Music and Religious Identity in Counter-Reformation Augsburg, 1580-1630

The relationship between music and religious identity in Augsburg on the eve of the Thirty Years War is the focus for this book. How did 'Catholic' and 'Protestant' repertories diverge from one another? What was the impetus for this differentiation, and what effect did the circulation and performance of this music have on Augsburg's religious culture? These questions call for a new, cross-disciplinary approach to the music history of this era, one which moves beyond traditional accounts of the lives and works of composers, or histories of polyphonic genres. Using a wide variety of archival and musical documents, Alexander Fisher offers a holistic view of this musical landscape, examining aspects of composition, circulation, performance, and cultural meaning.

Alexander J. Fisher is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of British Columbia, Canada.