Musical Offerings ⦁ 2021 ⦁ Volume 12 ⦁ Number 2 51 Musical Offerings 12, no. 2 (2021): 51–61 ISSN 2330-8206 (print); ISSN 2167-3799 (online) © 2021, Soraya Peront, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Re-forming Music: Martin Luther’s Impact on Church Music through the Lutheran Reformation Soraya Peront Cedarville University urope during the sixteenth century can be characterized by extensive cultural progress. After the height of the Renaissance, there was a growth in economics as well as intellectual and creative life, which impacted the world’s understanding of science, logic, and art. Music in particular became much grander and began to progress away from the musical guidelines that defined the medieval period. During this time, there was also much religious reform. On October 31, 1517, a German theologian named Martin Luther publicly shared his Ninety-Five Theses, all of which condemned the Roman Catholic Church for their lack of theological consistency.1 Legend claims that Luther’s Theses were defiantly nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church; whether or not it happened this way, Luther started a critical religious movement that would eventually impact all of Christianity and change church music permanently. Martin Luther’s passion for theology and advocacy for congregational singing led to permanent changes in how worship was carried out in the Lutheran Church. The Reformation was a result of Luther’s long-term frustration with the Catholic Church regarding their theological interpretations and practices. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest religious institution in the Western world. Through the sixteenth century, it held its position in Germany and other European countries as the primary religious establishment. Though Luther agreed with the Catholic Church on some theological principles, there were practices that he believed were biblically unsound. The Catholic Church used “indulgences,” or donations to the church that could reduce one’s time spent in purgatory. 1 Leaver, “The Whole Church Sings,” 33. E
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