Just as a veritable swarm of religious poets had responded to Luther’s Macedonian call for hymn-writers, so there soon appeared among his followers a numerous array of musicians, eager and competent to furnish the music for the new service. Johann Walther (1496-1570) was one of the first composers in the Reformed Church--first in importance as well as chronologically. Luther had summoned him to Wittenberg in 1524 to assist him in arranging the musical part of the German Mass, and, as already mentioned, he played a most important part in arranging and editing the first chorale-books. He was the first[46] to harmonize the hymn-melodies after the manner of secular part-songs, that is, in simple four-part harmony, note against note, which form has characterized the congregational hymn since his time. He was the composer of many well-known chorales and motets, and there are a few historians who even attribute to him the authorship of the melody of the famous _Ein’ feste Burg_. Johann Eccard (1553-1611), a prominent pupil of Orlandus Lassus, appeared soon enough after Luther’s passing to be under the direct influence of the great reformer. He enjoyed great popularity on account of his simple and graceful part-songs, chorales, and motets. His chief work was _Geistliche Lieder_ (‘A Collection of Fifty-five Sacred Melodies for Feast-days and Holy-days’). Another important work was _Preussische Fest-lieder_ (‘Prussian Festival Songs for the Whole Year’) for five to eight voices. These were somewhat in the nature of a new form, occupying a place midway in simplicity between the chorale and the motet--akin to the chorale in having the melody in the highest part and possessing a certain folk-song flavor, and approaching the motet in having the melody contrapuntally dependent on the other parts and therefore not to be sung alone. Michael Prætorius (1571-1621) was a prolific writer of motets, psalms, chorales, and choir-pieces, some of the last-named being compositions for several choirs in the Venetian style for as many as thirty voices. From 1605 to 1610 he issued his _Musæ Sioniæ_, a huge collection of sacred part-songs, including many of his own, in sixteen volumes, five with Latin words, the remainder with German. The name of Johann Crüger (1598-1662) is inseparably connected with Lutheran church-song. He was one of the last great composers of chorales--and one of the most prolific--and is remembered now chiefly for the large number of these chorales that have remained favorites during all the intervening years. Among the best-known are _Nun danket alle Gott_; _Jesu meine Zuversicht_; _Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele_; and _Jesu meine Freude_. Most of his chorales were written in the rhythmically regular and subdued form which later was accepted as the modern idea of the chorale. Other Protestant composers who gained distinction as writers of Lutheran church-music before Bach were Joachim von Burck or Moller (1541-1610), celebrated for his