Martin Luther by Jessica

Martin Luther by Jessica - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

The person I would most like to meet is Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a mover and shaker who understood the power of music and used it to his advantage. As someone who would like to study music, he inspires me more than mainstream composers because of how far his music reached and how many people were, and still are, affected by it.

Martin Luther is one of my all-time heroes; without him, we would still be singing without instruments in church and attending Catholic masses (which were obviously corrupt--Shakespeare even mocked this in his play 'Twelfth Night'). In many ways, he was the first to advocate the freedom of religion. He also separated church from state (and Papal authority).

I think it's important to remember many leaders started out as completely ordinary, like Luther did:

"We think of Martin Luther as a great reformer, Bible translator, political leader, fiery preacher, and theologian. But he was also a musician, having been born in an area of Germany known for its music. There in his little Thuringian village, young Martin grew up listening to his mother sing. He joined a boys' choir that sang at weddings and funerals. He became proficient with the flute (recorder), and his volcanic emotions often erupted in song (Morgan, 2003)."

Luther had quite a few opinions about music; one of my favorite quotes being, "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits . . . A person who . . . does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God . . . does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs." Strong words for music-haters, if you ask me.

"When the Protestant Reformation began, Luther determined to restore worship in the German Church. He worked with skilled musicians to create new music for Christians, to be sung in the vernacular. He helped revive congregational singing and wrote a number of hymns . . . Luther's most famous hymn is "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott,"--"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Based on Psalm 46, it reflects Luther's awareness of our intense struggle with Satan. In difficulty and danger, Luther would often resort to this song, saying to his associate, "Come Philipp, let us sing the 46th Psalm (Morgan, 2003)."

Luther forever changed the music (and everything, for that matter) done in church. It was done in the congregation's first language, not a language that died out long ago. The music was catchy enough to get stuck in your head and sung all day, which was Luther's goal for the sake of younger people.