What is a chorale?
Q: What is a chorale?
A: A chorale is a hymn which is sung in a Lutheran church by all the people. It developed during the late Renaissance and early Baroque period.
Q: Why did Martin Luther think it was important for congregations to have music they could sing?
A: Martin Luther thought that the congregation should have music to sing that was not too difficult, and he wanted them to be able to understand what they were singing about, so he wrote words in German instead of Latin.
Q: Did Martin Luther write any of the melodies himself?
A: Yes, Martin Luther wrote some of the melodies himself, such as Ein' feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress). He also used traditional Gregorian Chant melodies from Catholic worship and added new German words to it, such as Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in Death's Dark Bonds).
Q: How does a chorale melody usually sound?
A: Most of the chorale melodies have an AAB shape (the melody of the first part sung twice, then the second part), which is called "Bar form" in German.
Q: How did Johann Sebastian Bach use chorales?
A: Johann Sebastian Bach used many chorale tunes, usually adding harmony of his own. He used these in his cantatas and composed many four-part harmonies which are still sung today as hymns in German Protestant churches or English-speaking countries.
Q: What other uses did composers find for chorales besides cantatas?
A: Composers like Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner and Max Reger used chorales in their compositions and also created pieces for organ called 'chorale preludes', which would usually be played during church services before the actual singing began.
