Thomas Laub

Thomas Linnemann Laub (5 December 1852 – 4 February 1927) was a Danish organist and composer. He was associated with the 20th century revival of religious music in the country.

Biography Thomas Laub was born on 5 December 1852. While he originally studied theology, he attended the Copenhagen Conservatory from 1873 to 1876 and was taught by music theorist Johann Christian Gebauer. He was an organist at Helligåndskirke in Copenhagen between 1884 and 1891, and became organist at Holmens Kirke in 1891. Laub would remain its organist for several decades.

During his tenure, Laub set out to reform the Lutheran Church of Denmark's hymn repertoire. He was opposed to the romanticized Danish hymns of the day and viewed medieval and Reformation singing as more proper. In particular, he viewed Gregorian chant as melodically superior, and chorales as the ideal form of devotional music.

Laub also took an interest in Danish folk ballads, which at the time were available primarily as 19th-century copies, arranged in romantic style by contemporary Danish composers. Laub believed these rearrangements were overly ornamented and that they obscured some of the ballads' origins in medieval music. He compiled several folk songs, restored to what he viewed as their true medieval character, in two editions of Danske Folkeviser med Melodier (Danish Folk Songs with Melodies) published in 1899 and 1904.

Notable works 1887 Om Kirkesangen 1888 80 rytmiske Koraler, en enstemmig samling 1889–1891 Kirkemelodier, tre hæfter med firstemmige udsættelser 1890 10 gamle danske Folkeviser udsatte for blandet kor 1896 Udvalg af Salmemelodier i Kirkestil 1899 Danske Folkeviser med gamle Melodier I med Axel Olrik, 1902 Udvalg af Salmemelodier i Kirkestil, bind 2. 1904 Danske Folkeviser med gamle Melodier II med Axel Olrik 1909 Forspil og Melodier. Forsøg i Kirkestil 1915 En Snes danske Viser med Carl Nielsen 1917 En Snes danske Viser, hæfte 2 (igen med Carl Nielsen) 1918 koralbogen Dansk Kirkesang 18920 Musik og Kirke 1920 Tolv viser og sange af danske digtere 1920 Ti Aarestrupske ritorneller 1922 30 danske sange for 3 og 4 lige stemmer 1922 Udkom Folkehøjskolens Melodibog med en række folkelige melodier af Th. Laub 1928 24 salmer og 12 folkeviser udsat for 2 og 3 lige stemmer