Spiritual Life in Jáchymov
The influence of Lutheranism and sacred music was evident throughout the early history of Jáchymov. The inhabitants of the town adopted Lutheranism and its musical expressions as their own, primarily through the work of the composer Nicklas Herman and the cantor, and later priest, Johann Mathesius. In the school, music played a significant role in religious instruction. However, hymns in Latin could not captivate the German-speaking community, so the choirs also sang in German. The church remained the centre of sacred music, and the services included three influences: the culture of the Latin School, remnants of folk religion, and Lutheran hymns. The success of the Reformation in Jáchymov also stemmed from music. The diverse population of Jáchymov embraced the Lutheran message precisely through music; singing took place not only in the church, but also in the streets and in homes. Lutheran laypeople sang hymns with an eagerness that surprised even their priests.
Music flourished throughout all strata of Jáchymov society. Burghers were not only patrons of music, but also became excellent amateur musicians themselves. Fiddlers and bagpipers played in inns, at weddings, at shooting festivals, and at dance parties; miners and craftsmen sang mountain rhymes and folk songs of various genres at home, at work, and at festivals, as well as crude, lascivious, feasting songs and popular melodies. Secular music did not become a target of criticism from the Lutheran clergy; on the contrary, they supported and praised it. Conversely, the popularity of Lutheran hymns influenced secular songs. The devout songs of the Jáchymov cantor Nikolaus Hermann, however, became household music in Christian homes, while Latin students, led by their teachers, sang in front of the homes of patricians, burghers, and miners, and lovers of song gladly rewarded them with gifts. Jáchymov in the mid-16th century enjoyed great popularity in Lutheran Germany, not only for its firm evangelical devotion, but precisely because of its music.
Social life in Jáchymov
A town of song and beer – this sums up Jáchymov in the middle of the 16th century. Miners and other men, but also foreigners, sought out pubs and inns after their arduous work. With a genuine craving for the sun, they eagerly threw themselves into the delights of light and life, especially when they had the means to do so. However, pubs became places of drunkenness and brawls, and often served poor-quality drinks, which is why the town council introduced rules for the hospitality trade. Opening hours were strictly set from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; non-compliance was punishable by a fine for the innkeeper and corporal punishment for the guests. A fee was collected for sitting in the inn, and another fee was charged for games – backgammon or cards. During a single visit to a pub, no more than 5 half litres, a so-called „Örte“, could be drunk. An innkeeper who gave a guest more than one „five-beer“ and allowed guests to sit past the set hour was subject to a fine. The regulation that no more than one Örte could be drunk in an inn was circumvented by rebels travelling from one inn to another and drinking an Örte everywhere. By drinking a toast to one another, and the other party always having to have a shot, they egged each other on to drink more. Whole drinking tournaments were organised. An unknown author sang about one in the song „Joachimsthaler Turnier“ (Joachimsthal Tournament) which became notorious in the 16th century: 4 heroes (Wine-skin, Empty Glass, Drunkard, and Glutton) hold a beer tournament that lasts until morning.
„…He who well can eat and drink,
Him one praises as a hero.
No small draught one sees there,
Nor do you want it either.“
The town hall cellar offered Freiberg beer, and other establishments also had beer from Ostrov or Hroznětín. Beer flowed from five breweries; according to Mathesius, there were about 20 kinds of wine available here. The quality of the beer and wine was subject to inspection, and excessive pricing was controlled.
The people of Jáchymov loved festivities and processions; they enjoyed weddings and dancing, revelled in singing and coarse jokes, in good food and drink, in beautiful clothes and ornaments, and in entertainment of all kinds. Such an atmosphere of life was shared by all, by wealthy merchants and small-scale miners. People drank at weddings, baptisms, shooting festivals, and church celebrations; they drank and tippled on weekdays and Sundays, day and night. Mathesius repeatedly denounced drinking vices in his sermons.