The Whole Church Sings: Congregational Singing in Luther's Wittenberg by Robin A. Leaver (review)

How did congregational hymn singing get its start in Wittenberg, the center of the Reformation? That is the basic question that Robin Leaver seeks to revisit. The traditional assumption held by many scholars (including Leaver himself in earlier years) is that congregational singing was not emphasized in Wittenberg until perhaps the end of the 1520s with the publication of Geistliche Leider by Joseph Klug in 1529. The presence of various hymnals from other cities supported that conclusion. The first hymnal of the Reformation, the Etlich cristliche Lider (the so-called Achtliederbuch, or Book of Eight Songs) was published in Nuremburg in 1524. Hymnals were published in other cities such as Erfurt, Rostock, and Zwickau. Wittenberg's hymnal was Johann Walter's Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn published in 1524. However, it was a choir book, published for four voices in choir book format. It was obviously not intended for the congregation. Some recent studies have concluded that, in general, congregational hymn singing in most areas was slow to develop, and Wittenberg was no exception.

In this book Leaver sets out to correct that thinking, and to fill in missing links. A congregational hymnal, the Enchyridion … fur die Layen, published in Wittenberg in 1526, was discovered late in the nineteenth century, but was not given much attention. The contents and structure of the hymnal have not been fully studied. The assumption was that the book was based solely on Walter's choir book. If that were the case, it would mean that at least two years transpired between the choir book and the development of a congregational book.

Looking carefully at the contents, Leaver makes a strong case that the 1526 hymnal might be the second or even the third edition of a now lost hymnal for the congregation. His exploration of the Enchyridion … fur die Layen and his rationale for his proposal forms the basis for chapter six of the book.

Were this chapter the only information presented of interest to the modern reader, Leaver's book would be a worthy read. But there is more. In the early chapters (1–5), Leaver carefully lays the foundation of pre-Reformation congregational singing. He provides a wealth of information important for Lutheran pastors and church musicians, musicologists, and all people interested in the story of congregational singing. The discussion of the Meisterlied (chapter 3) is a clear description helpful for anyone who sings any Lutheran chorales. Leaver also dispels a number of myths, such as the commonly held notion among laity and many church leaders that the congregation did not sing vernacular hymns before the reforms introduced in the 1520s. He also shows how Luther wrote hymns in the vernacular based on existing Latin hymns, and how his approach to text and especially the received tunes differed from other reformers, for example, Thomas Müntzer (86–87).

Following the discussion of the first Wittenberg hymnal, later hymnals from the 1520s and liturgical reforms are treated in chapters seven and eight. Leaver's survey concludes with the Klug's Geistliche Lieder of 1529.

Five appendices give the contents of the Wittenberg hymnals, the hymns of Luther in critical sources and current hymnals, hymns in Wittenberg hymnals by authors other than Luther, and the hymn collections of the time. The detailed footnotes in themselves provide interesting reading and in some cases suggest opportunities for further study.

In all, this is a must-read book for Lutheran pastors and church musicians, for those who teach Christian hymnody, and for anyone interested in the beginnings of Lutheran congregational song.