Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications

501 Pages·2017·10.259 MB·English

by  Robin A. Leaver

L Q B LQB
utheran uarterLy ooks
Paul Rorem, series editor
L ’
u t h e r s
Martin Luther’s relationship to music has been largely downplayed, yet music
played a vital role in Luther’s life—and he in turn had a deep and lasting
effect on Christian hymnody. In Luther’s Liturgical Music Robin Leaver compre- L
hensively explores these connections. Replete with tables, figures, and musical i t u r g i c a L
examples, this volume is the most extensive study on Luther and music ever L
published. Leaver’s work makes a formidable contribution to Reformation studies,
i
but worship leaders, musicians, and others will also find it an invaluable, very M
t
readable resource. u s i c
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“This impressive study of Luther’s liturgical music addresses a multiplicity of M Principles
g t
important aspects. It demonstrates how Luther’s experience as a musician and his
theological reflections on music form the background to his extensive liturgical u i h and
reforms, emphasizes the teaching function of congregational hymns, presents a c e
s
focused and well-rounded picture of the historical foundations of Lutheran church Implications
a r
music, and considers the far-reaching consequences of Luther’s thoughts and i
’
reforms through J. S. Bach. Robin Leaver’s fine book will serve as a most welcome c L s

compendium on a subject that has never been so expertly treated.”
— CHRISTOPH WOLFF
IaP
Harvard University mnr
pdin
“LIuf thyeoru’s wwoanrkt ina rceolamtiporne thoe nmsuivseic, adnedta wileodrs, haipn,d a lounpg-t ow-ditaht eco smummemnataryry ,o hf erMe aitr tiisn. lica cip
Robin Leaver has searched out, organized, and summarized the sources. His t le
i
o s
extensive footnotes make it possible for others to follow his steps and draw their
n
own conclusions, but what emerges as virtually unassailable is the critical impor- s
tance of music in Luther’s reforming efforts, in the work of his colleagues, and in
the Lutheran tradition that followed him. This book helps us understand both
Luther and the Lutheran heritage in a clearer and more accurate light.”
— PAUL WESTERMEYER r a.
o B i n
Luther Seminary
L
ROBIN A. LEAVER was professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir L
e e av e r
College of Rider University and is visiting professor at the Juilliard School, New
a
York City, and at Yale University. An internationally recognized expert in Luther, v
Schütz, and Bach studies, he has been president of the American Bach Society e
(2000–2004), has contributed numerous essays to liturgy and theology journals r
worldwide, and has authored articles for such reference works as The New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The Harvard Dictionary of Music.
Lutheran
QuarterLy
Books
V D
M A
LUTHERAN QUARTERLY BOOKS
Editor
PaulRorem,PrincetonTheologicalSeminary
AssociateEditors
TimothyJ.Wengert,TheLutheranTheologicalSeminaryatPhiladelphiaand
StevenPaulson,LutherSeminary,St.Paul
LutheranQuarterlyBookswilladvancethesameaimsasLutheranQuarterlyit-
self,aimsrepeatedbyTheodoreG.Tappertwhenhewaseditorfiftyyearsago
andrenewedbyOliverK.Olsonwhenherevivedthepublicationin1987.The
originalfouraimscontinuetogracethefrontmatterandtoguidethecontents
ofeveryissue,andcannowalsoindicatethegoalsofLutheranQuarterlyBooks:
“toprovideaforum(1)forthediscussionofChristianfaithandlifeonthebasis
of theLutheranconfession;(2)fortheapplicationof theprinciplesof theLu-
theranchurchtothechangingproblemsofreligionandsociety;(3)forthefos-
teringof worldLutheranism;and(4)forthepromotionof understandingbe-
tweenLutheransandotherChristians.”
Forfurtherinformation,seewww.lutheranquarterly.com.
ThesymbolandmottoofLutheranQuarterly,VDMAforVerbumDominiMa-
net in Aeternum (1 Peter 1:25), was adopted as a motto by Luther’s sovereign,
FredericktheWise,andhissuccessors.Theoriginal“Protestant”princeswalk-
ingoutoftheimperialDietofSpeyer1529,unrulypeasantsfollowingThomas
Muentzer, and from 1531 to 1547 the coins, medals, flags, and guns of the
SmalcaldicLeagueallborethemostfamousReformationslogan,thefirstEvan-
gelicalconfession:theWordof theLordremainsforever.
Lutheran Quarterly Books
Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification, by Oswald Bayer (2003).
