As tomorrow marks the 492nd anniversary of the event that traditionally marks the beginning of the Reformation, I thought it appropriate to post the following choral rendition of Luther’s Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott, sung in its original syncopated rhythm.
This hymn is, of course, a free paraphrase of Psalm 46 with a christocentric focus. The nonlutheran Reformers generally versified the psalms while sticking more closely to the original texts. Here is an example from the Genevan Psalter: Psalm 46, sung by the 270-year-old Debrecen College Cantus of Debrecen, Hungary, a choral group that deserves more recognition on this side of the pond.
October 30th, 2009 | 10:46 am | #1
Your readers might be interested in knowing that this form of the tune, Ein Feste Burg, is the original way Luther wrote it, and the way it has been sung by generations of Missouri Synod Lutherans.
The other form, the isometric, beat-on-each-note-sung-slowly-and-in-very-boring-style is something that came into the Church via pietists who thought that singing a hymn with vigor and gusto, rocking it out syncopated style, was a mark of a lack of devotion and therefore the solution was to sing everything v e r y s l ow l y. This is one major reason why classic Lutheran chorales and other such hymns remind everyone of funeral dirges when they are not sung as they were originally written.
J.S. Bach had a lot of fun using the convention of the day, but then adding all kinds zesty music to the settings of the hymn. You get this served up big-time in his great Reformation Cantata, BWV 80 and also BWV 147.
Happy Reformation Day everyone!
October 30th, 2009 | 11:18 am | #2
Thank you, Pastor McCain. In my personal library I have a copy of Concordia’s old 1941Lutheran Hymnal, and indeed it contains the rhythmic form of A Mighty Fortress, as you indicate. I have also heard this version on The Lutheran Hour. Although I grew up with the isometric version familiar to most English-speaking Christians, I find it difficult to sing anymore.
The old German chorales have much in common with the tunes of the Genevan Psalter, whose rhythmic characters were flattened out in similar fashion by later generations. I will be posting on this topic at some point here. Stay tuned.
October 30th, 2009 | 11:48 am | #3
We enjoyed the rhythm of reformation and the explanation of it.
October 30th, 2009 | 10:39 pm | #4
Das ist sehr gut!
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