An torical context o A Mighty ortress Is Our God Many events in Martin Lur's lie during years 1527-29 dramatically shaped writing o "A Mighty ortress is Our God" rom Diet o Worms (1521), Peasants War (1525), execution o riend Leonhard Kaiser (1527), and Diet o Speyers (1529) we can see turbulence in development o t new church and o changing culture rom which it came Many view t hymn a battle cry o sorts While t may be true in some sense, it is a battle cry o ological importance rar than o physical altercation The alternate texts I have included apply to t ological battle raging around Martin Lur In Peasants War o 1525, one can easily see inluence o t revolt in text o A Mighty ortress Is Our God, as Lur stated himsel: Thereore let everyone who can, smite, slay, and stab, secretly or openly, remembering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtul, or devilish than a rebel or baptism does not make men ree in body and property, but in soul; and gospel does not make goods common, except in case o those who, o ir own ree will, do what apostles and disciples did in Acts 4 [:32 37] They did not demand, as do insane peasants in ir raging, that goods o ors o Pilate and Herod should be common, but only ir own goods Our peasants, however, want to make goods o or men common, and keep ir own or mselves ine Christians y are! I think re is not a devil let in hell; y have all gone into peasants Their raving has gone beyond all measure (aroslav Pelikan, Hilton C Oswald, Lur's Works, 55 vols ((St Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Pub House and ortress Press, 1955-1986)), 46: 50-51) Also, in ological belies: or I do not want to deny in any way that God s power is able to make a body be simultaneously in many places, even in a corporeal and circumscribed manner or who wants to try to prove that God is unable to do that Who has seen limits o power (Lur's Works, 37:223 224) Lur composed melody or hymn, which is called Ein este Burg and is in hymn meter 878755567, denoted rhythmic tune as distinguished rom later isometric tune setting o hymn, 878766667 meter The isometric meter that is employed is more widely known and used in Christendom In 1906 Edouard Rhrich wrote, The auntic orm o t melody diers very much rom that which one sings in most Protestant churches and igures in Giacomo Meyerbeer s The Huguenots original melody is extremely rhythmic, by way it bends to all nuances o text While in 19 th century musicologists disputed Lur s authorship o music to hymn, that opinion has been modiied by more recent research; it is now consensus view o musical scholars that Lur did indeed compose amous tune to go with words The text is a paraphrase o Psalm 46 and t translation is by rederick H Hedge (1853)
Any set o drums with three distinct pitches can be used The ollowing are acceptable: Dun Duns Dumbes Tumbas Tom Toms Congas Hand Drums Reproducible choral score and percussion parts included Congregation parts with unaltered or optional text available or download Rehearsal tracks and demonstration recording available at: wwwmichaelekbladhcom Copyright 2008 by The Music Michael E Ekbladh or more inormation visit: wwwmichaelekbladhcom Published by The General Board o Discipleship o The United Methodist Church, PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203 Website: wwwumcworshiporg T music may be duplicated and used in congregational worship with inclusion o complete copyright clause on each copy with added words, Used by permission It may not be used or proit, sold, republished, altered, arranged, or placed on a website
translation by rederick H Hedge, 1853 aternate text by MEE Energetic q = 100 A Mighty ortress Is Our God words and music by Martin Lur arr Michael E Ekbladh angle High Drum Mid Drum Low Drum æ æ Organ Energetic q = 100 GT b b b b GT to Ped æ A 8 might y or tress is # God, æ a Org 8 # Copyright 2008 by The Music o Michael E Ekbladh wwwmichaelekbladhcom See additional copyright inormation on previous page
A Mighty ortress Is Our God 5 bul wark nev er ail ing; help er he a mid # Org # lood o mor tal ills, pre vail ing or 20 still an æ Org 20
6 A Mighty ortress Is Our God # cient oe doth does seek to work us woe; it's crat and power are # great, and æ Org # # armed with cru el hate, on 28 earth is not it's e qual æ Org 28 b
A Mighty ortress Is Our God 35 Did we in 7 Org bb b solo 35 own strength con ide, striv ing would be los ing, were Org
8 A Mighty ortress Is Our God 41 not right man on side, man o God's own choos 41 Org Dost You 47 ask who that # may be Lord ing Christ e sus, it is he; 47 # Org
A Mighty ortress Is Our God 9 Sa ba oth, rom name, age to age and same, he must win Org 57 bat tle P P P P Org SW 57 P SW to Ped b b b b
10 A Mighty ortress Is Our God legato legato And 62 4 4 4 though t world, with # de e vils vil illed, should threat en to un, do us, we, 4 Harm rom The New Hymnal or American Youth, 1930 Org 62 4 4 # 4 66 will not ear, or # God has willed truth to tri umph, through us The The, # Prince sin o o Dark war ness ring, Org 66 # #
A Mighty ortress Is Our God 11 74 grim, we trem ble not or him m; that # rage we can en # # dure, or Org 74 # # # lo, God's doom grace is b # sure, one # lit tle word shall ell ree 80 him m slow cresc Org b # # 80 #
