THE LUTHERAN CHORALE
The Tenorlied texture was not only distinctively German—although that was important enough in its own right to emphasize at a time when a German national church was asserting itself against the supranational authority of “Holy Rome” both as ecclesiastical and as temporal power. It was also ideally adaptable to the musical needs of the emerging Lutheran Church. In keeping with the communitarian ideals of the reform, the Lutheran Church at first advocated the use of full congregational singing in place of the traditional service music—or any music, whether plainchant or “figural,” that required the use of a professional choir and thus created a musical “hierarchy.” The lay congregation could thus become its own choir even as the whole congregation of the faithful, not the minister’s ordained authority, now constituted the priesthood. A service in which the minister’s preaching was answered by congregational singing would be more than a mere sacramental ritual; it would become “evangelical”—an occasion for actively and joyously proclaiming the Gospel anew, and affirming the bonds of Christian fellowship.
- Citation (MLA):
- Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations." The Oxford History of Western Music. Oxford University Press. New York, USA. n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2024. <https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018002.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Taruskin, R. (n.d.). Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations. In Oxford University Press, Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century. New York, USA. Retrieved 8 Dec. 2024, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018002.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Richard Taruskin. "Chapter 18 Reformations and Counter Reformations." In Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century, Oxford University Press. (New York, USA, n.d.). Retrieved 8 Dec. 2024, from https://www.oxfordwesternmusic.com/view/Volume1/actrade-9780195384819-div1-018002.xml
