First Appeared in the Newsletter May 2011
Music in the Church:
A look at how Luther saw music and what it means for us today at Grace
A few months ago, I was sitting in my office preparing for the Youth and Adult Choir rehearsals, when something I had not expected was brought to my attention. It surprised me to learn that even in 2011, the use of music during worship services is still controversial. And as a person who believes that learning is never over, I decided to do some research on this topic.
My research took me in and out of music history textbooks, through Lutheran theology and the words of Luther himself, as well as to texts written about the Church in modern day America. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Martin Luther and myself agree on many points about the use of music in worship.
What I have laid out below is a brief history about music before the Reformation and after. And, in my opinion, how this information can serve us in our mission here at Grace. I hope you will enjoy the brief history lesson and see how a world of music has been opened up to us in how we celebrate and praise the Lord.
What some of you may not know is how music changed drastically as a result of the Reformation. Before Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Church, the Catholic Church was the proponent of the arts. The Church funded artists and composers to create masterpieces for their use. And because of the money the Church had acquired, the level of craftsmanship in the arts increased dramatically. So much money was going into the Church, that those who were commissioned to work for the Church did so in an effort to appease the elite. The level of taste and sophistication within the arts was very high. Bishops and Cardinals measured their devotion to God by how much beauty was created. The more complicated and segregated music was from basic public consumption, the more Godly it was to the Catholic clergy.
Now this left a lot of the general public standing on the outside looking in. As we know, Luther wanted to create a service that included the people. People should participate and feel engaged in their relationship with God. Some of his basic wishes were having services in the vernacular (not Latin) and providing music that was simplified so the common man could sing his praises to the Lord.
So how did Luther change music? Luther was a smart man. He needed to find music that a congregation could sing, when they had no musical training and no resources for printing music. Some of the first music he chose was the music from taverns. Although the lyrics were sometimes scandalous, the melodies were recognizable and reproducible. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” is one of these such tunes, stolen from a tavern song. And today it is probably one of the most beloved and reverent songs in the Lutheran Church.
Regardless of how they entered the church, these songs are here to stay. Another important element Luther employed in churches was the use of the organ. Today we see organ music as very traditional. But in Luther’s time, the organ was an instrument used in brothels. In fact, even after Luther’s death, there was still so much controversy over the use of the organ during worship, that some Lutherans traveled throughout Germany burning all the organs they could find.
And here we are today, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, in 2011. We sing these hymns and play the organ so often that they are considered traditional and Godly. But if we really look back on the history of this style of music, we would learn that they come from a tradition of controversy.
What does this mean for our music during worship today? I think it’s clear that Luther’s intent with music and all he did was to involve people in worship. The Church is here to help build and strengthen your relationship with God. I am very proud that Grace has offered such varied styles of music since I have arrived. We have welcomed new young people into our church through the music of Church of Rock. Our name has traveled to St. Olaf as we opened our ears to the beautiful music of Mozart and Haydn. Perhaps we have even become a place of refuge for those who felt at home for the first time in a church by playing some secular favorites.
From the moment I arrived at Grace, I truly felt blessed to be in the company of people who were accepting and welcoming. To me, that is the soul of this congregation. And so, I plan to continue to diversify the music so we can welcome and accept and reach an even greater number of people, young and old.
So if you find yourself struggling with these changes in music, I urge you to remember what the purpose of music is. Let’s continue to bring the message of Jesus to the common man in a way that inspires them to further their relationship with God. And if you need even a little more inspiration, I hope you can find it in Matthew 15:18-19;
“It’s not the sound of the words that makes them holy. It’s the intention and motive behind the communication.”
My research took me in and out of music history textbooks, through Lutheran theology and the words of Luther himself, as well as to texts written about the Church in modern day America. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Martin Luther and myself agree on many points about the use of music in worship.
What I have laid out below is a brief history about music before the Reformation and after. And, in my opinion, how this information can serve us in our mission here at Grace. I hope you will enjoy the brief history lesson and see how a world of music has been opened up to us in how we celebrate and praise the Lord.
What some of you may not know is how music changed drastically as a result of the Reformation. Before Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Church, the Catholic Church was the proponent of the arts. The Church funded artists and composers to create masterpieces for their use. And because of the money the Church had acquired, the level of craftsmanship in the arts increased dramatically. So much money was going into the Church, that those who were commissioned to work for the Church did so in an effort to appease the elite. The level of taste and sophistication within the arts was very high. Bishops and Cardinals measured their devotion to God by how much beauty was created. The more complicated and segregated music was from basic public consumption, the more Godly it was to the Catholic clergy.
Now this left a lot of the general public standing on the outside looking in. As we know, Luther wanted to create a service that included the people. People should participate and feel engaged in their relationship with God. Some of his basic wishes were having services in the vernacular (not Latin) and providing music that was simplified so the common man could sing his praises to the Lord.
So how did Luther change music? Luther was a smart man. He needed to find music that a congregation could sing, when they had no musical training and no resources for printing music. Some of the first music he chose was the music from taverns. Although the lyrics were sometimes scandalous, the melodies were recognizable and reproducible. “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” is one of these such tunes, stolen from a tavern song. And today it is probably one of the most beloved and reverent songs in the Lutheran Church.
Regardless of how they entered the church, these songs are here to stay. Another important element Luther employed in churches was the use of the organ. Today we see organ music as very traditional. But in Luther’s time, the organ was an instrument used in brothels. In fact, even after Luther’s death, there was still so much controversy over the use of the organ during worship, that some Lutherans traveled throughout Germany burning all the organs they could find.
And here we are today, in Spirit Lake, Iowa, in 2011. We sing these hymns and play the organ so often that they are considered traditional and Godly. But if we really look back on the history of this style of music, we would learn that they come from a tradition of controversy.
What does this mean for our music during worship today? I think it’s clear that Luther’s intent with music and all he did was to involve people in worship. The Church is here to help build and strengthen your relationship with God. I am very proud that Grace has offered such varied styles of music since I have arrived. We have welcomed new young people into our church through the music of Church of Rock. Our name has traveled to St. Olaf as we opened our ears to the beautiful music of Mozart and Haydn. Perhaps we have even become a place of refuge for those who felt at home for the first time in a church by playing some secular favorites.
From the moment I arrived at Grace, I truly felt blessed to be in the company of people who were accepting and welcoming. To me, that is the soul of this congregation. And so, I plan to continue to diversify the music so we can welcome and accept and reach an even greater number of people, young and old.
So if you find yourself struggling with these changes in music, I urge you to remember what the purpose of music is. Let’s continue to bring the message of Jesus to the common man in a way that inspires them to further their relationship with God. And if you need even a little more inspiration, I hope you can find it in Matthew 15:18-19;
“It’s not the sound of the words that makes them holy. It’s the intention and motive behind the communication.”
