Printing, Politics, and Power: Music printing in bi-confessional Frankfurt

The first two decades of the seventeenth century saw a sharp increase in polyphonic printing in Frankfurt (Main), mostly due to the work of the publisher Nikolaus Stein. His rich output of both secular and sacred publications stands in stark contrast to the almost neglectable printing of music in Frankfurt in the preceding half-century. This chapter examines potential markets for Stein’s music publications. It investigates the possibilities of selling these music books in the German-wide market (mainly through the book fairs) as well as their potential connections to Frankfurt itself. For the latter, the sacred publications are of particular interest, as the performance of polyphony in Frankfurt’s churches has long been thought to only gain pace after 1620. Moreover, Stein’s publications show some clear connections with the Catholic faith and Catholic communities, both through their repertory as well as their paratexts, such as dedications and prefaces. This chapter therefore draws a link between the struggles of the Catholic minority in Frankfurt, Nikolaus’ Stein own religious beliefs, and the sudden growth in polyphonic music printing. In doing so it uncovers the influence of the religious tensions in (only officially) bi-confessional Frankfurt on the business of music publishing.