The evolution of the Protestant Chorale Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott by Martin Luther. Part I

Abstract

In this paper, we intend to follow the evolution of the Protestant chorale "Ein' Feste Burg ist Unser Gott", the hymn of Martin Luther's Reformation. Written in 1529 by the great theologian, the chorale was a source of inspiration both for the contemporaries of the Theological Reform of 1517 and for subsequent generations. In order to understand the importance of this coral in Protestant life, we will start our study by presenting a brief history of what the Great Reform was, and how its manifestations spanned over multiple levels of society: from the religious to the political, from the linguistic to the artistic. The changes made in the liturgical worship service by Martin Luther, himself a creator of hymns, will have unforeseen effects on the development of the history of Western music. Through his work of harmonizing Protestant Chorales, composer Johann Sebastian Bach, concludes a long pursuit of attaining a system of the functional tonality. Many composers have approached the "Ein' Feste Burg" (A Mighty Fortress) chorale, providing the work a fresh and contemporary quality with each such endeavor.