ABSTRACT

In August 1730, in a lengthy and impassioned memo to the Leipzig town council, Johann Sebastian Bach complained bitterly about his working conditions. The complaints and the ongoing tensions that stood behind them have often been read as showing that Bach was an unappreciated genius whose colleagues and authorities stifled his creativity. Leipzig was a major early modern political, cultural, and economic center. The city and its people shared many characteristics with other towns in the Holy Roman Empire. The Baroque era is more often associated with Catholic than with Protestant areas. It is also important to bear in mind that there is no absolute correlation between status outside the religious field and status within it. The Baroque era is more often associated with Catholic than with Protestant areas. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.