Luther's Use of Bar Tunes
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Gene Veith, writing in World Magazine:
“For the record, Luther did not take 'bar tunes' and put biblical words to them. That legend comes from a comical misunderstanding. Someone apparently heard a music historian referring to Luther's use of the 'bar form,' which refers to a stanza structure, not to what drunks sing in a tavern. Luther did borrow and adapt tunes from earlier hymns, medieval chants, and contemporary composers, but a good number of his melodies were his own original compositions.”
If you're interested, check out the 4-CD set, Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth, which Veith reviews in the article linked above.
(HT: Tall Paul)
“For the record, Luther did not take 'bar tunes' and put biblical words to them. That legend comes from a comical misunderstanding. Someone apparently heard a music historian referring to Luther's use of the 'bar form,' which refers to a stanza structure, not to what drunks sing in a tavern. Luther did borrow and adapt tunes from earlier hymns, medieval chants, and contemporary composers, but a good number of his melodies were his own original compositions.”
If you're interested, check out the 4-CD set, Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth, which Veith reviews in the article linked above.
(HT: Tall Paul)
posted by JT at Friday, April 21, 2006
3 Comments:
Those in the pro-contemporary (or pro-seeker sensitive movement) often excitedly quote the idea that Luther used “bar-tunes.” I have also heard the same rebuttal that Veith is mentioning. I think the main point is this… Veith says some of the tunes came from “contemporary composers.” We’re splitting hairs here. The point is that some of the tunes were taken from “non-sacred” or “secular” or “folk” melodies. Whether people sung them in a bar, around the dinner table, or in the opera house shouldn’t really matter. I get tired of people using this issue as an argument for justifying their opinion on musical styles in worship.
I have that CD set. It is fantastic!
Hmmmmm.
JT, about this "Tall" Paul thing...
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