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Johann Sebastian Bach was a Lutheran by profession, a Lutheran by personal persuasion, and a Lutheran in his musical practice. Before he took up his post as cantor in Leipzig, he went through two theological examinations, which he passed by endorsing the Formula of Concord, a statement of faith from 1577 that encapsulated the high points of Martin Luther's theology. The inventory of Bach's books made after his death included two sets of Luther's works (one in German, one in Latin) and several volumes of his miscellaneous writings, along with a number of major works by Lutheran theologians.

Bach stood squarely in the Lutheran tradition, not just in following the substance of Luther's theology, but also in actively building upon what Luther had accomplished as a writer of hymns and a promoter of church music. What Bach harvested was a seed planted by Luther himself.

The dawn of the theological Reformation in Germany was also the dawn of Protestant church music, and the principal agent for both was Martin Luther. Luther's importance for the musical tradition that climaxed with Bach came from three things: his theology of music, his musical practice, and his own activity as a hymn writer.

Luther often expressed the conviction that music was, under God, of supreme importance. In comments he made at meal times, which eager disciples recorded as his "Table Talk," Luther several times described music as "the greatest gift of God which has often induced and inspired me to preach." In his view, God gave music to humanity as a way to impress men and women with the glory of divine gifts.

In 1542, Luther wrote a preface to a collection of funeral hymns. In it he explained what was so important about singing the truths, indeed the very words, of Scripture: "We have put this music on the living and holy Word of God in order to sing, praise, and honor it. We want the beautiful art of music to be properly used to serve her dear Creator and his Christians. He is thereby praised and honored and we are made better and stronger in faith when his holy Word is impressed on our hearts by sweet music."

A few years later, shortly before his death, Luther supplied another preface, this time to a major hymnal published in Leipzig by Valentin Bapst. It began by quoting Psalm 96: "Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth." As Luther saw it, the great occasion for song is the work of Christ in justifying guilty sinners: "For God has cheered our hearts and minds through his dear Son, whom he gave for us to redeem us from sin, death, and the devil. He who believes this earnestly cannot be quiet about it."

One of the fruits of the believer's praise is evangelistic: Christians sing and speak about what God has done "so that others also may come and hear it." Even more, gospel truth set to music encourages those who have experienced the gospel: "Therefore, the printers do well if they publish a lot of good hymns and make them attractive to the people with all sorts of ornamentations, so that they may move them to joy in faith and to gladly sing." For Luther, nothing could fit better the sobering realities of God's law (the hidden gospel) and the comforting realities of the good news in Christ (the revealed gospel) than affective, heart-felt, joyful song.

Luther's musical practice followed his theological principle. When he revised the Catholic mass for use in the new "reformed" churches, which he did very soon after his break from Rome, the new services were jammed full of music. Chorales, chants, brief liturgical compositions, hymns for daily use, and more—all were to be sung as the believer's response to the grace of God.

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