The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther's Wittenberg

by Robin A. Leaver

Overview

Authoritative study by a renowned musicologist and Reformation scholar

Many scholars think that congregational singing was not established in Lutheran worship until well after the start of the Reformation. In this book Robin A. Leaver calls that view into question, presenting new research to confirm the earlier view that congregational singing was both the intention and the practice right from the beginning of the Wittenberg reforms in worship.

Leaver's study focuses on the Wittenberg hymnal of 1526, which until now has received little scholarly attention. This hymnal, Leaver argues, shows how the Lutheran Reformation was to a large degree defined, expressed, promoted, and taken to heart through early Lutheran hymns. Examining what has been forgotten or neglected about the origins of congregational hymnody under Martin Luther's leadership, this study of worship, music, and liturgy is a significant contribution to Reformation scholarship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802873750
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	05/12/2017
Series:	The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies (CICW)
Pages:	220
Sales rank:	503,613
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Robin A. Leaver is professor emeritus at Westminster Choir College and visiting professor at Yale University and Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. His previous books include Luther's Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Abbreviations xi

1 The Reformation Celebrated in Song 1

2 Pre-Reformation Vernacular Song 8

3 Wittenberg Reforms, 1517-23 33

4 The Initial Repertory of Hymns, 1523-24 65

5 The Publication of the Wittenberg Hymns, 1523-24 81

6 A Congregational Hymnal in Wittenberg, 1524-26 102

7 Liturgical Developments in Wittenberg, 1523-26 117

8 From Enchyridion to Geistliche lieder, 1524-29 140

Appendix 1 Enchyridion geistlicher gesenge und psalmen fur die leyen, Wittenberg, 1524-26 163

Appendix 2 Geistliche Lieder, Wittenberg: Klug, 1529/33 165

Appendix 3 Luther's Hymns and Liturgical Chants in Critical Editions and Hymnals 174

Appendix 4 Hymns by Authors Other than Luther 178

Appendix 5 Hymn Collections, 1524-36 181

Bibliography 184

Index of First Lines 197

Index of Names and Subjects 202

Editorial Reviews

Stephen A. Crist
-- Emory University
"Though focused on a significant reevaluation of one specific hymnal published in Wittenberg in 1526, this book is a virtuosic study of Lutheran congregational song in its formative first two decades (1517-36). The depth and breadth of Leaver's erudition are dazzling. This is the lucid and detailed account of the origins of Protestant hymnody that we have been awaiting."

Bryan D. Spinks
-- Yale Institute of Sacred Music
"Robin Leaver is one of the leading scholars of the musical traditions of the Reformation. In this detailed and comprehensive study he presents and discusses the rich contributions of both Luther and the Wittenberg Reformation to congregational hymns. This is an important book both for historians of music and for liturgical studies."

Paul Westermeyer
-- Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
"A most welcome addition to Reformation studies generally and to Luther's contribution to the church's song particularly. The text tells the story, but for those who want even more details, the footnotes and appendices amply provide the data to pursue them. We owe Leaver deep and abiding gratitude."

Michael Marissen
-- author of Bach & God
"Drawing on a lifetime's experience and expertise, Leaver has charted not only a superb introduction to the world of Lutheran hymnody but also a fundamental rereading of its early history."

William Weedon
-- LCMS Director of Worship
"A masterful refutation of the relatively recent notion that congregational singing was not integral to Luther's program for the renewal of the liturgy. . . . A must-read!"

From the Publisher