Editing Lutheran chorale (section)

==Lutheran hymns==
{{see also|Lutheran hymn|List of hymns by Martin Luther|Hymnody of continental Europe#Reformation}}
Starting in 1523, [[Martin Luther]] began translating worship texts into German from the Latin.{{sfn|Marshall and Leaver|2001}} He composed melodies for some hymns himself, such as "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("[[A Mighty Fortress Is Our God]]"), and even a few harmonized settings.{{sfn|Leaver|2001}} For other hymns he adapted [[Gregorian chant]] melodies used in Catholic worship to fit new German texts, sometimes using the same melody more than once.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} For example, he fitted the melody of the hymn "[[Veni redemptor gentium]]" to three different texts, "[[Da pacem Domine|Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich]]", "[[Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort]]", and "[[Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland]]".{{sfn|Marshall and Leaver|2001}} The first Lutheran hymns were published in 1524.{{sfn|Tovey|1911|loc=6:269}} These included the ''{{lang|de|[[Achtliederbuch]]}}'' (known as the first Lutheran hymnal) and the ''[[Erfurt Enchiridion]]'' (both with unaccompanied melodic settings), as well as [[Johann Walter]]'s ''{{lang|de|[[Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn]]}}'', the first to contain [[part song]] settings of Lutheran hymns.{{sfn|Marshall and Leaver|2001}}{{sfn|Braun|2001}}

Luther and his contemporaries referred to these vernacular hymns as ''geistliche Lieder'' (spiritual songs), ''Psalmen'' (psalms), ''christliche Lieder'' (Christian songs), and ''geistliche'' (or ''christliche'') ''Gesänge'' or ''Kirchengesänge''. The German word ''Choral'', which was originally used to describe Latin plainchant melodies, was first applied to the Lutheran hymn only in the later sixteenth century.{{sfn|Marshall and Leaver|2001}}

In the [[modern era]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Modern era |date=2024-11-30 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_era |access-date=2024-11-30 |language=en}}</ref> many Lutheran hymns are used in Protestant worship, sometimes sung in [[four-part harmony]]. A four-part harmony is the traditional method of organizing chords for 4 different voice ranges: soprano, alto, tenor and bass (known together as 'SATB'). The term 'voice' or 'part' refers to any musical line whether it is a melody sung by singers, a long note played on a instrument or anything in between.<ref>{{Cite web |last=E |first=Matt |date=2019-01-14 |title=A Beginner's Guide to 4-Part Harmony: Notation, Ranges, Rules & Tips |url=https://www.schoolofcomposition.com/beginners-guide-to-4-part-harmony/#:~:text=So%20what%20is%20four-part,instrument%20or%20anything%20in%20between. |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=School of Composition |language=en-US}}</ref>