Music in a time of war : the efforts of Saxon Prince Johann Georg II to establish a musical ensemble, 1637-1651

Abstract

Elector Johann Georg II of Saxony (r. 1656-1680) is primarily remembered today for his cultivation of elaborate court festivals and a lavish musical life at the Dresden court throughout his twenty-four-year reign. He played an important role in the development of sacred music in seventeenth-century Germany and privileged music in the modern Italian style. This article tells about the efforts of Saxon Prince Johann Georg II in establishing a musical ensemble between 1637 and 1651, hampered by the 30 Years‘ War (1618-1648).