Every historic timeline has a song reminiscent of its time- a song that completely encapsulates the feeling of that particular age of that particular time, and for Germans wrecked asunder by religious animosity, it was this one. It was between 1527-1529 when Martin Luther wrote “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” after being inspired by the theme of Psalm 46. At the time, this work was not considered a masterpiece by the people but simply as another result of Luther’s hymn-writing hobby. In fact, around seventy of these hymns have been translated into English.
“A Mighty Fortress is Our God” was written not even a decade after he had been called to the Diet of Worms, refused to recant his teachings, and declared a heretic by the emperor. Because Martin Luther stood firm upon what God had revealed to him, he significantly altered the course of Western thought regarding religion, and led many Protestants in his wake. “A Mighty Fortress” became the battle cry for those who stood upon the authority of the Bible regarding sin and grace. Louis Benson, a leading authority on hymnology in the 1800’s, remarked “It was sung at Augsburg during the Diet, and in all the churches of Saxony, often against the protest of the priest. It was sung in the streets; and, so heard, comforted the hearts of Melanchthon, Jonas, and Cruciger, as they entered Weimar, when banished from Wittenberg in 1547. It was sung by poor Protestant emigrants on their way into exile, and by martyrs at their death. It is woven into the web of the history of Reformation times, and it became the true national hymn of Protestant Germany.”
Martin Luther not only used music in his expression of this hymn but also made words a medium of his art. He explores the theme of the Christian life as being a battle, and exhibits both a strong use of metaphor and creativity as well as a strong flow of logical thought throughout this work. The entire work is a metaphor for the Christian walk as being a battle with, so much so that this hymn is known as “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation”. It effectively captures the feeling of conflict during this time. The words Martin Luther chose for this imagery are bold, strong, and valiant; reminiscent of the writer who chose God’s glory over the emperor’s wrath. The metaphoric tale ends in the final verse as Christ wins the victory for his people and his kingdom.
If there were ever a man completely enraptured by trying to understand how God perceived human work, it would be Martin Luther. He was completely devoted to the cause of Christ and it is seen it all that he accomplished, including his hymns. Martin Luther was, unfortunately, at a time in history where the image of God was often misconstrued by sculpture and two-dimensional art, and he declaimed these forms strongly. However, he saw music as a way to glorify God and declared that, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”
The music itself follows a logical melody and has a tune that could easily be described as memorable. He perhaps created this music in such a simple form for the sole purpose of more simple people, who would never visit the opera or step inside of large cathedrals, to be able to remember. Luther showed through his thought and the outer workings of his theology that he was always aware of the common man. The words themselves are dense. There is no redundancy of thought or phrase in this hymn and each theme carefully follows the other leading to the climax of this succinct piece.
This hymn is still sung in churches across the Western world centuries after it was written. By being moved by truth and creating art, Martin Luther gave the Protestant people a battle cry and encouraged believers throughout the ages. He spoke through a musical form that God was present, and that the fight against sin is won. The words Martin Luther wrote are as relevant to Christians today as they were in the turbulent times he wrote it. Surely this shows a larger musical form of history, ebbing with differing meters and rhythms but always the same song, flowing in harmony towards the final trumpet call.
