# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 08 03_S140
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

is not to be paralyzed, if one wants to sing one note just as another. The same disagreeable impression that a speech would make on us in which all words were pronounced equally fast or equally slow would necessarily also be made, upon a delicate, unspoiled, and uncorrupted ear, by a chorale in which all notes had equal duration, as happens almost universally nowadays. Rhythm is something natural not only in secular melody but also in spiritual melody, and this is why the older church melodies stand far above the present ones. One might perhaps object that through rhythmic singing the chorale loses dignity and solemnity; but this objection proves nothing more than that the one who raises it has never, or at least not properly, attempted rhythmic spiritual singing. Let one, therefore, simply make the trial. Let one compare, just once, the unaltered church melodies with the altered ones. Let one sing, just once, the old rhythmic melodies, or have them sung to oneself, and withhold judgment until one has tried this several times; certainly it will not fail that one will unhesitatingly give them the preference, and will, over their freshness, liveliness, vigor, and warmth, lose all pleasure and delight in our present tedious, drowsy, dragging manner of spiritual singing, which blurs and denies the character of most hymns.

And it was precisely the abolition of these old melodies, and their tasteless alteration, that chiefly took from the people all desire for spiritual singing and banished it from their homes. The alteration of the hymn texts and the alteration of the melodies went hand in hand in that disgraceful age of unbelief. Since one could no longer find pleasure in the originally beautiful old hymns, and therefore mocked them and robbed them of their power and unction, one could likewise no longer feel at ease with the tunes of the fathers, and these, of course, had to submit to the same despoiling. How else could the old patch have fitted the new garment! But what this brought about is plain to see. For the spiritual hymn arose out of the folk song,*) and because the former was stripped of the latter's character, the people grew bored with the unappealing new spiritual singing and, having nothing else, reached instead for purely secular songs, mostly unchristian in their texts, so that family singing fell away — and this necessarily also brought about the singing in worship services that is so deficient nowadays.

*) For example, the beautiful, lovely, and well-known melody "O world, I now must leave thee," etc., or "Now all the woods are sleeping," etc. — of which Mozart is said to have declared that he would gladly give his best composition in exchange for it — is taken entirely from an old folk song.

Given the reawakened life in the Lutheran Church of Germany and the ever-growing delight in the old, vigorous hymns of the church, it is therefore quite gratifying that the return to the old hymn texts is joined also by a return to the old melodies. This is proven by the hymnological works of men such as von Tucher, Layriz, Ortlop, and others, as well as by the here-and-there begun introduction of old melodies. It would accordingly be much to be wished that our American Lutheran Church would also, in this respect, make use of its unimpaired freedom and gradually become reacquainted with the old melodies of our church; and since a small book of melodies was also promised by the dear editors of the newly published Lutheran hymnal, printed for the Lutheran congregation at St. Louis, the present writer ventures the modest question whether some consideration might not be given here to rhythmic singing — for instance, in such a way that every melody, or at least every principal melody, be included twice, namely in its original and in its present form. In this way the little book would be useful both for the friends of the present-day church singing and for the friends of the earlier church singing, and the comparison thus placed at hand between the present and the original melodies would make the difference between the two quite clear and recognizable, and would here and there awaken and further interest in the latter.

May the LORD make us once again truly at home in the hymns and songs of the holy Church, and grant us to recognize ever more clearly what treasures in hymn and melody have been bequeathed to us by the fathers. May the German tongue, even in this new fatherland, not let itself be robbed of the glory of being especially skilled at "singing songs to God in heaven." But may some knowledgeable and warm friend of the old church melodies also, one day, speak up for them better and more thoroughly than has been done here. For truly, the manner of singing of our fathers is worthy of investigation, of discussion, and of commendation.

The Greedy Little Mouse.
* A Fable. *

"Why," said a young mouse to an old one, "why should I not eat that delicious bacon? I know very well," the precocious little mouse went on, "that one must beware of poison; but that bacon there is not poisoned. I have examined it very carefully and am convinced that it is not only harmless but even a real tonic for the heart."

"Granted," replied the experienced old mother, "that the bacon there might be harmless — but it lies in the trap!"

Moral: It may be, dear reader, that the sects too — the Methodists, for instance — have some good in them; but do not let yourself be lured by that — that is the bacon in the trap. M.

Mr. Nast makes us the offer that, if we would reprint in the Lutheraner his exposition of the doctrine of the holy Lord's Supper that appeared in a certain number of the Apologist, he would then include our refutation of it in his Apologist. We accept this offer with great pleasure, and ask Mr. Nast only, by this means, to send us the number in question once again, since our copy of it has gone missing.

Church News.

We have just learned that a company of some twenty families has arrived from Franconia, which has purchased land in the State of Michigan about eight miles from Frankenmuth, and will there form a small Lutheran congregation. It has called the candidate Joh. H. Ph. Gräbner, who emigrated with it, to be its pastor, and intends to join the association of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, etc.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Indianapolis will hold its next session in the German Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church, Franklin County, Indiana, on the third Thursday in September of this year.
J. G. Kunz, Secretary.

Available in Fort Wayne:

1. M. Veit Dietrich's House Postil, in sermons on all the Sunday and festival-day Gospels, the copy neatly bound in marbled leather, $1.75.

2. Dr. Nic. Hunnius: A Thorough and Generally Comprehensible Exposition of the Doctrine of the Faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the copy neatly bound in marbled leather, 62½ cts.
Dr. W. Sihler, Lutheran Pastor in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Receipt.
For the Lutheran mission to the heathen on the Cass River, Michigan, the undersigned has received:
1. From the Lutheran congregation in Neudettelsau, Ohio, $6.00.
2. From the same, Monroe, Michigan, $27.53.
3. From the same, again, $5.00.
4. From the Nuremberg Central Society, $346.21.

Total: $384.74.

...roe, Mich., a few articles of clothing and three bundles of hand-spun wool have been given for the heathen children taken in for upbringing and instruction.
Wilh. Hattstädt,
Lutheran Pastor in Monroe, at present Treasurer for the Lutheran mission to the heathen on the Cass River, Michigan.

Paid:

1. Half of the 3rd volume: Mr. Krudup.

2. Half of the 3rd [volume]: Messrs. Briegel, J. Drege, Eckhardt, Einwächter, J. Koch, F. Prutz, H. Spörl, Weckesser, Ad. Weydemeyer.

3rd volume: Messrs. J. Conrad, Pastor A. Conradi, Hülskötter, Pastor Hattstädt (2 copies), Cand. rev. min. Lehmann, Walther.

4th volume: Messrs. Cand. rev. min. Lehmann and G. Retterer.

Through No. 7 of the 4th volume: Mr. Pastor Joh. Isenset.

Received for the Lutheran mission to the heathen on the Cass River, Mich., from the congregation in Baltimore, Md., served by Pastor Wyneken, $15.50, and from Mr. U. in S., $1.00.

Printed by Arthur Olshausen, publisher of the Anzeiger des Westens.

In addition, several friends of the mission in Mon-