Commemoration of Martin Luther, Doctor and Confessor

Today marks the commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther (1483-1546).  From Murray's A Year with the Church Fathers: Martin Luther, born on 10 November 1483, in Eisleben, Germany, initially began studies leading toward a degree in law. However, after a close encounter with death, he switched to the study of theology, entered an Augustinian monastery, was ordained … Continue reading Commemoration of Martin Luther, Doctor and Confessor

More Great Music: “Mit Paul Gerhardt durch das Kirchenjahr” (2012)

At some point in the near-distant future I'll begin uploading spoken-word recordings of Gerhardt's hymns (as a solo-singer, I consider myself more in the "goose-farts on a muggy morning" camp that Leo Kottke so eloquently described--I like to hide in the four-part harmonies 😉 ), but until then, here's a gorgeous recording from the Choir, … Continue reading More Great Music: “Mit Paul Gerhardt durch das Kirchenjahr” (2012)

Great Music from the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy

HT to Trent Demarest of Pseudepigrapha for originally posting a link to this album.  This album presents a good assortment of the music of Gerhard and Gerhardt's time, with pieces and settings from Nikolaus Hermann, Melchior Vulpius, Philipp Nicolai, Johann Walther, Johann Christoph Pezel (who, in addition to his compositions and works on music theory, … Continue reading Great Music from the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy

Building the Podcast 1 – Bump Music: Lobe den Herren

In putting together this podcast, I've been looking for arrangements of German hymnody roughly from the time of Gerhard and Gerhardt.  Eventually, I intend to record my own bump music with instrumentals of Crüger's arrangement of Gerhardt's hymns, but in the meantime, I've found this gem from the University of California--Santa Barbara's cylinder recording archives. … Continue reading Building the Podcast 1 – Bump Music: Lobe den Herren