Question

Which of the following is not true of Lutheran chorales during J.S. Bach’s time? a. The melodies were generally simple and memorable b. The texts were in German c. They were sung by the whole congregation d. The texts were based on secular poetry

Answer 1

Answer: D. The texts were based on secular poetry.

Explanation: The Lutheran chorales was originally created by Martin Luther and his supporters in a bid to encourage musical creativity and worship God together as a congregation. This greatly inflenced 18th century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach to write and harmonise several simple chorales for the Lutheran church.

To encourage congregational participation, he made the melodies simple and memorable as well as composed the texts in German instead of latin. He even used the local German dialects to enable the less educated equal participation. This was how Bach realised his goal of congregational participation while still glorifying God at Lutheran church services.