The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther's Wittenberg (The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies

by Robin A. Leaver

Authoritative study by a renowned musicologist and Reformation scholar

Many scholars think that congregational singing was not established in Lutheran worship until well after the start of the Reformation. In this book Robin A. Leaver calls that view into question, presenting new research to confirm the earlier view that congregational singing was both the intention and the practice right from the beginning of the Wittenberg reforms in worship.

Leaver's study focuses on the Wittenberg hymnal of 1526, which until now has received little scholarly attention. This hymnal, Leaver argues, shows how the Lutheran Reformation was to a large degree defined, expressed, promoted, and taken to heart through early Lutheran hymns. Examining what has been forgotten or neglected about the origins of congregational hymnody under Martin Luther's leadership, this study of worship, music, and liturgy is a significant contribution to Reformation scholarship.

Genres: Music

220 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2017

Reviews

[Kevin Brown]

I have long wanted to read this book, expecting it was a theological and historical examination of Luther seeking practical implications for ordering church music today. If that's what you're expecting, you probably will be disappointed by this book. Instead, it is a fascinating historical, scholarly, and musical study of the emergence of hymnals for congregational singing in (present day) Germany over the course of a decade in the sixteenth century (with a lot of German and some musical notation). It was definitely not what I thought I was getting into, but I learned a lot and have a better appreciation for the historical details. I expect to have opportunities to refer back to this book on the future too.

[Richard Willsea]

I definitely missed the points somewhere. I’m glad someone cares about this, it’s just not me.

[Julie]

As a scholarly book, it probably should have received 5 stars. Leaver is always very thorough and backs up his conclusions with plenty of evidence.

I was mainly reading for my own information/history/pleasure and frankly skimmed large portions that were in German/repetitive/ detailed.

As a church musician who chooses hymns, it made me smile to think that people who like "authentic Lutheran" hymns would not recognize the vast majority of these titles which have gradually fallen out of use.

But I learned a lot and it was fun to be reading it during the same time period exactly 500 years later when the first vernacular hymn collections were being compiled. Late 1523 - early 1524. Maybe they also had ice/snow that kept them inside?

[Steve]

This was good. Leaver describes how Luther brought the culture of singing into public worship, from which it had been withdrawn in the high Middle Ages. He says that it is not that there was no congregational singing in the vernacular prior to the Reformation, as vernacular songs were sung at the main church festivals by the people and singing was embedded in the day-to-day culture. Early on Luther produced hymn and psalm versions for the people, along with choir books in Latin.
Another #Ref500 book.

[Todd]

**Winner of the 2018 Concordia Historical Institute Award of Commendation**