"Furthermore, he gave orders to re-establish the Vespers,
which in many places were fallen into disuse, with short plain
choral hymns for the students and boys; withal, that the
charity-scholars, collecting their bread, should sing from
door to door Latin Hymns, Anthems and Responses, appropriate
to the season. It was no satisfaction to him that the scholars
should sing in the streets nothing but German songs....The
most profitable songs for the common multitude are the plain
psalms and hymns, both Luther's and the earlier ones; but the
Latin songs are useful for the learned and for students. We
see, and hear, and clearly apprehend how the Holy Ghost
himself wrought not only in the authors of the Latin hymns,
but also in Luther, who in our time has had the chief part
both in writing the German choral hymns, and in setting them
to tunes; as may be seen, among others in the German Sanctus
(_Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah_) how masterly and well he
has fitted all the notes to the text, according to the just
accent and concent. At the time, I was moved by His Grace to
put the question how or where he had got this composition, or
this instruction; whereupon the dear man laughed at my
simplicity, and said: I learned this of the poet Virgil, who
has the power so artfully to adapt his verses and his words to
the story he is telling; in like manner must Music govern all
its notes and melodies by the text.
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