[NAUMBURGER ORDNUNG].

A previously unnoticed, early ms copy of the ‘Naumburger Ordnung’, i.e., the orders of service of the Church of St Wenzel in Naumburg issued in 1537/8 – a major text in the early development of Lutheran ecclesiastical policies and liturgy. This copy comprises the text and music for the service of Pentecost, plus other prayers, readings and hymns for Sundays and other days around that time. The watermark was used in several regions of Germany in 1525-50. This makes the text contemporary with the issue of the Naumberger Ordnung, a dating supported by the style of the Gothic bookhand. Only three other copies appear extant, not necessarily contemporary.  

The Ordnung was devised by Nikolaus Medler (1502-51), a close acquaintance of Luther, who occasionally substituted for the Reformer on his teaching pulpit at Wittenberg. In 1537, he became superintendent at Naumburg, where he drew up the first strictly Protestant order of worship approved by Luther and Melanchthon, to eliminate all evangelical and Catholic practices (Scott, p.306). ‘Latin chant was retained in principle, but the German language had gained importance, also for priests’ (Odenthal, p.340). The Ordnung included additional instructions on ecclesiastical and educational policies (not here). Our text was probably produced for a choir singer, considering the format, content and rubricated instructions for liturgy, including one especially for the ‘Cantor’. This covers the service for Pentecost (Koster 1898, pp.542-59 and Wolgast 1904, pp.77-84), except for the Kyrie Paschale and Magne Deus, and the Antiphona Angelorum and with a short alternative hymn for ‘Pfingsttage’. It begins with ‘Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott’, written by Luther, and ends with hymns and readings for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, not all present in at least two other mss. Two early C19 hands added two leaves with missing text and music halfway through. At least one of the surviving ms (reproduced in ‘Neue Mitt.’ 1898, pp.637-69) bears the same white mensural notation; the model for this copy was most likely one of the original ‘Naumburger Ordnung’ mss produced under Medler’s supervision. We have not traced in other surviving mss the text detailing the liturgy for the four Sundays following Pentecost, with Protestant hymns by Luther and Johann Walther. The few Latin texts and rubrics present in at least two other mss are interestingly absent. Just above ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ is the German translation, with the contemporary addition, only in this copy, of ‘Auff Latinisch also’ (‘Also in Latin’), as if to confirm it was appropriate in this case. An interesting ms awaiting further study.