German composer Otto Nicolai (1810-1849) started work on the overture based on Martin Luther's chorale 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott' (A mighty fortress is our God) in the summer of 1836. In the following years he worked on the overture, each time adding to the instrumentation and complexity and after a performance in 1837 he reworked it again. The overture got its final form with chorus and the instrumental fugue that was performed during the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of the Albertus University in his native town Köningsberg (Kaliningrad).
Dutch arranger Andre Bodin transcribed this overture for Symphonic Band which can be performed with or without the SATB-chorus.