Singing the Gospel: Lutheran Hymns and the Success of the Reformation(148 Harvard Historical Studies)

Brown offers a new appraisal of the Reformation and its popular appeal, based on the place of German hymns in the 16th-century press and in the lives of early Lutherans. The Bohemian mining town of Joachimsthal—where pastors, musicians, and laity forged an enduring, influential union of Lutheranism, music, and culture—is at the center of the story.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations Figures and Tables Acknowledgments 1 Hymns, Hymnals, and the Reformation 2 Reformation and Music in Joachimsthal 3 Lutheranism, Music, and Society 4 Music and Lutheran Education 5 Lutheran Music in the Church 6 Lutheranism and Music at Home 7 Counter-Reformation in Joachimsthal 8 Joachimsthal’s Influence Conclusion: Lutheran Hymns and the Success of the Reformation Appendix 1 Printing of Nicolaus Herman,Sonntags-Evangelia, 1560–1630 Appendix 2 Printing of Nicolaus Herman,Historien von der Sindf lut, 1562–1607 Appendix 3 Contents of Nicolaus Herman,Sonntags-Evangelia Appendix 4 Contents of Nicolaus Herman,Historien Notes Index

About the Author :
Christopher Boyd Brown is Assistant Professor of Church History, Boston University School of Theology.

Review :
Christopher Boyd Brown has investigated the Lutheran hymnic aspect of the town's history in this engaging study. Analyzing a range of sources, Brown makes a compelling case against those who have argued that the Lutheran Reformation failed "to create a new kind of devout Christian among the popular masses." -- Paul Westermeyer Christian Century Brown's Singing the Gospel truly peels back the layers of one historical context in the age of the Reformation to show how important Lutheran hymns were to the spreading the Gospel. It is a unique and valuable study. -- James L. Brauer Concordia Journal Christopher Boyd Brown's Singing the Gospel is a stimulating contribution to the discussion of popular religion and the role of music in the Lutheran Reformation...This book is an excellent example of sound interdisciplinary research embedded in a fascinating study of the history of one Lutheran town, appealing to historians, pedagogues, theologians, musicologists and general readers alike. -- Alexandra Kess Ecclesiastical History Professional and lay readers have needed Brown's book--a judicious, detailed consideration of the use and penetration of Lutheran hymnody into the lives of early Lutherans based on a local study that traces exactly how pastors and teachers approached the process of "teaching" the Reformation--for a long time. Its argument: a sharp challenge to the thesis propounded a generation ago by Gerald Strauss about the "failure" of the Reformation, and, by extension, to scholars whose work supports it...Brown's effective organization, engaging prose, and transparent and exhaustive use of sources (which will facilitate scholars' evaluation of his evidence) recommend this book as an essential purchase not only for libraries but also for classrooms and private use--not unlike the hymnals its author analyzes. -- Susan R. Boettcher Sixteenth Century Journal 20060101 This book is overflowing with...careful analysis...It should be read as an unusual story, told as truthfully as an idealized narrative can be, but undergirded by painstaking, skilful, and dedicated research. -- Bartlett Butler H-Net Online 20061031 A great new book...Singing the Gospel challenges the prevailing view that Lutheranism failed to transform the homes and hearts of sixteenth-century Germany. -- Paul T. McCain cyberbrethren.com 20091114