Harvesting Martin Luther’s Reflections on Theology, Ethics and the Church, essays
from Lutheran Quarterly, edited by Timothy J. Wengert, with foreword by
David C. Steinmetz (2004).
A More Radical Gospel: Essays on Eschatology, Authority, Atonement, and Ecu-
menism, by Gerhard O. Forde, edited by Mark Mattes and Steven Paulson
(2004).
The Role of Justification in Contemporary Theology, by Mark C. Mattes (2004).
The Captivation of the Will: Luther vs. Erasmus on Freedom and Bondage, by
Gerhard O. Forde (2005).
Bound Choice, Election, and Wittenberg Theological Method: From Martin Luther
to the Formula of Concord, by Robert Kolb (2005).
A Formula for Parish Practice: Using the Formula of Concord in Congregations, by
Timothy J. Wengert (2006).
Luther’s Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications, by Robin A. Leaver (2006).
The Preached God: Proclamation in Word and Sacrament, by Gerhard O. Forde,
edited by Mark C. Mattes and Steven D. Paulson (2007).
Theology the Lutheran Way, by Oswald Bayer (2007).
A Time for Confessing, by Robert W. Bertram (2008).
The Pastoral Luther: Essays on Martin Luther’s Practical Theology, edited by Tim-
othy J. Wengert (2009).
Preaching from Home: The Stories of Seven Lutheran Women Hymn Writers, by
Gracia Grindal (2011).
The Early Luther: Stages in a Reformation Reorientation, by Berndt Hamm
(2013).
The Life, Works, and Witness of Tsehay Tolessa and Gudina Tumsa, the Ethiopian
Bonhoeffer, edited by Samuel Yonas Deressa and Sarah Hinlicky (2017).
Luther’s Liturgical Music
Principles and Implications
Robin A. Leaver
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
LUTHER’S LITURGICAL MUSIC
Principles and Implications
Copyright © 2017 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in
critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner
without prior written permission from the publisher. Email [email protected]
or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.
Interior contents have not been changed from prior editions.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5064-2715-7
eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-2716-4
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984.
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
Contents
Preface vii
Abbreviations x
Tables,Figures,and Musical Examples xii
I. Background & Principles
1. Introduction 3
2. Luther as Musician 21
3. Luther’s Theological Understanding of Music 65
II. Musical Catechesis
4. Erhalt uns,Herr,bei deinem Wort 107
5. Dies sind die heiligen Zehn Gebot 116
6. Wir glauben all an einen Gott 122
7. Vater unser im Himmelreich 128
8. Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam 135
9. Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir 142
10. Jesus Christus unser Heiland 153
v
Contents
11. Nun freut euch,lieben Christen gmein 161
III. Liturgico-Musical Hermeneutics & Pedagogy
12. Musical Hermeneutics in Luther’s Liturgical Reforms 173
13. Liturgical Pedagogy in Luther’s Musical Reforms 191
14. Liturgical Chant in Church and School 209
IV. Liturgico-Musical Forms
15. Sequences and Responsories 227
16. Biblical Canticles 242
V. Implications & Consequences
17. Luther’s Theology of Music in Later Lutheranism 277
18. The Deutsche Messe from Luther to Bach 292
Appendices
1. Luther’s Hymns and Liturgical Chants
in Critical Editions and Hymnals 305
2. Jean Gerson’s Poem “In Praise of Music” 307
3. The Two Versions of Luther’s Encomion musices (1538) 313
4. Johann Walter on Luther 325
5. The Misreading of Pseudo-Justin
in Lutheran Writings on Music 338
Postscript 340
Notes 342
Bibliography 452
Index 469
vi
Preface
Inonesensethisbookhashadalonggestationperiod,thoughmostofithas
beenwritteninrecentyears.Agoodmanyofthechapters,inearliermanifes-
tations,haveappearedinavarietyof publications,asisrecordedindetailin
thePostscript.Theearliestwasfirstpublishedin1983andthelatestin2006.
Someoriginatedasconferencepapers,othersascommissionedarticles.None
appearsherewithoutrevision,sometimessubstantial,orwithoutadditional
material.
My interest in Luther began while I was studying theology in the early
sixties.Beinginvolvedwithchurchmusicfromanearlyage,thecombination
ofmusicandtheologyinLuther’swritingswasintriguing,stimulating,andir-
resistible,especially in my native England.The general view of Luther that I
grewupwithwasof aReformerwhosepropheticactionscreatedProtestant-
ism,but whose theology was suspect and therefore not to be investigated in
muchdepth!ThisishardlysurprisinginageneralAnglicancontextthathad
evolvedindifferentdirectionsfromsixteenth-centuryLutheranism.Itwasout
of my dissatisfaction with this status quo that I began researching Luther’s
writingsformyself.OutofthisgrewanextendedessayonLuther’stheologyof
justification. Martin Franzmann — who had been Professor of New Testa-
ment at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and was then tutor at the Lutheran
WestfieldHouseinCambridge—encouragedmetoexpanditforpublication.
