Church Music
It has been said that
Nicolai's
hymns owed some of their popularity to the noble chorales he composed for
them; and it may be observed in general that the
rapid growth of sacred poetry in Germany at the era
of the Reformation was partly due to an equally
striking advance in church-music. The song-loving
163
German people seized with avidity on this new opening
for their art, and a very remarkable number of
fine tunes were composed in this century, so that an
old writer says, "Whensoever the Holy Ghost inspireth
a new hymn, it is His wont to inspire some
one with a good tune to fit it." Nearly all the collections
of hymns also contained tunes, which were inseparably
associated with certain hymns; and it became
the custom in most towns, for the city musicians to
ascend the tower of the church or town-hall at certain
hours of the day, and blow these sacred melodies from
their horns, so that the people learnt them by heart
from childhood. A great improvement took place in
the organ about the same time, and Eccard, who lived
at Mulhausen, and composed melodies for many of
Helmboldt's
hymns, introduced the practice of giving
the air to the soprano instead of the tenor voice.
Thus by the close of this century the chorale had
assumed essentially its modern form, and the organ
was universally used in Lutheran churches. The
tune to
Helmboldt's hymn above quoted
has always been a peculiar favourite in Germany, and though
harmonized by Eccard, was based on a secular air, as Helmboldt tells us--
|
"Because so sweet in every part,
So tuneful is this air,
That hearing it, a godly heart
Swims in delight most rare
Therefore have I set words to it,
That every one may sing;
Whate'er his case, this song will fit,
And never harm can bring."
|
|
The chorales are distinguished by breadth and
simplicity, and are peculiarly adapted for large
masses of voices or for organ accompaniment; while
compared with the Gregorian music which had preceded
them, they formed a congregational rhythmical
song. Great skill may be shown in the arrangement
of the inner voices, and in such skill
Luther
took the keenest delight: he speaks of the wonderful wisdom
of God as shown in music, "when the other parts play
around the air, leading as it were a heavenly dance
with it; meeting with pleasure, parting in pain, embracing
and kissing each other again." "Whoever is
not moved by such art as this, must of a truth be a
coarse clod, not worthy to hear such lovely music,
but only the waste wild bray of the old chanting, and
the songs and music of the dogs and pigs."
This book has been accessed more than 146098 times since June 1, 2005.
