AUSBUND by FiLTH
AUSBUND by FiLTH
FiLTH717AMiSH * SUMMER 2018
A U S B U N D
The Amish do not play musical instruments because it is viewed as a means of
self-expression, which would garner feelings of pride and superiority.
Amish church songs derive from the Ausbund, the High German songbook, which
has no musical notes. Tunes are passed on from generation to generation.
The Ausbund, first published in German in 1564, is among the most seminal
books to the Amish. It is regarded to be the oldest Protestant hymnal
in continuous use.
Ausbund songs invoke the martyrdom of their Anabaptist past, as many hymnals
are said to have been written by men awaiting the death sentence during
intense persecution. Author Paul M. Yoder notes: the dominant tone found in
most of them is one of great sorrow, deep loneliness, or protest against the
world of wickedness which was putting forth every effort to crush the
righteous.
F i L T H Y * A M i S H