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.
The Possibility of Possibility
"Might could” is a Southern expression meaning “maybe I could” or “I might be able to,” conveying…
The False Promise of No Contact
Around the time nineteen-year-old Alice began cutting ties with her family, she announced on social media that…
Moral Certitude and the Iran War
The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…