Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707) was the greatest figure in the history of German music between Schutz and Bach. His church music is performed today, yet that of his North German contemporaries (such as Matthias Weckmann, Christoph Bernhard, Nicolaus Bruhns, and Johann Meder) has received comparatively little attention. This book, taking its lead from Jerome Roche's illuminating study North Italian Church Music in the Age of Monteverdi (OUP, 1984), presents an overview of the North German church music of Buxtehude's lifetime, much of which remains unavailable in modern editions. It challenges widely-held beliefs about the nature and development of the repertory, and of the place held by Buxtehude within it. The picture that emerges is of a repertory that is far more beholden to Italian influence that has previously been appreciated, and one that is not dominated by any single figure.
After discussion of the religious background and liturgical context in which the music was performed, Geoffrey Webber examines the manner in which Italian church music became known and performed in the region, and surveys composers from all the principal courts and cities in the extensive North German and Baltic area. He highlights the relationship between the social context in which individual composers worked and the nature of their output. After a detailed analysis of the repertory itself, the book concludes with an examination of issues relating to performance practice.