Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott

Christian Flor (* 1626 in Neukirchen (Ostholstein); † 28. September 1697) was a German composer and organist.

Not much is known about him: he came from a familiy of pastors and got his musical education probably from organists in Lübeck and Hamburg.

From 1654 on he was the organist of St. Lamberti in Lüneburg and as from 1676 until his death he was the organist (as a predecessor to Georg Boehm) of the Johanniskirche in Lüneburg as well. He was a widely known organist in his time.

He composed for the organ, choir works and cantata’s and passionen.

We are near reformation day (31 oktober), and this rather unknown prelude to Marten Luther's "Ein feste Burg" and the chorale in a superb setting of Hans Leo Hassler seemed a fine combination in expectancy of the occasion.

The brillliant rythmic structure of Luther's melody has sometimes been "flattened out" in later hymnbooks.
In the Dutch hymnal of 1973 and it's successor in 2013 it shines in full glory once more.