J.S. Bach, Luther, and the Psalms

J.S. Bach was the most important composer of what we call the baroque period- an era of music marked by dramatic expression, sudden shifts in volume or sound, expressive melodies, and intricate counterpoint (multiple melodies woven together).
This past week, I wrote a paper for my History of Worship class on Bach’s Cantata BWV 80: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. The title is German for, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” a beloved chorale by Martin Luther that we still sing to this day.
Bach took Luther’s chorale and made it into a cantata (a medium-length narrative piece for choir featuring soloists and orchestra) to celebrate the Protestant Reformation almost exactly 200 years after the Reformation took place. The original text of Mighty Fortress and different variations of the melody (sung by soloists and the choir and played by the orchestra) can be heard throughout. So, for example: the first movement uses the text of the first stanza (“A mighty fortress is our God”), the second movement uses the second stanza + the melody, so on and so forth.
Just like how Bach used Luther’s Mighty Fortress as his source material, Luther used Psalm 46 (written by the sons of Korah, a family of musicians that led the Levites in worship in the temple) as his source material. For example, Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Luther paraphrases this verse: “A mighty fortress is our God, a sure defense and armor.”
As you can see, we’ve got a clear line of inspiration: Psalm 46 --> Mighty Fortress --> Cantata BWV 80.
This line of inspiration is so fascinating to me, and it shows just that our worship practices didn’t spring up out of nowhere; we’re standing on the shoulders of giants who had a deep love for Yahweh and wanted to glorify Him through music.
This is a reminder that, as 1 Peter 1:23-25 says, the gospel of Jesus Christ is imperishable and enduring forever. Because of that, God is worthy to be praised! As we move forward together and sing the songs of the faith, let’s continue to remind ourselves of His enduring Word, His faithfulness, and His worthiness to be praised throughout the ages!