Luther in Worms
Luther in Worms is the title of an oratorio by Ludwig Meinardus (Opus 36). The two-part composition was created in Dresden in 1871/1872 . A libretto by Wilhelm Roßmann , which was written in 1867, served as the textual basis . The work was premiered in 1874 in the Herder Church in Weimar .
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Emergence
Ludwig Meinardus , who has been a private lecturer at the Dresden Conservatory since 1865 , composed the work in 1871/1872 under the impression of the establishment of the German Empire and the wave of national enthusiasm that particularly affected the Protestant bourgeoisie in Germany . Martin Luther , the main character of the oratorio, played in the euphoric national feeling and historical awareness - based on the stylization and heroization that had been promoted since the 300th anniversary of the posting of the theses in 1817 - the role of a national symbol that historically preceded the establishment of the empire. Meinardus adopted the idealized image of Luther, which the Evangelical Lutheran theologian, historian and prince educator Wilhelm Roßmann had based a drama that was written as a libretto for an opera in 1867 , in which the reformer, as a hero of solid character, withstood all hostility and adversity from internal and external enemies. Together with Roßmann, Meinardus adapted the libretto to the emerging oratorio, a musical format that found considerable dissemination through the founding of numerous large singing societies in Germany in the 19th century and was considered particularly suitable for conveying moral and religious content with the participation of large crowds.
Substance and outline
The oratorio is divided into two parts; the first deals with Luther's trip to Worms in the spring of 1521 , where the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire took place from January to May 1521 under the direction of Emperor Charles V. On the fringes of this Reichstag, through the mediation of Friedrich III. Before the impending imposition of imperial ban, Saxony would conduct arbitration proceedings in which Luther was given the opportunity to present his confessional positions. This procedure was preceded by the bull threatening exsurge domine , which Pope Leo X. had issued in response to Luther's 95 theses on June 15, 1520. Thereupon Luther published the book On the Freedom of a Christian Man . Leo X answered this on January 3, 1521 with the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem , in which Luther was excommunicated and he and his followers were declared heretics . In the first part, the supporters of Rome, led by the fictional character of the arch-villain Glapio , the emperor's confessor, and the supporters of Luther already appear as opposing parties. Luther support Katharina von Bora , who sings about the oppressions of a gloomy medieval understanding of faith, such as the desolation of the indulgence trade , and Justus Jonas the Elder , who contrasts this with the Reformation concept of Sola gratia . In the second part of the oratorio, Luther stands in front of “Kaiser und Reich” and in the finale accuses the Roman Catholic Church of wrong doctrine.
music
In a symbiosis of traditional composition techniques and forms ( fugues , polyphony , coro speczato, etc.) Meinardus used the contemporary tonal language of Romanticism for the work . Apart from Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach , both grand masters of Protestant oratorio music, he orientated himself on contemporary musical models of the time, Richard Wagner and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy . Two choirs, who embody the contending parties, perform double fugues that place high technical and dramatic demands on the singers. To characterize the numerous figures, Meinardus used the "idea fixe" ( Hector Berlioz ) as a basis for certain musical leitmotifs - "psychological memory motifs " that run through the scenes and are varied depending on the mood. One of the melodies cited as leitmotifs is the music of the hymn. A strong castle is our God . In the second part, a choir singing Heil dir du kaiserlich Haupt pays homage in the baroque style of Handel's glorious choirs, the text of which illustrates the 19th century Germanism that was loyal to the emperor. The versatile use of the chant plays a special role in the oratorio , reflecting the bond with Protestant church music and the artistic claim to contribute to the modern expression of this church music.
