A Short History of Music in the Church, Part 4

Reformation and Worship in Leipzig under Bach

Leading up to a quick summary of the music of the Reformation and beyond, I cover the ideas of biblical craftsmanship and some of the ways that the Enlightenment began to shift the idea and focus of music. Calvin, Zwingli, English Puritans, and Luther express their various thoughts on music before we talk about the impact of JS Bach in the philosophy of Church music.

Martin Luther wrote, “You will find that from the beginning of the world [music] has been instilled and implanted in all creatures, individually and collectively. For nothing is without sound or harmony…Music is a gift and largesse of God, not a human gift. Praise through word and music is a sermon in sound.”

Here is a link to the fourth lesson.

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