The place of Luther in German religious music is quite easy to estimate now, though it has required over three centuries to disentangle the great reformer’s actual achievement in this field from the gross exaggerations and inaccuracies of partisan bias in both attack and defence. But if it now seems to be well established that Luther actually composed only a few[44] of the 137 melodies once attributed to him, and that only five of the thirty-six hymns which he wrote are entirely original, this does not detract one whit from his greatness or his wisdom as a leader in pointing musical aspirations in a new direction, for his real significance in German music, whether he composed melodies or not, lies, not in new forms, but in the new spirit that he gave to his followers and infused into sacred music. He had no thought of breaking with the past. In preserving intact the line of continuity, he was wise enough to retain many forms and practices in the old Church that he regarded as vital and permanent and to build them firmly into the structure of his new liturgy. Realizing the importance of having an abundance of hymns for his followers, Luther once said to Spalatin, ‘We are looking everywhere for poets,’ and in a short time his wish was more than realized in the thousands of original hymns that were poured forth. But in addition to these he and his collaborators did not hesitate to look in other directions. As he had freely utilized existing material for his hymn-melodies, so he borrowed liberally from the magnificent store of religious poetry that had gradually accumulated during the centuries. The principal sources thus drawn upon were (1) old Latin hymns which were translated and modified (as _Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich_ from _Da pacem Domine_, a sixth-or seventh-century antiphon; _Der du bist drei_ from _O Lux beata_, a fifth-century Epiphany hymn; and _Herr Gott, dich loben wir_ from the _Te Deum_); (2) early German translations of Latin hymns which were amplified; (3) early German hymns which were corrected or arranged; and (4) Latin Psalms and other Biblical passages which were translated and paraphrased in metrical German verse. A fifth and prolific source must not be overlooked--secular songs, favorite songs of love and praise of Nature, which were recast into religious hymns by the simple device of altering a few words or lines. [Illustration: Luther in the Circle of His Family] _After the painting by E. Spangenberg_