Prayer and Preaching through the Organ. Performing Settings of Vater Unser im Himmelreich from Luther’s Germany, 1624-1739

Abstract

This project explores organ settings of Luther’s Catechism chorale Vater Unser im Himmelreich from the seventeenth- and eighteenth- centuries as a means to consider the contemporary concept of ‘preaching’ through the organ. Through an exploration of Lutheran theology associated with the Lord’s Prayer, it attempts to arm the modern performer with a deeper understanding of the rhetorical message conveyed by these settings, thus aiding in the creation of an appropriate affektive performance and response today. Case studies focus on four musical-rhetorical tools available to ‘preach’ this message from the organ: figure, registration, ornamentation and emblematic content.