Michael Robertson completed his PhD in 2004. In addition to working as a teacher, harpsichordist and organist, he writes about seventeenth-century music and has a fruitful music-editing partnership with a leading German publisher of early music. He is a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds.

• List of figuresList of tablesList of examplesAbbreviationsAcknowledgements and preface1 The towns: governance, patronage and status2 Dances and collections3 The aftermath of war4 Concepts of careful organisation5 A time of decline6 Leipzig7 Hamburg8 Keyboard suites by town composers9 Note blackening and mensural notationAppendixBibliography

"Michael Robertson marshals the information with admirable clarity, drawing attention to neglected treasures, and showing that there is always something to learn, even from incomplete sources." - Richard Carter, Viola Da Gamba Society Journal"This study is based on meticulous research... and breaks new ground. [...] The volume is copiously illustrated with musical examples. For specialists and music library collections, this study will be a valuable reference tool." - Robert Manning, The Consort Early Music Journal, vol.73, Summer 2017

Michael Robertson completed his PhD in 2004. In addition to working as a teacher, harpsichordist and organist, he writes about seventeenth-century music and has a fruitful music-editing partnership with a leading German publisher of early music. He is a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds.

• List of figuresList of tablesList of examplesAbbreviationsAcknowledgements and preface1 The towns: governance, patronage and status2 Dances and collections3 The aftermath of war4 Concepts of careful organisation5 A time of decline6 Leipzig7 Hamburg8 Keyboard suites by town composers9 Note blackening and mensural notationAppendixBibliography

"Michael Robertson marshals the information with admirable clarity, drawing attention to neglected treasures, and showing that there is always something to learn, even from incomplete sources." - Richard Carter, Viola Da Gamba Society Journal"This study is based on meticulous research... and breaks new ground. [...] The volume is copiously illustrated with musical examples. For specialists and music library collections, this study will be a valuable reference tool." - Robert Manning, The Consort Early Music Journal, vol.73, Summer 2017

Michael Robertson completed his PhD in 2004. In addition to working as a teacher, harpsichordist and organist, he writes about seventeenth-century music and has a fruitful music-editing partnership with a leading German publisher of early music. He is a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds.

• List of figuresList of tablesList of examplesAbbreviationsAcknowledgements and preface1 The towns: governance, patronage and status2 Dances and collections3 The aftermath of war4 Concepts of careful organisation5 A time of decline6 Leipzig7 Hamburg8 Keyboard suites by town composers9 Note blackening and mensural notationAppendixBibliography

"Michael Robertson marshals the information with admirable clarity, drawing attention to neglected treasures, and showing that there is always something to learn, even from incomplete sources." - Richard Carter, Viola Da Gamba Society Journal"This study is based on meticulous research... and breaks new ground. [...] The volume is copiously illustrated with musical examples. For specialists and music library collections, this study will be a valuable reference tool." - Robert Manning, The Consort Early Music Journal, vol.73, Summer 2017