A mighty fortress is our God
(rhythmic version)

if you do not hear the tune, click here.

1.
A mighty fortress is our God,
a sword and shield victorious
He breaks the cruel oppressor's rod
and wins salvation glorious.
The old evil foe, sworn to work us woe,
with dread craft and might
he arms himself to fight.
On earth he has no equal.

2.
No strength of ours can match his might.
We would be lost, rejected.
But now a champion comes to fight,
whom God himself elected.
Ask who this may be: Lord of hosts is he!
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
God's only Son, adored.
He holds the field victorious.

3.
Though hordes of devils fill the land
all threatening to devour us,
we tremble not, unmoved we stand;
they cannot overpower us.
This world's prince may rage, in fierce war engage.
He is doomed to fail.
God's judgment must prevail!
One little word subdues him.

4.
God's word forever shall abide,
no thanks to foes, who fear it;
for God himself fights by our side
with weapons of the Spirit.
If they take our house, goods, fame, child, or spouse,
wrench our life away,
they cannot win the day.
The kingdom's ours forever!

#329 in Hymnal: A Worship Book

Words: Martin Luther, Ein Feste Burg, 1529
Translation copyright © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship
Tune: Martin Luther, 1529

This page is for learning only (some copyrighted material is included here).
Commit the tune & words to memory, then sing from the heart.
Be thankful for the musician's gift, and bless the Lord.

            Called by some the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation," this hymn was written by Luther sometime during the years 1527-1529, possibly in connection with the martyrdom of his friend Leonhard Kaiser (Young 1993). Its first publication may have been in Klug's Geistliche Lieder or Michael Blum's Enchiridion, Leipzig (1528-1529). No copy of either hymnal survives, however. This hymn has become truly ecumenical, translated into at least fifty languages; there are more than one hundred known English translations. The first one, made around 1535, came out in Miles Coverdale's Goostly Psalmes and Spirituall Songes. It contains some interesting poetic nuances:
                        Oure God is a defence and towre,
                        A good armoure and good weap[-]e;
                        He hath been ever oure helpe and succoure,
                        In all the troubles that we have ben in.
                        Therefore wyl we never drede,
                        For any wonderous dede
                        By water or by londe,
                        In hilles or the see do[-]se;
                        Oure God hath them all in his hod.^*
                                                (Young 1993)

*A hod is a long-handled tray
for carrying a load, often bricks or mortar.

This hymn is a powerful paraphrase of portions of Psalm 46; the first three stanzas seem more directly related to the psalm than the final one. Most North American hymnals favor this translation by Hedge, while the one by Thomas Carlyle, found in the The Mennonite Hymnal (1969), is most used in England.

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott - It is assumed that this melody and text appeared together in Klug's 1529 collection; however, the earliest extant copies are A. Rauscher's Geistliche Lieder, Erfurt, and the Kirchengesänge . . . , Nürnberg, both dating from 1531. The straightforward metric form of the melody used in most hymnals dates from the time of J. S. Bach.
This earlier form of the melody retains the more vigorous rhythmic patterns of the Renaissance era. A more well-known form is at #165 in the Hymnal: A Worship Book.

            The son of a miner, Luther (b. Nov. 10, 1483, Eisleben, Saxony, Germany; d. Feb. 18, 1546, Eisleben) received his education at Magdeburg, Eisenach, and the University of Erfurt (M.A., 1505). He joined the Augustinian convent at Erfurt where he resided for three years. After he was ordained in 1507, Luther began teaching at the University in Wittenberg. In 1511 a visit to Rome aroused his ire at corrupt practices in the church. These issues were brought to a climax for Luther when a Dominican friar came to Wittenberg selling indulgences (favors of God for money). On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, protesting such abuses. This eventually led to his break with Rome and clarified the Reformation movement in Germany. Further details on Luther and the Reformation are available in standard reference works.
            Though Luther himself was trained in music, he employed a cantor, Johann Walther, to be his musical scribe. They spent late nights in Luther's study composing and adapting music. Luther walked the floors playing melodies on his piccolo while Walther wrote down notes until Luther was satisfied that the melody "matched the mouth and heart of the common people," earning him the title "liberator of congregational hymnody" (Erik Routley's appellation).
Luther wrote about thirty-seven congregational hymns and paraphrases. Although he has been credited with composing some chorale tunes, his greater contribution has been in the adaptation of music for worship. Reflecting his attitude toward music, Luther wrote:
            I am strongly persuaded that after theology, there is no art that can be placed on a level with music; for besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart. . . . A proof of this is that the devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God. (Dearmer, Jacob 1933)

from Hymnal Companion

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