doctrinal subjects, are all also considered sacred. Buddhism has 307 million followers. CHINESE RELIGIONS Of the numerous religions that grew out of the age-old nation of China, the largest two ... worship based on the Book of Common Prayer and an interpretation of the Bible using a modified ...

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9. Js Bach- A Musicians Musician

... younger brother's education on the organ, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach's masterful skill pa! id off for him at an early age (Geiringer). After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Lunenburg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, ... he toured regularly as a solo virtuoso, and his growing mastery of compositional forms, like the fugue and the canon, were already attracting interest from the musical establishment, which, in h...

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