Those Who Sing Pray Twice
Lutheran Hymns and Prayer Books (4 vols.)
On CP and getting less expensive by the hour ... $1 (US) increments ... yea!
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Thanks. I had somehow overlooked this.
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Peace, Steve! *smile* Thanks for the "bump"!
concerning Luther and music and hymnody ... I found this on the internet ... something to think about! Blessings!
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Martin Luther, the "Nightingale of Wittenberg", loved to sing and did it well
Martin Luther was most concerned about new songs. He reformed sung music, and thus he invented the Protestant hymn. His language came to flourish, and this becomes obvious in his choice of words. New songs – they can be sung, sung to the end, sung about, sung at leisure, sung out loudly, sung above, sung below, sung to others, sung for others and, unfortunately, also be sung to pieces ... Martin Luther himself was a passionate singer. He had high demands. The Meistersinger of Nuremberg, Hans Sachs, called him the "Nightingale of Wittenberg". This bird of the Reformation can be recognised by his songs, like the people of the church. Luther was steeped into this attitude.
This is why he called his first hymn book, published in 1529 in Wittenberg, "parish song book". This is programmatic. It is the people of the parish that shall sing. Many others contributed to this program – Luther himself wrote a modestly small number of songs. Not even 40 of his hymns have survived. And not all of Luther's poems are overly elegant. Some rhymes are rather doggerel: "Your wife shall be in your house / like a vine full of grapes, / and your children around your table / like oil plants, healthy and fresh." One might argue about these images. The titles of the songs are sometimes rather rough: "What do you, enemy Herod, fear much" This does not come fluently over the lips.
Songs convey biblical insights and touch the soul
It was Paul Gerhardt, whose fascinating elegance and strength of imagery has put the focus on the emotion of the pious Protestant self in its conversation with God and creation. It was he, not Martin Luther, who had the idea to begin a song with the words: "Lord, I will happily remain what I am: your poor dog …" Luther knows nothing about daffodils and tulips and "the silk of Solomon". He prefers to talk about a "mighty fortress", about "the coming empire", about "pain", "fire", "the devil" and "Christ". He talks about "us" and about the "we" of the people in the parish, who realise, by means of singing, how God protects them during difficult times. This is how Luther reworked psalms and set them to music, translated old hymns of the church into German, wrote Biblical stories as songs, as well as spiritual children's songs, for which he had a special penchant.
Children are the future of the parish. This is also the reason why Luther promoted singing lessons from childhood onwards. There should not be a recorder for every child, but proper teaching in how to sing songs. "Children must … sing and learn music together with mathematics." Luther was convinced that songs have a stronger influence than every spoken text. Their lyrics enter straight into the soul. As Luther presumes, they can convey fundamental biblical insights to "the young people", before they are even able to read. They are a kind of children's lesson and a catechism of the people, through which the Ten Commandments, the texts of the Lord's Supper or the complicated words of the creed are easily memorised. This is one point. The other one is the intimacy of singing. The soul must have the courage to do it. This must be practised from an early age onwards. When singing a song, the singer exposes himself and his emotions and convictions to his fellow human beings: Luther talks about this repeatedly.
The Reformer reconquered the singing of the parishioners during the church service
In song, text and melody unite, emphasise each other, and grasp the heart of the singers and the listeners in a very different manner than spoken words do. Luther once said that Christ enters the depth of the singing heart with incomparable power, and rises out of it again. Of course this can only be successful when the language of the song is understood. It is therefore vital "that a person sings and listens not only with words, but with the sense and understanding of the heart". Luther exemplifies this with the Lord's Supper. The singing of the words of institution over bread and wine is wonderful. But "if somebody does not take them to heart, it is of no use, even if thousands of preachers … shout like mad." Thus, the sound alone does not
Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand..........
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This thread title reminds me of a book I'd like to suggest (which I'll start another thread for):
Praying Twice: The Music and Words of Congregational Song by Brian Wren.
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I don't think it will take that many more bids to lower this a couple of more dollars.
Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God
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