12 A Mighty ortress Is Our God slow cresc b b b Org GT b GT to Ped +16' That 87 Word a bove all earth ly no powers, thanks to m, Org æ 87
a bid eth; A Mighty ortress Is Our God Spir it and gits are # s, thru 13 Org # Org him God who with us sid eth Let 99 99 goods and kin # dred go, t #
14 A Mighty ortress Is Our God mor tal lie al so; bo dy y may # kill God's truth a bid eth Org # still; God's 107 king dom is or ev er Org 107 b b b b
A Mighty ortress Is Our God 15 æ æ l l Org
Choir angle High Drum Percussion 1 2 A Mighty ortress Is Our God words and music by Martin Lur arr Michael E Ekbladh Energetic q = 100 æ æ æ A 8 might y or tress is God, a bul wark nev er ail ing; help er he a mid lood o mor tal ills, pre vail æ 14 æ ing or still an 20 # cient oe doth does seek to work us woe; it's crat and power are great, and æ armed with cru el hate, on 28 earth is not e it's æ qual Did 35 we in own strength con wwwmichaelekbladhcom
ide, striv ing would be los ing, 41 2 A Mighty ortress Is Our God - Percussion 1 2 # Dost You 47 ask who that may be Lord Sa ba oth, name, rom age to age same, and 55 he must win bat tle P P legato And 62 4 4 though t world, with # de vils e vil illed, should threat en to un, do us, we will not ear, or # God has willed truth to tri umph through us, The The Prince sin # o o Dark war ness ring grim, we trem ble not or 66 70 him m; that rage we can en dure, or lo, God's doom is grace sure, one lit tle word shall ell ree him m 73 80
A Mighty ortress Is Our God - Percussion 1 2 slow cresc æ That Word a bove 87 all earth ly powers, no a bid eth; 93 Spir it and gits are s, thru him God who with us sid eth Let 99 # dred go, t mor tal lie al so; bo dy y may kill God's truth a bid eth still; God's or ev er æ æ thanks to m, goods and kin king dom is 107 l 3
Choir Mid Drum Low Drum Percussion 3 4 A Mighty ortress Is Our God words and music by Martin Lur arr Michael E Ekbladh Energetic q = 100 A 8 might y or tress is God, a bul wark nev er ail ing; help er he a mid lood o mor tal ills, pre vail ing or 20 still an # cient oe doth does seek to work us woe; it's crat and power are great, and armed with cru el hate, on 28 earth is not e it's qual Did 35 we in own strength con wwwmichaelekbladhcom
2 A Mighty ortress Is Our God - Percussion 3 4 ide, striv ing would be los ing, 41 # Dost You ask who that may be Lord Sa ba oth, name, rom age to age same, and 47 he must win bat 57 tle P P legato And 4 4 though t world, with # de vils e vil illed, should threat en to un, do us, we will not ear, or # God has willed truth to tri umph through us, The The Prince sin # o o Dark war ness ring grim, we trem ble not or 66 him m; that rage we can en dure, or lo, God's doom is grace sure, one lit tle word shall ell ree him m 74 80 slow cresc
3 A Mighty ortress Is Our God - Percussion 3 4 That Word a bove all earth ly powers, no thanks to m, 87 a bid eth; Spir it and gits are s, thru him God who with us sid eth Let 99 goods and kin # dred go, t mor tal lie al so; bo dy y may kill God's truth a bid eth still; God's king dom is 107 or ev er
1 A 2 Did 4 That might we word y in or a bove tress is own strength all earth con ly God, ide, powers, a no bul striv thanks wark ing to nev would m, er be a ail los bid ing; ing, eth; were help not Spir er it he right and a man lood side, s, o thru mor man him tal o who ills, God's with pre vail own choos us sid ing ing eth or Dost Let mid on gits are still ask goods # cient may dred oe be go, doth Christ t seek e mor to sus, tal work it lie us is al woe; he; so; it's Lord crat Sa bo and ba dy power oth, y are may great, name, kill, who and an that kin and rom God's 3 armed age truth with to a cru age bid el eth 4 tle do, us, we # Prince o Dark ness 3And will not ear, grim, hate, same, still; on and God's though t world, with we or earth he king God trem ble not or has willed him; is must dom not win is it's or e bat ev de vils illed, should truth to tri umph 1, 2, 4 ine qual er threat en to un through rage we can en lo, doom is words and music by Martin Lur arr Michael E Ekbladh translation by rederick H Hedge, 1853 optional text by MEE A Mighty ortress Is Our God sure, one lit tle word shall ell, us The dure, or DC al ine him EIN' ESTE BURG
1 A 2 Did 4 That might we Word y in or a bove tress is own strength all earth con ly God, ide, powers, a no bul striv thanks wark ing to nev would m, er be a ail los bid ing; ing, eth; were help not Spir er it he right and a man lood side, s, o thru mor man God tal o who ills, God's with pre vail own choos us sid ing ing eth or You Let mid on gits are still ask goods # cient may dred oe be go, does Christ t seek e mor to sus, tal work it lie us is al woe; he; so; it's Lord crat Sa bo and ba dy power oth, y are may great, name, kill, who and an that kin and rom God's 3 armed age truth with to a cru age bid el eth 4 tle do, us, we # sin o war ring, 3And will not ear, grim, hate, same, still; on and God's though t world, with we or earth he king God trem ble not or has willed m; is must dom not win is it's or e bat ev e vil illed, should truth to that tri umph 1, 2, 4 ine qual er threat en to un through rage we can en lo, God's grace is words and music by Martin Lur arr Michael E Ekbladh translation by rederick H Hedge, 1853 optional text by MEE A Mighty ortress Is Our God sure, one lit tle word shall ree, us The dure, or DC al ine m EIN' ESTE BURG