Antiromantik und Neoromantik im geistlichen Gemeindelied des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts

Hintergrund, Ausrichtung und Bedeutung zweier widerstreitender ästhetischer Ideale

Abstract

Hymnological research on the 20th century has largely focused on congregational singing within the protestant “Landeskirchen” (regional churches). Little attention, however, has been paid to an entirely separate repertoire that developed in sharp stylistic contrast to this churchly tradition and flourished particularly within independent churches and the communities of Neo-Pietism. This study introduces the terms “Anti-Romanticism” and “Neo-Romanticism” to describe these divergent traditions. Influenced by the “Jugendmusikbewegung” (youth music movement), the anti-romantic theorists regarded the objective and sober hymnody of the Reformation era as the ultimate ideal, while the neo-romantic style drew on the subjective and emotionally expressive idioms of the 19th century. Around 1960, this aesthetic opposition entered a second phase that continues today, now embodied in the opposing tendencies of “Sacropop” and “Lobpreismusik” (worship songs). The article reconstructs and compares the arguments by which especially the antiromantic position in both phases justified its aesthetic principles and criticized the other side. A statistical analysis of representative hymnals reveals that both Neo- and Anti-Romanticism remain firmly anchored in their respective church music practices. Moreover, the forthcoming hymnal of the protestant regional churches, announced for 2028, appears likely to follow the anti-romantic path set by its two predecessors.