Music

Bethlehem and Music have been synonymous since the earliest days as singing and performing have always been considered an important part of both religious and secular life. Even the naming of Bethlehem by Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, leader of the Moravian Church, was done following the singing of the lyrics “Not Jerusalem, lowly Bethlehem” from Adam Drese’s Jesus, Call Thou Me (Jesu, rufe mich) on December 24, 1741. 

The Moravian church, which came to Pennsylvania to do missionary work, traces its origins back to the religious reformer and martyr Jan Hus and his followers who started their own church in 1457. The Unitas Fratrum, as they originally referred to themselves, has always placed an emphasis on combining music with daily living. Music was considered a gift from God to glorify him, as well as a worthy form of recreation. 

Music therefore was not only used for church services, but also festivals, ground breakings, the openings of new buildings, and a Moravian trombone choir would also be used to announce deaths, birthdays, and visitors. Moravians were always encouraged to sing while they worked, and on some occasions were even accompanied by a band to go and harvest crops in the fields.

Moravian music history spans more than 500 years, beginning with “the earliest known published protestant hymnal in 1501.” Even the martyr Jan Hus himself composed music, some of which can be found today in the Moravian Book of Worship, and is still performed, such as the hymn “To Avert from Men God’s Wrath” (MBW hymn 416).

Despite being a very small isolated community in the wilderness during the 1700s, the musical life of the young Moravian settlement of Bethlehem was in fact rich and became well known throughout the country due to the fact that there were many copyists and instrumentalists here with interests in a diverse variety of music. As a result Moravian composers in Bethlehem created thousands of original works including brass ensembles (especially with trombones), sacred vocal music for worship services, hymns, and secular chamber and ensemble music for recreation.