New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE HYMNS OF MARTIN LUTHER; Set to their
original melodies, with an English version Edited
by LEONARD WoOIsEy BACON. assisted by NATHAN IL:
ALLEN Ncw-York: Published in commemoration OF
the four hundredth anniversary of Juthers birthday,
November 10, 1883. Charles scrbners Sons 1883.
vol, Alto. PIP. xvii, H.
This neat volume is admirably adapted to help
Euglish-speaking people to an appreciation of one
phase too little known of that genius whose infu-
ence went out in all directions like the rays OF the
sun TO give health to the life of the sixteenth CEN
fury On all sides vistas through the intellectual
history of modern Germany terminate In Luther.
He looms up as the warm heart, great BRAIN and
strong arm of the Church Reformation as the pri-
mary and most potent impulsive power of the
reformation of letters; the creator OF language
which, as Hcine has said, " holds its place to this
day in Germany and gives TO that politically and re-
ligiously dismembered nation literary unity" as
the mighty instrument of great political revolu-
ton; as the ardent champion of science and art
the former under the ban of the old Church. the
latter threatened by the new; finally also, he is a
figure of imposing proportions in the history of
music. The debt that the modern art owes to him
is not sufficiently recognized outside of Germany,
where his hymns his melodies and his service heard
in the churches every Sunday and holiday serve
70 keep the obligation before the popular mind. He
was the founder of the GircheRlied. congregational
hymn-and this became of the strong props
upon which Bach built the gigantic structure which
has within itself all the forms that go to mako up
the musical art of to-day.
IL general way we all know that Luther was
lover of music lie studied the art in the schools of
Mansfield. Magtleburg and Escnach he sang III the
streets as means to secure his educatiOn; he con-
timed his studies after entering the Augustinian
monastery; he wrote hymns, urged their use IN the
churches established the German mass, and was
always alert to commend music as means OF grace.
In his table-talk he said: :" always loved music;
whose has skill in tins art is of good temperament
fitted for all things. We must teach music III
schools; a schoolmaster ought to have skill IN
music or / would not regard him; neither should
we ordain young men as preachers unless they nave
been well exercised in music
II would extend this review beyond reasonable
dimensions even to outline the history of the hymn
ology to which Luther gave an impetus on the
thirty-six hymns which are here reprinted. Despite
their ruggedness they the poetic flower of the
stormy period out of which they sprang, and there
is hardly any eXaggcration III Colerldges srelnarh
that Luther did much for the Reformation by
his HYMNS as by his translation of the Bible" They
are of the people, their textual rs well as musical
accents were caught up IN the market-place and in
the homes of the humble Some of them have
strange histories. One EN- festc Burg" has con-
tinued to figure as prominently in the life of the
who used it to tune up his soul to the lofty pitch de-
manded by the awful concert in which he played
part. 1t has remained through thousand vicissi-
tudes the real national anthem of the German
people 1t has challenged hundreds of .translatlng
pens in England and America, and can be heard to-
day in the Protestant churches throughout the
world 1t has been done into the English, French,
Dutch, Danish Hebrew, Swedish, Latin, Spanish,
Russian, Polish, Bohemian, Finnish and Lithuanian
tongues besides several African languages, and the
list is beng increased almost with every year. Its
melody is the theme of one of BacLs greatest can
tatas hardly German organist has lived but has
expended his skill upon it MendcssOhn has put it
in a symphony; Wagner in a march and Meyerbeer
into an opera The fruit of Luthers sowing is seen
to-day in a German hymnOlOgy that embraces
100000 Of which from 5000 to 5000 are recog-
nized to be of standard excellence. The growth was
so rapid that hundreds of hymns were accepted as
Iuthers long before the German RcfOrmer died. and
he felt called upon in 1913 to publish the following
quaint warning against spurious hymns:
False masters now abound, who songs Indite;
Beware of them and learn 10 Judge them right;
Where God tuilds up His Church and Word, |
hard by
Satan is found with murder and al lie.
In this publication the thirty-six hymns which
are indsputably Luther's are arranged IN chrono-
logical order and provided in the index with brief
historical notices. DR., Bacon, the author Of the
notes has written also an introduction the gen
eral subject and appended to it ranslations of the
prefaces printed by Luther in the books issued by
his authority. Professor Allen has performed the
work of musical cditOrship compiling the original
melodies of the hymns and providing them with
harmones lie has selected the latter from variety
of sources dating as far back as the sixteenth cen
fury and reaching down to to-day. The hannoniza-
ton is simple in style and such as has long been
used in the German churches The settings satisfy
the wants of church choirs but additional interest
would have been given the book in the eyes of
musical students If few specimens Of the figured
music of which Luther had both knowledge and
love had been appended. II is also TO be re-
eretted that DR.. Bacon should have persisted in
spelling the name of Johann Walther as if it were