This collection of fourteen essays explores the musical culture of the German-speaking realm between c. 1450 and 1600. The essays demonstrate the important role played by German speakers in the development of instrumental music in the Renaissance, in setting patterns of musical patronage, and in developing commercial music printing. The volume provides an overview of German polyphonic music in the age of Gutenberg, Dúrer and Luther, and documents the changing social status of music in Germany during a crucial epoch of its history.