Singing Choir

Description of Animation: Choir singing, musical notes, two women, two men, church window

Did You Know? Martin Luther started the Protestant movement in Germany. In the Lutheran church the chorale was the most important part of the musical worship. Luther himself composed many chorale tunes. These are like hymns. The great Johann Sebastian Bach based much of his organ music on the chorale (these pieces are called Chorale Preludes). The choir often sang a motet. Sometimes these choir pieces became very long and turned into cantatas. The words were not from the liturgy but made up by poets or taken from the Bible. Bach wrote about 200 cantatas for the church. He also wrote two great passions which tell the story of Jesus dying on the cross. Other composers who have contributed to Protestant church music in Europe include Heinrich Schütz, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Pachelbel, and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

ABC Youth Choir singing "Jesus, You're Beautiful"

 live at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, MN; June 1, 2001.