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The world has a virtuous courage
A journey through time to peasant parlors and aristocratic palaces | Ensemble astrophil & stella
Fri, September 26th, 2025 - 7:00 PM | Castle Church
Please aboard! A musical journey back in time to the world of half a millennium ago begins. In 1525, significant upheavals swept across large areas of the German-speaking world, largely initiated by farmers and rural communities: Nothing less than the right to self-determination of the poorest was at stake. The four-person ensemble astrophil & stella takes its audience to rural taverns and parlors, reconstructing the songs of the common people using typical instruments such as the dulcimer and the straw fiddle, a precursor to the modern xylophone. These instruments are preserved from descriptions dating back to the 16th century and are still played in the traditional music of many regions today.
Texts and music from this period reflect the austere lives of the peasant population, who had to pay high tributes to feudal lords and monasteries. The nobility and the bourgeoisie, in turn, cultivated a very different kind of music: Italian fantasies and French chansons were "en vogue," and those who could afford them owned fine musical instruments such as the lute or transverse flute and sang from expensive printed music. Originating in Wittenberg, the ideas of the Reformation sparked centuries of ongoing conflicts and negotiations on religious issues. Amidst all this, mercenaries seeking to escape the poverty of their villages roamed the countryside with fifes and drums in search of loot and adventure. Ultimately, this concert evening also addresses the question of where the exploitation of the poorest has shifted half a millennium later... Featuring music by Pierre de la Rue, Johannes Wannenmacher, Balthasar Resinarius, Stephan Zirler, and many others!
Ticket 25 euros/concessions 22 euros
According to legend, on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 theses—his ideas and criticisms of the Church—to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. His ideas were so influential that they transformed the Church. They ultimately led to the founding of the Protestant Church—which is why this day is so important to us. On Reformation Day, Christians celebrate Martin Luther's courage in initiating the reform of the Church and the freedom that faith grants to every individual.
The Thesis Door
According to tradition, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in Latin on this door, inviting scholars to debate them. The purpose of this debate was to clarify whether the Church's practice of selling indulgences was in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. This marked the beginning of the Reformation. The original wooden "Thesis Door" was destroyed in the great fire that ravaged the church in 1760. In 1858, King Frederick William IV of Prussia donated the current bronze door, on the panels of which the Latin text of the theses is cast.
Introduction to Philipp Spielmann
I look forward to exploring the beautiful surroundings of Wittenberg by bike, to beautiful church services, musical highlights, old and new songs, and to meeting you!
History
Around 1340, the Ascanian dukes had an "All Saints' Chapel" built at their castle and founded a collegiate monastery in it for liturgical service. Elector Friedrich the Wise had the palace with the chapel demolished and his new residential palace with a more spacious palace church built on the site. You can find out more about the story here.
Church for children
Every Sunday there is a children's service in the Wittenberg Castle Church, parallel to the adult service. Ms. Felicia Grauel is one of the volunteers for the children's service.