ThisIdid,andwhenthemanuscriptwascompletedhewasinstrumen-
tal in the negotiations that led to its publication by Concordia Publishing
HouseinSt.LouisandLondon.ThebookwaspublishedasLutheronJustifi-
cation (1975), with a preface written by the English Luther scholar Gordon
Rupp,ProfessorofEcclesiasticalHistoryatCambridgeUniversity.Someyears
vii
Preface
lateratLatimerHouse,Oxford,Iwasprivilegedtobeacolleagueof another
EnglishLutherscholar,JamesAtkinson,formerlyProfessorofBiblicalStudies
and Director of the Centre for Reformation Studies at Sheffield University.
Although none had a direct influence on the content of this volume, I am
nevertheless indebted to these three professors who personally encouraged
mystudyofLuther,andtherebyindirectlybutsignificantlyhaveconditioned
muchthatappearshere.
Reference to the Postscript will reveal that a number of the following
chapters have appeared within the pages of the journal Lutheran Quarterly.
Thisisduetoitseditor,PaulRorem,whosincetheearly1990shasbeencon-
stantlyaskingmeforcontributions.SometimeshehadheardaboutapaperI
had given and wanted the substance to be repeated in the journal.At other
timeshewouldapproachmewithspecificrequests,asinthecaseoftheseries
ofarticlesonLuther’scatechismhymns.Afewyearsago,whenthisseries,Lu-
theran Quarterly Books, was being conceived, he made the suggestion that
perhapsIwouldthinkaboutbringingmyLutheranQuarterlyarticlesonLu-
ther,together with others,to be published in the series.Up until then I had
notthoughtaboutcreatingsuchabook.Therefore,ifanyoneotherthanmeis
responsibleforthisbookseeinglightofday,ithastobePaulRorem!Iamex-
tremelygratefultohimnotonlyformakingthesuggestioninthefirstplace
but also for his superb editorial oversight,answering all kinds of questions,
checkingtranslations,andsoforth.
When planning the book I realized that what I had already written
needed to be prefaced by some substantial background chapters. The first
section,Chapters1-3,wasthereforespecificallywrittenforthisbook,Chapter
2andpartofChapter3beingpublishedinLutheranQuarterlyinanticipation
of thepublicationof thecompletevolume.
Iamgreatlyindebtedtoothersfortheirassistanceandhelp,beingpar-
ticularlygratefultoLeofrancHolford-Strevens,whoatmyrequestgraciously
providedthetranslationofGerson’spoeminpraiseofmusicthatappearsas
Appendix2.Icouldnothavecompletedthemanuscriptwithoutthewisdom,
experience,insightandcollaborativeresearchofthefollowing:MarkBangert,
LutheranSchoolofTheology,Chicago;JillBurnettCumming,DrewUniver-
sity; Stephen Crist,Emory University; M. Patrick Graham,Director of Pitts
Theology Library, Emory University; Scott Hendrix, Princeton Theological
Seminary; Robert Kolb, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; Michael Marissen,
Swarthmore College; Kate Skrebutenas, Speer Library, Princeton Seminary;
Knud Svensen,Aarhus,Denmark; Martin Treu,Director of the Lutherhalle,
Wittenberg;TimothyWengert,TheLutheranTheologicalSeminaryatPhila-
delphia; and Daniel Zager, Eastman School of Music. I am particularly
viii
Preface
indebtedtomyformergraduateassistantJ.MarkDunnforcreatingthemu-
sical examples. Without the assistance — and forbearance — of my wife,
SherryVellucci,Iwouldstillbeworkingonthemanuscript.Errorsandmis-
statementsare,ofcourse,tobelaidatmydoorratherthanatthoseofmyad-
visors.
Now that the writing of this book is complete I have a better under-
standingoftwocommentsofLutherfoundintheTischreden:“Hewhodoes
notknowwritingthinksitrequiresnoeffort.Threefingerswrite,buttheen-
tire body is at work”(WA TR No.6438); and,“Music is a very fine art.The
notesmakethewordslive”(WATRNo.2545).
Robin A.Leaver
ix