Issue 23 - Ein feste Burg

It's been a while since I've written a [Bookends]... but my last entry for [Bookends] was about Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons and I went on and on about how much I love Autumn. With some of the events going on with my father's health lately, I honestly have to say that Autumn will probably never be the same for me again. However, I was reminded this week of yet another reason why I absolutely love Autumn... any Lutheran wouldn't be surprised to hear me say, "Reformation Sunday"!

Being that Ein feste Burg (the hymn "A Mighty Fortress") is considered to be the "Battle-Hymn of the Reformation", of course my prelude and postlude are all based upon this great hymn to which Martin Luther composed the melody and text.

My prelude is actually a set of three chorale-preludes on Ein feste Burg which ends with a setting by Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748), (not to be confused with "The Father of Lutheran Music", Johann Walther (1495-1570), whom the Cathedral Choir is singing at 11:00). I love this prelude setting because the melody is easily discernible in soprano voice and highlighted by strong vorimitation.

All week, I am listening to what, to me, is the greatest Reformation music I know, Joshua Rifkin's recording of J. S. Bach's Cantata 80: Ein feste Burg. If I could play the middle chorale movement (Und wenn die Welt) on organ alone as the postlude, I would (but alas, no organ transcription exists, so that's my next project once I'm done transcribing the Vivaldi!).

However, the postlude I've chosen for this year was written by Timothy Albrecht - and I think he, too, loves the Bach cantata, for Albrecht's ritornello material definitely pays tribute to the 2nd movement from the cantata. The ritornello that surrounds the hymn tune is festive and captures the spirit of the hymn well, while hymn tune, itself, is boldly proclaimed on the Festival Trumpets in a rhythm that echoes the original rhythmic character that Luther composed (ELW 503).

Enjoy - and Happy Reformation!

(Image: Ein feste Burg with Martin Luther's signature)