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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017
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Photo by Carol Smith
A stained glass window at Clatsop Community College’s Performing Arts Center bears the first line of Martin Luther’s most famous hymn.
A MUSICAL REFORMATION
Martin Luther’s 500-year infl uence goes beyond the theological
Commons.wikimedia.org
Martin Luther posting his Ninety-five Theses in 1517
By DENISE REED
For The Daily Astorian
I
n the fall of 1517, a professor and
Augustinian priest named Martin
Luther prepared a list of 95 theological
postulates intended for academic debate.
This thrust the Catholic Church into a con-
frontation that led to the “reforming” of the
church — an event that came to be known
as the Protestant Reformation.
Now, 500 years later, Lutherans cele-
brate not only the reformation of church
theology but how it impacted the arts,
including music.
When Luther translated the sacred texts
of the Bible into the vernacular, his native
German, this sealed the Reformation’s
infl uence on both the church and music,
enriching the late Medieval and Renais-
sance periods. And it continues to enrich
the lives of worshipers and music lovers
alike.
As a non-theologian, I can’t comment
on the religious impact of Luther’s Nine-
ty-fi ve Theses, but, humbly, I can speak to
the impact the Reformation’s music had on
choral music that came after.
Luther’s conviction that music was a
vehicle for evangelical proclamation gave
birth to a new genre of church music: the
German chorale, whose form generations
of composers have used to write motets,
cantatas, concertos and other pieces.
Denise Reed
His ideas inspired two of the most pro-
lifi c and popular composers: Johann Sebas-
tian Bach and George Frederick Handel.
The Lutheran chorale
Luther believed that art is part of a com-
plete life. If life is to be well-rounded,
it must be beautiful, as well as true and
good. Without beauty, the act of
worship, however sincere, is imperfect,
incomplete.
According to Luther’s theology of
sound, music is not of human invention but
a gift from God, and that it is present in the
natural world, imbued in all creatures, even
in the sound of the wind.
The human voice, though, was what
captivated him most. The voice articulates
words and the meanings behind them, and
Luther believed the words of God have the
power to transform those who hear it spo-
ken or sung. What a concept!
The chorale form comprises congre-
gational hymns, written in the vernacu-
lar (German) whose content was meant to
instruct the largely illiterate Medieval pop-
ulace in the Bible’s contents. The hymns
functioned as worship songs declaring
statements of Christian faith.
Luther himself wrote numerous hymns,
and he penned motets developing the poly-
phonic forms that have become an essential
part of modern music.
Bach, Handel and Mendelssohn used
the chorale form in compositions beloved
by many denominations and nationalities.
And though choral music began with
sacred subject matter, it is loved by sacred
and secular singers and audiences.
‘Messiah’ performance in
Astoria
Handel’s “Messiah” has become the
most widely performed composition in
every country. This year, countless choirs
worldwide, including our own North Coast
Chorale (which I conduct), will present the
piece as a “sing-along” 4 p.m. Nov. 26 at
Clatsop Community College’s Performing
Arts Center (located at Franklin and 16th
streets).
The performance will benefi t the food
banks of Clatsop County, just as the profi t
from the fi rst performance of “Messiah” in
1742 went to widows, orphans and debtors
of 18th century England.
A stained glass window facing 16th
Street at the Performing Arts Center uses
the fi rst line of Luther’s most famous hymn,
“A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” The win-
dow was a major focus of the Lutheran
congregation that built the church during
the Great Depression.
For many years, this window has been
covered, concealed from passersby; you
must come into the Performing Arts Center
to see it, and the “Messiah” sing-along will
give listeners an opportunity to do just that.
Sacred song
As Lutherans the world over prepare
to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the
Reformation’s origin, remember that the
Lutheran chorale’s sacred song has affected
us all, performers and listeners.
And when you see the stained glass win-
dow at the Performing Arts Center, think
of the profound effect this priest, monk,
singer and composer had on the develop-
ment of music.
Denise Reed is the conductor of the
North Coast Chorale and a member of the
Oregon Humanities Board of Directors.
She teaches opera and music appreciation,
along with world music and the histories of
some of America’s popular styles of music,
at Clatsop and Tillamook Bay community
colleges.