Performances
The first performance of the work took place on June 23, 1874 in the Herderkirche in Weimar , under the musical direction of Carl Müllerhartung and Hans Feodor von Milde in the role of Luther. Franz Liszt , who in 1873, after playing through the score of the oratorio, is said to have wondered why the Protestant musicians of his time left "a great viable sound work unused for so long", had campaigned for this performance . It was played several times in the following years. In 1883, on the 400th anniversary of the Reformer's birthday, the oratorio was performed in around 50 cities, including on November 14th in a performance with 450 choir singers in Frankfurt am Main under the direction of Felix Otto Dessoff , the first conductor of the Frankfurt Opera . The piece was also performed in Göttingen , Geneva and New York City , then in Prague in 1890 and in Naumburg (Saale) in 1892 . Meinardus became internationally known through these performances. Despite the positive to enthusiastic mood among the musicians and the audience, some critics criticized the fact that Meinardus did not sufficiently portray Luther as the hero that the people see in him.
In December 1883 Meinardus wrote about himself and the work in an advertisement in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik looking back on the Luther commemorative year 1883 and the many successful performances of the oratorio:
"(...) I, a German musician who tries to practice his inclination primarily in the impassable field of sacred concert drama and oratorio, has seldom been granted luck, through an unbelievable amount of warmest expressions of approval from all parts of the German Reich (...) ) to be encouraged. The friendly senders unanimously agree that the performance of the oratorio 'Luther in Worms' contributed to the edifying celebration of the now completed commemorative festival (...). There is a Luther of historical reality and a second of the people's imaginative powers of imagination, who don't care much or not at all about source research. - That in the conception of the Tonwerk (1871) I had to rely exclusively on an actual, certified musical individualization of the Luther of history, if my oratorio were not to be a stillborn child, can be explained enough. How much I had to contradict the Luther of tradition when I characterize him as the humble Wittenberg monk, whom he remained throughout his life, provided that he did not regard his 'own material' and 'strength' as anything: historical Therefore loyalty should not suffer hardship. - The result was a musical character image which, however, does not resemble the defiant 'Kraftmeier' of epic folk poetry. - How far from Worms was the thought of being a great reformer! "
Apart from a performance that took place in Worms in 1921, the work was forgotten in the 20th century - probably because of its romantic pathos and Luther image - before it was heard again in Göttingen in 1983 on the occasion of Luther's 500th birthday. It was heard again in 2012, for example in the town church of Jever and the Kreuzkirche of Bonn , as well as for the Reformation anniversary in 2017 , including at the location of the world premiere in Weimar. In 2015 Hermann Max released a highly acclaimed CD recording with the Concerto Köln orchestra and the Rheinische Kantorei choir .
Music prints
- Luther in Worms. Oratorio in two parts. Poetry by W. Rossmann… Op. 36th piano excerpt . Joh.Aug. Böhme, Hamburg 1878.
- Luther in Worms. Oratorio in two parts, for solos, choir and orchestra, opus 36. Ludwig Meinardus. Seal by Wilhelm Rossmann . Facsimile, edited by Klaus G. Werner, piano reduction, Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 2011, 200 pp.
literature
- Christa Kleinschmidt: Ludwig Meinardus (1827–1896): A contribution to the history of the ending musical romanticism . Publications on music research, Volume 7, Heinrichshofen, Wilhelmshaven 1985, ISBN 978-3-7959-0462-3 , p. 76 ff.
- Dieter Nolden: Ludwig Meinardus (1827–1896): composer, music writer, choir director: life stages, encounters with Franz Liszt, time in Bielefeld . Bethel-Verlag, Bielefeld 2007, p. 40 ff.
- Barbara Eichner: History in Mighty Sounds: Musical Constructions of German National Identity, 1848-1919 . The Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2012, ISBN 978-1-84383-754-1 , p. 171.
Web links
- Luther in Worms : Detlev Prößdorf : Luther in Worms - Ludwig Meinardus oratorical appreciation of Luther as a German national hero . Karin Freist-Wissing: Luther in Worms - On the music of Ludwig Meinardus and the challenges of today's interpretation . Texts in the portal freiheitsraumreforamtion.de ( PDF )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Luther in Worms . In: Alexander Wilhelm Gottschalg (Ed.): GW Körner's Urania. Music magazine for everyone . Thirty-first year (1874), No. 7, p. 108 ff. ( Google Books )
- ↑ Dieter Nolden, p. 48