A metrical mass

If Luther retained the ordinary of the mass, in 1526 he nevertheless created a metrical version, the Deutsche Messe, which could be easily sung by ordinary congregations. This is similar to what motivated the non-Lutheran reformers to versify the Psalms. Here is the metrical credo, We All Believe in One True God, which is sung here in the Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche in Berlin:

Here is Michael Praetorius’ arrangement of the Sanctus hymn, Isaiah Mighty Seer in Days of Old. I was unable to find a less ornamented and more straightforward rendition of this tune.

I have never experienced the celebration of Luther’s Deutsche Messe but would love to one day. Perhaps our resident Lutheran, Pastor McCain, could tell us where and when we would be most likely to hear this.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

How the State Failed Noelia Castillo

Itxu Díaz

On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…

The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves

Algis Valiunas

The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…

History’s Pro Tips on Iran

Francis X. Maier

Nothing in human experience compares to the wars of the last 120 years. Their scope has grown…