Music, Print and Presentation in Saxony During the Seventeenth Century

At the start of the seventeenth century composers such as MichaelPraetorius, Johann Hermann Schein and Heinrich Schütz sawmuch of their music into print; at the end of the century, however,musicians such as Johann Kuhnau or Nikolaus Adam Strungk enteredprint comparatively little, if at all. This article uses thedecline in music printing as a way to understand the changingrole of music and musicians in society. At the start of thecentury, the intensity of music printing testified to the Lutheranmarket for music, but also to the efforts of composers to promoteand present themselves in print. After the Thirty Years' War,however, the market for printed music collapsed, as many courtsand cities began to expect virtuoso performances and a constantsupply of new compositions.