LUTHER, THE NOBLE ART OF MUSIC

Ensemble Utopia, InAlto

In a letter of 4 October 1530 to the chapel-master of the Bavarian court Ludwig Senfl (c. 1488/89–1543), Martin Luther famously proclaimed that, “I plainly judge and do not hesitate to affirm that except for theology, there is no art that could be put on the same level with music”. The position stands in stark contrast to some of his reformer contemporaries, who, disturbed by music’s power to affect the soul, all but banned it from the Church. Luther, on the other hand, sought precisely to capitalize on the qualities that music possessed in order to advance his reforms. For him, music was a powerful tool for private meditation and diversion, for strengthening communal ties, for spreading his message, and for public representation. Luther’s high evaluation of music was based in personal experience. As a schoolboy in Eisenach, he sang regularly, and at university he received training in speculative music theory as one of the seven liberal arts. He played the lute, and could compose. As a well-educated musician, he continually stressed the importance of music not only as a part of worship, but also as an essential part of general education. He once famously remarked that every schoolmaster must be able to sing, and he emphasized the importance of music education in his 1524 guidelines for the founding of schools (An die Ratsherren aller Städte deutschen Landes, daß sie christliche Schulen aufrichten und halten sollen). Accordingly, music played a central role in the school curriculum, and witnessed an enormous growth in Lutheran areas during the reformation. Luther himself planned a treatise on music, but this was never completed. The most emblematic musical manifestation of Luther’s reforms is undoubtedly the repertory of songs in the vernacular whose creation Luther initiated: the chorale, or hymn, repertory. With their German, poetic, and strophic texts, set to simple and memorable melodies, these chorales allowed the faithful to sing communally together as well as to express and share religious and spiritual ideas. They were employed privately, publicly, and for educational purposes.

anon.:
 Vater unser im Himmelreich
 Verleih uns Freiden

Bruck:
 Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir

Cruger:
 Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir

Despres:
 De profundis clamavi
 Douleur me bat
 Pater Noster
 Plaine de dueil
 Victimae paschali laudes

Eccard:
 Vater unser im Himmelreich

Hellinck:
 Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir

Hoyoul:
 Christ Lag in Todesbanden
 Unser Vater in den Himmeln

Lasso:
 Victimae Pascali Laudes

Othmayr:
 Christ Lag in Todesbanden
 Vater unser im Himmelreich

Praetorius, M:
 Victimae Pascali Laudes
 Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir

Senfl:
 De Profundis Clamavi

Walter, J:
 Christ Lag in Todesbanden
 Vater unser

"Met zijn 95 stellingen gaf Maarten Luther op 31 oktober 1517 het startsein voor de reformatie. Nu, vijfhonderd jaar later, is het vooral de muziek die is blijven hangen. In tegenstelling tot andere reformatoren was Luther geen tegenstander van muziek in de kerk. Hij beschouwde muziek eerder als de enige kunst die het woord van God kon benaderen. Zijn opvattingen gaven aanleiding tot een heel nieuw genre: het koraal. Een versobering van de grootse renaissancepolyfonie waarvan Luther slechts het werk van Josquin des Prez kon waarderen. De zangers van Utopia volgen met de cornetto’s en trombones van InAlto de wording van de protestantse kerkzang en maken de geschiedenis – van Josquin naar koralen als Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir en Vater Unser im Himmelreich – hoorbaar en navolgbaar. Klanken die, zelfs als de religie geen enkele rol meer speelt, een snaar raken en die alleen al uit historische overwegingen in geen enkel muzikaal huis mogen ontbreken."
Klassieke Zaken Magazine 6-2017