On October 31, 1517 Dr. Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. These Theses criticized the medieval Church which abused its status and turned true repentance and God’s mercy into a business. Luther’s Theses resulted in the powerful Reformation movement which had an immense impact, not only on the history of Germany, but the whole of Europe. Apart from the Church, the new movement affected political, social and cultural life.
The Reformation emphasised Sola redemptione Christi, Sola Scriptura, Sola fide, Sola gratia and it introduced significant change to worship services and sermons. Thanks to the use of the mother tongue and the shift from the medieval attitude towards popular melodies, everybody could take part in the singing of songs during the service. Liturgical life was also enriched by organ music. The aim of the organ was to accompany the singing of the worshippers. This was based on Luther’s theology and his view that music would build the faith of individuals as well as that of the whole community.
Luther was very keen on music from a young age and drew even closer to it while studying at the Faculty of Art in Erfurt. He was a member of choirs, he could play the lute and he had a nice tenor. He composed music for many of his texts. The most famous of Luther’s songs is Ein Feste Burg, which became the hymn of the evangelical church. Johan Sebastian Bach made great use of Luther’s opinions on music when he presented theological truths in his cantatas and chorales.
In Slovakia we have a unique jewel, a baroque two-manual organ with the original whistle set. It is located in the Wooden Articular Church in Kežmarok (1717) and it was made by the organ builder Vavrinec Čajkovský from Levoča. The construction was completed       in 1720. The organ is one of the most valuable baroque monuments thanks to its ornamental design with illusive decoration and the sculpture of an angel by Ján Lerch.

Roman Porubän