Wittenberg, 1524

Eyn weyse Christlich Mess zu halten (A Way to Hold a Christian Mass) is Paul Speratus’s translation of Martin Luther’s Formula Missae, which had been printed the year before in 1523. Eyn weyse Christlich Mess zu halten was issued by three different printers: Georg Rhau, Nickel Schirlentz, and Joseph Klug. The printing by Georg Rhau included the text of Johann Agricola’s hymn “Joyful We Begin Alleluia to Sing (Fröhlich wollen wir Alleluia singen)” as an appendix. The printings by Nickel Schirlentz and Joseph Klug added the text of Martin Luther’s hymn “May God Bestow on Us His Grace (Es wollt uns Gott genädig sein)” immediately before Agricola’s. A scan of Georg Rhau’s printing is available here courtesy of the City Library of Worms. A scan of Nickel Schirlentz’s printing is available here courtesy of the Bavarian State Library in Munich. If you are aware of a scan of Joseph Klug’s printing, please contact us.