Saxon composer Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630) held the prestigious position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1616 until his death in 1630. The elected holder of this office was responsible for writing and leading the music at the city’s four main Lutheran churches as well as for the music performed during official city and university functions. The Saxon city of Leipzig was a wealthy center of trade and home to an important trade fair by the sixteenth century. Its renowned university and its rich cultural life benefited from the city’s wealthy merchant class. From the late sixteenth century, city’s Protestant churches employed some of Germany’s most talented musicians and composers. This is a piece from Schein’s collection of musical entertainment for banquets and other official functions, Banchetto Musicale, published in 1617.