Reformation Music

Martin Luther im Kreise seiner Familie musizierend by Gustav Spangenberg

The Protestant Reformers sought a simpler, more accessible form of Christianity, and this is reflected in the music they favored. Protestant chorales were composed for communal singing by the whole congregation, rather than an elite choir. As such, Protestant music tended to feature lyrics in the vernacular rather than Latin, syllabic rather than melismatic lyrics, and a return to monophonic texture rather than the complex polyphony of the preceding generation.

Eventually, a certain degree of complexity returned to these chorales, with communal 4-part singing (SATB - soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and the placement of the melodic line in the highest voice. Emphasis remained on clarity of the lyrics, and so all the words remained sung on the same beats by all parts, creating a homophonic rather than polyphonic texture.