First Lutheran hymnal

History and content

The hymnal was created by Martin Luther and Paul Speratus working in collaboration. It contains eight hymns: four by Luther, three by Speratus, and one anonymous, which has been attributed to Justus Jonas. The creators declared their intentions on the title page: "Lobgesang / un Psalm / dem rainen wort Gottes gemeß / auß der heylige schrifft / durch mancherley hochgelerter gemacht / in der Kirch zu singen / wie es dann zum tayl Berayt in Wittenberg in übung ist." (Canticle / and psalm / according to the pure word of God / from the holy scripture / made by several learned [people] / to be sung in church / as already practised in part in Wittenberg.)

The hymnal is rather "eine lose buchhändlerische Zusammenfassung", a loose collection of songs which existed as broadsheets, than a hymnal with a concept. It was printed around the turn of the year 1523/1524 in Nuremberg by Jobst Gutknecht. The title page showed Wittenberg as the location of print. The booklet of twelve pages contained eight songs on five different melodies.

The little hymnal was distributed in Europe. Luther's adversaries complained that "the whole people are singing themselves into his doctrines." Because of the great demand, another collection was published the same year, the Erfurt Enchiridion, containing 26 hymns, 18 of them by Luther.