originally published 12/15/2017

One common misconception about Martin Luther’s reformation of liturgical worship is that he simply repurposed popular drinking songs by setting them to sacred texts, supposedly because there was no preexisting sacred vernacular repertoire. However, as liturgical scholar Robin Leaver explains in this conversation, there actually existed a familiar canon of sacred vernacular songs that were reserved for extra-liturgical celebrations of the Church’s major festivals. To overlook this vernacular tradition, Leaver argues, is to run the risk of interpreting Luther’s role as more revolutionary than reformational. Leaver is the author of The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther’s Wittenberg.

10 minutes

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