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yield to the ambitious madrigal style of the modern harmonized melody. On the border line between the old and the new conception stand

OP ment of (1564-1612) and Johann Eccard (1553the Modern 1611)· also Sethus Calvisius (1556Hym"e'1615), Melchior Vulpius (d. 1615), Scandellus (1517-80), Joachim a Burgck (15411610), Jakob Meiland (1542-77), David Scheidemann (c. 1585, in Hamburg), Le Maistre, Dulichius, Johann Stobaus, Demantius, and others. They still stand upon the art of the Netherland masters; Eccard was a pupil of the great Lassus; but the congregational tune comes to its full rights. In Luther's time it was the leader in the dancing round of voices, where " one sings aloud a proper tune, beside which three, four, or five other voices likewise play round about, as it were with shouting; and leap, and with all sorts of sound wonderfully grace and adorn the same, and lead as it were a heavenly dancing procession, encountering one another cordially, and somehow caressing and lovingly embracing each other " (Luther in Encomion musices). It now, becomes all-prevailing. The charming work of the polyphonic hymn yields to the merely harmonized four-voiced choral. Soon the choir's place is taken by the organ; and the four-voiced choral is succeeded by the homophonic song of the congregation with organ accompaniment. For the most part, the polyphonic hymn, as it still survives, is artistic song by the choir.

The tendency to emphasize distinctive expression, which came into vogue in Italy toward the end of the sixteenth century and led to the monodic style, had its influence very early upon the German Evangelical church music.

Forms. chael Pratorius (1571-1621), and above The Cantata all the

day (Johann Rudolf Able, 1625-73; Wolfgang Briegel, 1626-1712) ; then into the " cantata," which in turn develops from a simple form into richer and richer complexity (Johann Kuhnau, 1667-1722; Johann Philipp Krieger, 1649-1725; Johann Krieger, 1652-1735; Dietrich Buxtehude, 1637-1707; Johann Christoph Bach, 1642-1703; Johann Michael Bach, 1649-1693; Georg Philipp Tclemann, 1681-1767; Reinhard Keiser, 16741739; Gottfried Sthlzel, 1690-1749, and others); and becomes complete in the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach (q.v.), the greatest harmonist of the Evangelical church. In this case the cantata has become divine service within the divine service, transcending the bounds of the liturgy. In connection with the cantata in its final manifestation, Evangelical church music steps outside the church door, so to speak, and as spiritual music, in the form of the oratorio, becomes a powerful witness of the Gospel before people who avoid that witness when uttered in God's house. Upon the broad stream of a powerful, robustly expansive music, which for all its musical profundity continues genuinely popular, Bach's greatest contemporary, Georg Friedrich Handel (q.v.), displays to the eye of the soul the story of divine revelation in his Biblical oratorios; his lllessiah is the Gospel in monumental tone-speech, a most powerful heralding of the Gospel, a monumental anthem. Together with its intimate and lively relation to the congregational hymn, Bach's church music is characterized by its close union with the instrument of Evangelical worship, the organ. As he fructifies organ art (see ORGAN) through the congregational hymn, and thus devotes the same to the Church, adapting it to the religious mood, likewise his vocal compositions that are intended for the divine service are conceived and created out of the spirit of the organ. Handel, too, had his start on the organ bench, and from the organ received the polyphonic spirit which imparts colossal volume and power to his resounding choruses. But Bach's music is directly born of the organ, and for that very reason, the same as through the congregational hymn, it is inseparably connected with the divine service.

There came the time which no longer understood either of these witnesses, for the primal notes of the Gospel had themselves become strange.

e. The What came to be " church music " Period of in divine service in the rationalistic Bationalismperiod, though sincerely intended